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Phlebotomist
HealthcareYou stick needles in people for a living and they thank you for it — when you hit the vein on the first try. You'll draw blood from patients who faint at the sight of a needle, babies whose veins are the size of a human hair, and elderly patients whose veins roll away from you like they have a personal grudge. It's a skill that looks easy until you try it.
Salary Range
Low
$28k
Median
$37k
High
$50k
10-Year Growth
faster than average
US Workers
135K
Education
Phlebotomy certificate (4-8 months) + national certification
Environment
indoor
Tools & Technical Skills
- ▸Venipuncture (butterfly needle, vacutainer, syringe)
- ▸Capillary blood collection (fingerstick, heelstick)
- ▸Order of draw protocols
- ▸Specimen labeling and handling
- ▸Blood culture collection technique
- ▸Point-of-care testing (glucose, INR)
People & Mindset Skills
- ▸Patient comfort and reassurance
- ▸Attention to detail
- ▸Hand-eye coordination
- ▸Communication
- ▸Composure with anxious patients
Learn the skills
Courses and certifications to get you job-ready
Capillary blood collection (fingerstick, heelstick)
What you'll actually do
- 01Draw blood from patients whose veins range from 'highway' to 'where are they hiding?'
- 02Label tubes with obsessive precision because a mislabel means wrong results on someone's blood work
- 03Calm down patients who are terrified of needles while acting like this is totally no big deal
- 04Draw blood from 30-50 patients per shift and maintain accuracy when your eyes are crossing
- 05Process specimens and prepare them for the lab before they degrade
- 06Clean up after the occasional patient who faints, because it happens more than you'd think
Related Shifts
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