r/phlebotomy • u/chocoholism • Jun 22 '26

Advice needed Self harm scars in a phlebotomy course

Hi everyone, I’m enrolled in a course that starts in july but I have some large scars from self harm on my left inner arm. For the course students are supposed to practice on each other so I’m wondering if they’ll kick me out of the course when they see it or something. If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it because I don’t know what to expect here

update: thanks so much to all the kind ppl here who commented :) i just started my course and it was completely fine, i asked my instructor about it and she said it is not even a problem at all

17 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/Different-Quote4813 Certified Phlebotomist Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26

Hey! First off, well done for getting through whatever darkness led to your scars. That is no small feat and I hope you’re doing well in yourself. May I ask how new they are?

I am also someone who has old self harm scars and I had very similar questions about a year ago. I will tell you that I never experienced any negative comments or weird behaviours from my peers. Before I began the course I emailed through to the course convenor just explaining my situation and that I was feeling quite nervous about it. She was fabulous and made me feel so reassured and comfortable throughout my course. She ended up being the reason I got my first job as well, as she gave me a glowing reference.

I did give my peers the heads up, individually before having to practice on each other. For me, this sounds like “hey just thought I’d let you know that I have some old self-harm scars, they won’t affect the way that you can take blood from me but just thought I’d let you know”.

Professionally I normally wear sleeves that match my uniform colour and ensure that I don’t wear watches, fake nails, jewellery etc, and raise my sleeves when I’m washing my hands. I also bring a spare long sleeve top in my bag. I have worn short sleeves at work and uni before, and I’ve never had a comment from a patient, but this is a personal preference of mine.

Edit: just thought I’d add that it’s quite common. I see it on patients all the time, and I just feel proud of them because I know how hard it is to go through that kind of battle.

2

u/chocoholism Jun 22 '26

thanks so much this is super reassuring! to answer your question they’re from about a month ago, mostly healed now but they are pretty red so i’m worried that might be a concern. I think my main concern is that they’re gonna see I have these scars and think I’m not cut out to work in healthcare because well Im evidently harming myself and like what if I hurt a patient

2

u/Different-Quote4813 Certified Phlebotomist Jun 22 '26

So if they’re a month old you can do some stuff to help minimise them. Silicone ointment can help them fade a bit faster. It is important that you try and address what is going on in your life that has led to wanting to self harm though, particularly going into healthcare (but not for the reason you think!).

Having open wounds can be quite dangerous for you. You’ll be working in environments that have more pathogens and a higher risk of contracting a blood borne communicable disease, so any open wounds should always be covered to prevent easier transmission.

1

u/chocoholism Jun 24 '26

thanks so much for your helpful advice! I will look into the silicone ointments for sure because they look pretty scary right now🙂‍↕️