But i’m a night shift phlebotomist and I’m seeing more 23G butterfly requests lately during 3–5 a.m. rounds, especially for dehydrated admits — do you teach beginners to default to butterflies in those cases or stick with straight needles first? Curious what you tell new folks during handoffs so they don’t blow tiny hand veins?
On nights I tell new folks: start with a straight in the AC/forearm if you can palpate a decent bounce; if it’s hand-only or the skin’s paper‑dry, go 23G butterfly with pediatric/low‑vac tubes and a “small angle, slow pull” to prevent collapse. Warm the site 2–3 minutes and anchor well — think sipping through a straw, not chugging. Do you all stock low‑vac adapters s for the 3–5 a.m. window?
I’m fine teaching a 23G butterfly for those 3–5 a.m. dehydrated hand‑only sticks; one thing that saves redraws is using a tiny discard if a blue‑top is first so the butterfly tubing dead space doesn’t short‑fill. @jupa574 do you also have them keep the hand dependent until you see a little refill at the knuckles?