Hematology. Hema, meaning blood, and -ology, meaning the study of, means that hematology is the study and assessment of blood.

Now in WIC, it won’t be so much about studying blood under a microscope, as it will be performing a special screening involving either an electronic sensor or a finger stick to draw a small sample of blood using a lancet. Most participants will qualify for screening with a device called the Masimo Pronto, and you won't have to do the finger stick. This device reads the participant's hemoglobin levels through a sensor you place on their finger. If a finger stick is necessary, then you will use a cuvette, which is a small container, to collect a sample of your client’s blood. You’ll then insert this cuvette into a machine called a HemoCue, which will then provide you with a value for hemoglobin levels in the blood. Both of these tests will provide an accurate hemoglobin level. And in checking hemoglobin levels, you will then be able to assess whether or not your client is at risk for a condition known as iron-deficiency anemia.

Now, don’t worry. We’ll be talking more about iron-deficiency anemia, as well as the symptoms, consequences and causes of it, and how to perform these tests, but for now, let’s first talk about why these tests are so important.

Did You Know?

WIC data is collected and submitted to the Federal government yearly. This helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the WIC Program, as well as assess the health of the country.