Phlebotomy Career Explorer

Job Description

Performs the manual and technical tasks involved in the collection, labeling, processing and distribution of blood samples for laboratory testing.

A person in this career:

• Draws blood needed for medical tests
• Assembles equipment needed for drawing blood
• Labels and stores blood containers for processing
• Applies tourniquet to arm, locates vein, swabs area with disinfectant and inserts a needle into vein to draw blood into a collection tube
• Performs venipunctures, finger sticks or heel sticks to obtain specimens
• Converses with patients to allay the fear of the procedure
• Verifies or records identity of patient or donor

Working conditions and physical demands

• Handle loads of up to 20 pounds, sometimes up to 50 pounds. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time.
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time.

Working in this career involves these physical activities:

• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Good vision close up

Work hours and travel

• Irregular hours
• Holiday and weekend hours

Career at a Glance

Salary Range
$20,269 to $29,943

Skills Needed
Good hand-eye coordination
Enjoy working with and helping people
Attention to detail

Job Duties
Assemble equipment needed for drawing blood
Perform venipuncture, finger sticks and heel sticks to obtain blood
Label and store blood samples for processing

Work Locations
Hospitals
Clinics
Laboratories