The first appointment
Before you actually donate blood, you will be screened. We check your general health and determine your blood type.
When you come to a donor centre, you first sign in at the reception desk. One of our employees will ask you for your ID (so be sure to take this with you) and will ask you to fill out a medical questionnaire.
The donor doctor will go through the (medical) questionnaire with you. During this consultation, we will measure your blood pressure, take your weight and determine the iron content in your blood. After the consultation with the donor doctor, the donation assistant will collect a few tubes of blood for testing.
Is your blood tested? Start donating blood!
If the medical screening shows everything is alright, you can donate blood. We will send you an invitation to come in for your first blood donation.
Donating blood for the first time
Every time you give blood, a small medical screening will be performed to make sure it is safe for you to donate. Blood donation itself takes 10-15 minutes. After donating blood, you will take a seat in the waiting area and have something to eat and drink.