Phlebotomists

Draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. May explain the procedure to patients and assist in the recovery of patients with adverse reactions.

Most important skills

Service Orientation
Speaking
Social Perceptiveness
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Reading Comprehension
Monitoring
Coordination

Key knowledge

Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Administrative
Education and Training
Computers and Electronics
Public Safety and Security
Psychology
Production and Processing

What the work involves

Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
Document route of specimens from collection to laboratory analysis and diagnosis.
Draw blood from capillaries by dermal puncture, such as heel or finger stick methods.
Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
Explain fluid or tissue collection procedures to patients.
Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (40% of expert ratings)
Related experience: None (37.5%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (48%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Phlebotomists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very high	Higher on contact with others than 91% of occupations compared	88% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Moderate	Higher on dealing with the public than 57% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 80% of occupations compared	68% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Very low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 85% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	High	Higher on time pressure than 61% of occupations compared	64% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	Very high	Higher on conflict situations than 80% of occupations compared	32% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 96% of occupations compared	44% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Consequence of error	Very high	Higher on consequence of error than 98% of occupations compared	80% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: high
Conflict situations: very high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: very high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions