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I've been a practicing phlebotomist for seven years, and over my years of experience, I've also made lots of mistakes. This post is meant for those looking for phlebotomy tips, those learning phlebotomy, or those looking to troubleshoot a blood draw. “Oh no, no blood!”  Anchor: To anchor, you want to use your thumb to pull the skin and subcutaneous tissue downwards and taught. This helps the needle puncture the skin with less force and therefore less pain for the patient. Anchoring is the number 1 way to avoid “rolling veins”. Feel The goal is to locate the vein in relation to your needle. Use the hand not holding the needle to palpate over the vein. I always recommend training both hands to feel for veins, which can be beneficial in situations like this.  Remember that veins should ideally feel bouncy. Hard and dense structures may be tendons. Subcutaneous tissue feels squishy and muscle feels hard. If a vein feels hard, it may be scarred or sclerosed.  Reposition There are s