20 Amazing Reasons to Become a Phlebotomy Tech

As a uniquely important allied healthcare member, phlebotomy technicians are responsible for drawing blood used for testing and transfusions. You can find phlebotomists in clinics, laboratories, blood banks, and hospitals, and their professionalism alleviates stressful situations.

We’ve compiled a list of 20 reasons for why being a phlebotomist is an awesome career move. 

1) Applying to Phlebotomy Schooling Is Easy

Applying to phlebotomy training programs is incredibly straightforward. In most cases, you’ll simply need a high school diploma (or equivalent) and a great attitude to kickstart your education.

2) Flexible Learning Paths Mean Easy Scheduling

Phlebotomy training programs understand that many students have jobs or families. You should be able to find a phlebotomy tech training program that involves daytime, nighttime and/or weekend training hours to fit your schedule.

3) Phlebotomist Training Is Super Fast

With 1-3 month certificate programs, this field has one of the fastest turnarounds in allied healthcare. Depending on your schedule availability, it can take as little as one month to complete your studies, pass your certification exam, and start working!

4) Affordable Certificate Programs

An allied healthcare career is an increasingly popular pathway due to affordability. In fact, the cost of most phlebotomy training programs is less than $2,000.

5) Satisfy Your Morbid Curiosity

Future phlebotomy techs are the kinds of people who watch surgeries on television and act calmly (and interested) when a person around them gets a cut. This field requires you to understand how to get the most out of veins – and to love it to the last drop!

6) Build a Long-Term Allied Healthcare Career

Because phlebotomy techs are surrounded by a wide variety of healthcare professionals, they can quickly discover what sort of positions speak to them most. Many phlebotomists move on to other allied health careers or move up the ranks in the phlebotomy sector.

7) Find Career Inspiration in Other Sectors

Whether finding a vein site or working in labs, phlebotomists often fall in love with different medical positions they may never have given a second thought about. Maybe they’ll develop a love of helping children and pursue pediatrics, or maybe they’ll have a life-changing experience when helping out in a busy emergency room.

8) Secure Job Market

The Bureau of Labor predicts that from 2018 to 2028, there will be an estimated 14%increase in the medical sector. Phlebotomy job rates top that: A 23% growth rate is expected over the next decade!

9) Great Pay for an Entry-Level Position

The national average phlebotomist salary is more than $34,000, but it’s not unheard of for the experienced techs to command upwards of $40,000. With enough job experience, the top 10% of earners can expect over $49,000!

10) Work with a Wide Range of Medical Staff

Whether you’re taking samples in a lab or a doctor’s office, phlebotomy techs might work with nurses, physicians, EMTs, and even surgeons. The responsibilities of phlebotomy techs provide a unique view of the inner-workings of allied healthcare and general medicine.

11) Fit a Regular Workout Into Your Daily Schedule

Phlebotomy techs can expect to be on their feet for much of the day. If you’re looking for a physically active career – instead of a desk job – this could be a great option for you.

12) You May Be the Only Person Who Can Help

It can be incredibly difficult to locate a vein (especially if they’re rolling veins). With their skills and calm demeanor, phlebotomy techs might be the only allied health professional who can succeed.

13) Work 9 to 5 – if You Want!

Physician’s offices and laboratories typically expect employees to work 9-5 positions. Larger hospitals, however, may need certified phlebotomists to work a 24/7 schedule. This allows staff to develop a routine that can include days, nights or weekends.

A flexible, alternative schedule might be ideal for someone with obligations (like childcare) that make a 9-5 schedule difficult to maintain.

14) Work Almost Anywhere in the United States

Have you always wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest? Have family in Pennsylvania you’d like to move closer to? Has your spouse’s job been transferred to Wisconsin?

Most states don’t have a requirement for phlebotomy certification, which means you have incredible flexibility to move throughout the United States. Proper phlebotomy training and certification, however, gives you an edge on the competition and is preferred by most hiring professionals.

15) Challenge Yourself Every Day

No two shifts are ever the same. Different situations require special protocol, obligating phlebotomists to think and act quickly. For people seeking a routine job, keep moving: Working as a phlebotomist is for those that love to think on their feet.

16) Save Lives by Drawing Plasma

Plasma donation is a vital process for millions of Americans who suffer from blood clotting and autoimmune problems. Phlebotomy techs safely and accurately take these donations, comfort donors, and are the first step in lifesaving processes.

17) Help Doctors Discover What Patients are Suffering From

Assisting doctors in determining a patient’s affliction is an incredible privilege. With phlebotomists’ accurate, well-labeled, and carefully drawn blood samples, diagnoses can detect bacterial infections, cholesterol levels, diseases, and much more.

18) Help People Get Over Their Fears

Even though blood drawing is just a routine phlebotomist duty, for those with needle phobias, blood testing is a stressful experience.When combined with a history of poorly (and painfully) administered needles, patients might be facing their greatest fears.

Great phlebotomy techs first explain procedures to put patients at ease, then choose the best equipment for the task. For example, if patients have smaller veins or a low pain threshold, butterfly needles are a more suitable apparatus for blood work.

19) Save Lives in a Medical Emergency

Whenever a disaster occurs, phlebotomists jump into action. Blood banks and mobile vehicles can be spotted at schools, community centers, and churches with civilians donating their time and blood to others in need.

Knowing that you assisted in saving the lives of fellow Americans is a tremendous feeling that every certified phlebotomy technician appreciates.

20) Be Proud of the Work You Do

Phlebotomists’ steady hands help the medical team diagnose diseases and disorders, as well as draw blood and plasma for medical research. It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing that you played a role in improving the world one needle at a time!

Become a Phlebotomy Tech – Apply to a Training Program

If you’re in the New Jersey area and want to discover more about this exciting allied health career, check out the AIMS phlebotomy tech program page.