epoc competencies and blind samples

Following! In the same boat as your Erika. Always thinking about the cost of this as well for hundreds of operators. 

We had a lot of expired ABL controls.  So we pooled a bunch and put them into syringes.  You can decide which parameter to use to determine reproducibility, but use something stable not gases.  This gives the operator to demonstrate taking the air out of the sample, running the sample on the epoc card and results.  they can also verbalize what to do with error messages and critical results documentation.

We use QC samples, but we run them in patient mode using a "COMPETENCY" barcode. This allows us to find the results easily in our system and keeps our QC coordinator sane. :) We have them run lactate and glucose so we can assess the results for accuracy, which satisfies the blind sample requirement. Those analytes are stable enough that multiple operators can use the same sample over a period of a few days, so that also saves some money (we have over 400 operators). Plus the QC samples also give critical values, which allows us to assess our operators' ability to document criticals properly.

We have the IStat but the same requirement.  We use L2 QC as our patient sample and like Christina we have a POCT competency barcode that we have them use for the patient ID.  
If you have a cal/ver kit and don't use all the levels that could be used as a blind sample or maybe expired QC as long as the values come within the ranges.