Skills Hub
phlebotomy-capillary
Capillary Puncture — Heelstick (Infant)
Always tested on the Phlebotomy
Heelstick for infants — medial or lateral plantar surface only.
About this skill
Infant heelstick capillary puncture. Only the medial or lateral plantar surface is safe — center risks bone infection, back of heel risks tendon injury.
15 total steps
6 critical steps
Time limit: 5 min
What graders are watching for
- 1Medial or lateral plantar surface only
- 2Maximum depth 1.5 mm
- 3Warm to 40-42 degrees C
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- !Puncturing the center of the heel
- !Puncturing the back of the heel
- !Heelstick warming over 42 degrees C
Practice this skill step-by-step
The static walkthrough above is the marketing overview. The full step-by-step interactive practice (with critical-step highlighting, per-step "why this matters" rationale, and what graders watch for on each individual step) is unlocked with a subscription.