Some people may think blood can be drawn seated anywhere, but the chair is vital, she noted, hoping the exhibition would prompt more people to appreciate lesser known healthcare roles and place their trust in phlebotomists when they get their blood drawn.
“People always say the ‘Daylight Dracula’ is here. But don’t be afraid of the Draculas in the hospital because (we) are all very nice people,” she quipped.
While Siti has taken 30 minutes to find a vein – her longest time spent – she adheres to her general principle: Less pain, more gain.
She believes in holding new hires whom she trains to similarly stringent standards.
“I always tell them: If you hurt my patients, you hurt me. If you think that with one prick, you’ll fail (to prick the vein), don’t go for the second (prick). Make sure you (only do it) when you’re confident,” she said.
A decade on, her childhood dream of becoming a nurse to ease suffering still guides her every day, seeing the profession as a “noble job”.
“If I love my family and want them to have minimal pain,” she said, “I should treat every patient of mine the same.”
But one patient, in particular, stands out: An elderly man who was suffering from edema.
Two nurses and a doctor had tried – and failed – to prick the patient to draw blood. They needed a phlebotomist.
“It took me, I think, about 30 minutes to locate the vein. I analysed the method to be used and everything, so that’s where we got a successful prick,” recalled Siti.
“Before I left the room, the family members came to me and cried. They said thank you very much.”
Having been in their shoes with her mum, she understood what they were facing.
“From that day onwards, whenever the patient had a blood test,” she said, “I was the one who drew his blood.”
Cradle to Memories: Objects Rebirthed from 45 Years of Mount Elizabeth Hospital is on display at the hospital’s grand lobby till Sep 30, 2025. It will be moved to a permanent display spot in the hospital thereafter.
