Blood Donation Process

Donating Blood: What You Need To Know

The Blood Donation Process

The blood donation process from the time you arrive until the time you leave takes about an hour. The donation itself is only about 8-10 minutes on average.

If you’re donating whole blood, we’ll cleanse an area on your arm and insert a brand new sterile needle for the blood draw. (This feels like a quick pinch and is over in seconds.)

Other types of donations, such as platelets, are made using an apheresis machine which will be connected to both arms.

A whole blood donation takes about 8-10 minutes, during which you’ll be seated comfortably or lying down.

When approximately a pint of whole blood has been collected, the donation is complete and a staff person will place a bandage on your arm.

For platelets, the apheresis machine will collect a small amount of blood, remove the platelets, and return the rest of the blood through your other arm; this cycle will be repeated several times over about 2 hours.