Phlebotomy and Piercing

I received this message from a Facebook friend:

A few years back I decided to go through a phlebotomy program at a local college. I was wondering (while I know one can not learn how to be a "piercer" through Phlebotomy, and that an apprenticeship is key, as I have done mine a while back) what you thought about the sterilization practices? Do you find the practices of a phlebotomist are condusive to the practices of a body piercer? Do you feel it could help, or hinder?  (I know that a lot of the medical field is anti body modification).
Thanks again for your time,
~S

Hi S.,

Ah. Well, obviously you're already into piercing, so I'm not concerned that a medical education of any type would turn you against it. So that's not an issue.

My concern is how poor the cross-contamination practices often are in medical settings--especially phlebotomy. When I get my blood drawn, I almost always have to request a glove change following the phlebotomist touching the sharps container and then trying to touch the site my stick, or some such.... I can say with certainty that the procedures we followed in my studio for hygiene and cross-contamination control are clearly much stricter than what is put into practice by most phlebotomists.

So, if you're able to maintain the level of sanitation and hygiene required of a safe piercer, then I'm sure additional experience with needles and bodies can only be a good thing!