About us

Founded on a simple observation:
nobody is taught this properly.

Venepuncture and cannulation are among the most performed clinical procedures in the NHS, and among the least well taught.

Jump to my journey
Dr Emefa Vondee, founder of The Needle Academy

Most people learn this in a corridor, from whoever happens to be free, on a patient who deserved better than a first attempt.

The Needle Academy teaches it the way we wish we'd been taught: slowly, visually, and with room to ask the question you're embarrassed to ask. Anatomy before technique. Understanding before muscle memory.

We're led by Dr Emefa Vondee, a UK-based Medical Doctor and Qualified Phlebotomist of seven years, three of them on the wards.

Dr Emefa Vondee, M.D.

  • NHS experience
  • Clinical educator
  • Evidence-based teaching

What we believe

  • Clinically current

    Everything is written against current UK guidance and reviewed regularly.

  • Plainly explained

    No jargon for its own sake. If a sentence needs reading twice, it gets rewritten.

  • Kind teaching

    Nobody learns well while being watched for mistakes. We teach the opposite way.

The long way round

How a curious child ended up teaching people to take blood.

  1. Dr Emefa Vondee as a child
    Where it started

    Inquisitive from the start

    Fascinated by how the body worked and never short of a question. Curious, confident enough to ask, and happiest looking after someone. All of it showed up early.

  2. Dr Emefa Vondee during her clinical training
    Training

    Medical school, and a second qualification

    Graduating from medical school, and qualifying as a phlebotomist along the way. That second qualification turned out to be the one that shaped everything after it.

  3. Dr Emefa Vondee working on the ward
    On the ward

    Teaching, and out in the community

    Showing colleagues how it's done on the ward, and taking bloods in community clinics. Somewhere in there, teaching quietly became the best part of the job.

  4. Dr Emefa Vondee teaching a class, standing beside a screen reading Quick question: when do you start CPR?
    Today

    The Needle Academy

    Teaching students, speaking at webinars, and putting what I know into a guide and a pocket card. Workshops are next.

Why The Needle Academy

Why The Needle Academy

Every healthcare professional remembers their first successful blood test.

They remember the ones that didn't go to plan, too: the fear of hurting someone, the not knowing what to do next.

The Needle Academy exists because confidence has to be taught.

Start where it's most useful.

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