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Phlebotomist

$45,230
median / year
$35,780 – $58,780
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Draw blood from patients for tests, donations, and transfusions, then label and prepare samples.

You may also see this posted as: Lab Liaison Technician, Mobile Examiner, Phlebotomy Technician, Patient Service Technician (PST), Registered Phlebotomist.

Where you work

Hospitals, labs, and clinics; standing, close patient contact.

The hours

Full-time and part-time; some early mornings, evenings, and weekends.

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
  • Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.
  • Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
  • Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
  • Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.

Good fit if you like…

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

O*NET job zone 3 of 5

Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityCautiousnessIntegrity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft Office softwareJavaScriptMEDITECH softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Word

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$45,230
per year
Hourly median
$21.75
per hour
What most earn
$35,780–$58,780
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~18,400
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+5.6%
Faster than average
Working in the U.S.
143,540
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Certificate program

Training path: A weeks-long certificate course.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license in most states; certification is often preferred by employers.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Manual dexterityCompassionAttention to detailSteady hands

The honest take

One skill, every hospital — often the first healthcare paycheck.

Standard Occupational Classification 31-9097. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.