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Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist

A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians and other health care professionals, to draw blood samples from patients using a variety of intrusive procedures. Includes instruction in basic vascular anatomy and physiology, blood physiology, skin puncture techniques, venipuncture, venous specimen collection and handling, safety and sanitation procedures, and applicable standards and regulations.

Types of Degrees Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	202
Associate’s Degree	19
Master’s Degree	3,594

What Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist Majors Need to Know

Programs in Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
JavaScript	Web platform development software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Iatric Systems MobiLab	Medical software	—
Electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Laboratory information system LIS	Medical software	—
Donor management system software	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist graduates include:

• Lab Liaison Technician
• Phlebotomy Services Technician
• Mobile Phlebotomist
• Certified Phlebotomy Technician
• Clinical Phlebotomist
• Phlebotomy Technician
• Collections Technician
• Certified Phlebotomist
• Phlebotomy Services Representative
• Outpatient Phlebotomist
• Phlebotomist
• Phlebotomy Technologist
• Mobile Examiner
• Long Term Care Phlebotomist
• Travel Phlebotomist

What Can You Do With a Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	26.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	17.4%
Master’s degree	16.3%
Doctoral degree	11.3%
Post-doctoral training	8.7%
Some college courses	7.4%
Bachelor’s degree	5.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 89.8% of Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,396	89.8%
Men	951	10.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,458	37.0%
Asian	439	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino	2,814	30.1%
Black or African American	1,730	18.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	133	1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	40	0.4%
Two or More Races	387	4.1%
Race Unknown	260	2.8%
International Students	86	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,942
4 years	$39,910
5 years	$44,672

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,672 — roughly 4% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist graduates earn a median of $39,910 four years after completion — roughly 5% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist	3,893
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician	3,329
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,964
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions, Other	895
Histologic Technician	260
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	241
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	127
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist	104

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.