The work of laboratory phlebotomists revolves around blood. You draw blood from people in medical settings, as well as animal in lab environments for testing and researching purposes.
Some of the duties and responsibilities that you fulfill as a laboratory phlebotomist include identifying and recording patients information, determining the right method to draw blood from patients, and ensuring the quality of the blood samples drawn. You organize your daily activities based on the urgency of requests for fluid samples. You conduct research and tests on collected samples and analyze the results in order to detect diseases or for other medical purposes. Essential skills required to be successful in this position are excellent communication, attention to detail, ability to connect with patients of all types, and computer skills.
To qualify for this position, you need a diploma in phlebotomy or certain other certifications. Moreover, on-the-job, rigorous training may serve as a valid qualification. Proven work experience in this field is preferred. The average hourly pay for this position is $15.09, which amounts to more than $31,000 annually. The career is expected to grow in the near future and create new opportunities across the United States.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a laboratory phlebotomist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.79 an hour? That's $32,833 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 23% and produce 29,500 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many laboratory phlebotomists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed compassion, dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
If you're interested in becoming a laboratory phlebotomist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 19.6% of laboratory phlebotomists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.3% of laboratory phlebotomists have master's degrees. Even though some laboratory phlebotomists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a laboratory phlebotomist. When we researched the most common majors for a laboratory phlebotomist, we found that they most commonly earn associate degree degrees or bachelor's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on laboratory phlebotomist resumes include diploma degrees or high school diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a laboratory phlebotomist. In fact, many laboratory phlebotomist jobs require experience in a role such as phlebotomist. Meanwhile, many laboratory phlebotomists also have previous career experience in roles such as medical assistant or certified nursing assistant.