Introduction: Phlebotomy is a commonly done invasive technique, performed either for diagnostic or therapeutic purpose. A thorough knowledge and skills are to be ensured in the health care professionals who carry out this procedure regularly so as to ensure patient safety and minimize pre analytical errors in laboratory investigations. Aim of the present study was to assess the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of nursing staffs to carry out the phlebotomy procedure. Methodology: A validated questionnaire study involving seventy four nursing staffs of the medical college teaching hospital was conducted. They were divided in to three groups belonging to different age groups, like 19-30 yr, 31-45 yr and 45-60 yr. They were also classified based on their number of years of experience, as 0-5 yr,6-15 yr and more than 15 yr of experience. A validated questionnaire consisting of 10 knowledge assessing questions,7 skills assessing questions and 3 information on demographic profile was administered to them. Each question carried one mark each, total score being 17, knowledge score being 10 and skills/practice score being 7. Statistical analysis was carried out by using Graph pad Instat software. One way ANNOVA was used to compare the scores, total, knowledge and practice scores between different groups. Knowledge and skills components of different groups were compared by using Student s Unpaired 't' test. Descriptive statistics is used to calculate percentage of correct answers. Results: Definition of hemolysis was correctly answered by 66% nurses.52.7% nursing staffs were aware that hemolysis can occur not only during sampling, but any time during the laboratory procedure.66.2% thought that forcing the blood in to tubes by pushing the plunger in order to fill the tubes is the most frequent cause of hemolysis. 37.8% of nurses were aware that less than half full tube can frequently cause hemolysis. The relationship between the needle gauge size and hemolysis was known only by 18.9% nurses. 70.27% wrongly thought that isopropyl or ethyl alcohol used as disinfectant can cause hemolysis.71.6% were aware that hemolysis can influence the lab reports. However there wasn't any statistical significant difference between the scores in different groups. Conclusion: We conclude from our study that nursing staffs of our teaching hospital inspite of being experienced, lack in knowledge and skills of phlebotomy technique and factors contributing to pre analytical errors necessitates an intervention ,in the form of training program.

Context and setting Most medical schools in India do not emphasise the importance of scientific research skills in the undergraduate medical curriculum despite the fact that it is essential for students to understand scientific methods of critically evaluating the evidence that will assist their decision making during their medical careers. In recognition of this need on the part of medical students, a mentored student project (MSP) programme was implemented in an Indian medical school in 2008 for a batch of medical students. Why the idea was necessary It is essential to inculcate critical thinking and reasoning skills and to develop a positive attitude among medical students towards scientific research from the beginning of their medical careers. As scientific research is rapidly evolving from its status as a largely individual endeavour to that of a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary activity, research training for undergraduate medical students should also inculcate the spirit of teamwork. At present, there is no formal path by which medical students in India can become doctor-scientists or academicians. What was done In the MSP programme, students (n = 113), guided by a teaching faculty member (mentor), were required to undertake a project involving in-depth study of an area of their interest, write a scholarly report and present the work as a poster presentation. To encourage the spirit of teamwork, students were grouped (n = 3-5) and each group was asked to select a research project in the form of a library study, laboratory research, medical records study, case study or field project. To examine the students' perceptions regarding improvements in their research skills after participating in the MSP, a questionnaire consisting of 16 items related to the research skills gained by undertaking projects and the guidance received from the mentor (using a 5-point Likert scale) was developed. Students were requested to indicate their responses on the questionnaire and to describe their previous research experience, if any. Student responses were summarised using percentages. The median grade and interquartile range were reported for each item. A comparison of overall research skills gained with those based on previous research experience was performed using the chisquared test. Evaluation of results and impact The median grade for all items related to improvements in research skills was 4, which indicates that the majority of students felt the MSP had increased their research skills. Type of project and previous research experience were not significantly related to the improvement in overall skills. It was encouraging to find that 80% of the respondents had received appropriate guidance from their mentors. A total of 61% of students agreed that the MSP should be a mandatory requirement for the completion of the MBBS degree at our institution, which suggests that the non-funded MSP programme was successful in fostering a positive attitude towards scientific research. The present study provided scope for the f...