What is the general order of draw for non-blood culture specimens in venipuncture?

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In venipuncture, the order of draw is all about preventing cross-contamination and preserving the integrity of each sample. Blood culture bottles must be collected first because they are meant to be sterile and are most sensitive to additive carryover from other tubes.

After the culture bottles, collect the additive tubes in this sequence: light blue (citrate for coagulation studies), red or serum-separator tube (no additive or clot activator, used for serum), green (heparin for chemistry tests), purple (EDTA for hematology), and finally gray (fluoride/oxalate for glucose testing). This order minimizes the risk that an additive from one tube will alter the contents of a subsequent tube, such as citrate affecting clotting in serum tubes or EDTA contaminating other chemistries.

So the practice described—draw blood culture bottles first, then additively-topped tubes in that specific order—best aligns with standard guidelines and helps ensure accurate test results.