A phlebotomist is a person that draws blood from the patient’s veins for sampling and collection. As a part of the medical team, the primary duty the phlebotomists is blood taking, handling of blood and precise evaluation and analysis of blood samples. These are just the basic responsibilities of a phlebotomist. Just like the doctors and nurses, phlebotomists also have to put in mind the best for their patients. They must make sure that the patients are safe while doing the whole process of blood extraction. They must be certain that the blood is taken correctly or everything will be useless. It is important for them to also check the doctor’s orders.  Other responsibility of the phlebotomists is to makes re that the blood samples are transported to the right laboratory. They are accountable of the transportation from where they are taken up to the laboratory site. There are medical professionals that would let the phlebotomists perform the blood processes with their direct supervision. In this career it is best to have the right knowledge and skills on the different blood taking processes that can help a person out during different situations.

Since this is the work of the phlebotomists, they are at risk of exposure to any blood borne diseases. They should make sure that they are following the right level of safety measures and precautions for their own safety. Since they are directly exposed to these blood samples, they are at risk of acquiring contaminants that may harm their health.  A lot of phlebotomist technical schools teach these aspiring phlebotomists on how to perform different procedures, how to operate machines and how to handle and store specimens. They should put in mind all proper guidelines and protocols needed to be followed. After the students have finished the phlebotomist’s education, the next thing they need to do is to have a certification. Licensing and certification differ from one state to another; some may require it while others may not. Better take a look on the States accrediting agency to make sure if you need a certification or not.

Being a phlebotomist is definitely an interesting job however the salary that one will receive is rewarding. The salary depends on certain factors like location of the facility, education and the experience. To increase your salary, having a degree is a solution. Those with a degree can expect to earn more than $19 per hour. Those phlebotomists working in private clinics earn less than those working in hospitals. Phlebotomists working in private clinics earn $12 an hour and those in hospitals earn $15 an hour. If the person is also working in a top paying state, it will make him or her earn more and enjoy the benefits given by the health facility compared to those working in small cities or states. Phlebotomist can earn an average salary of $11 to $15 an hour. When the hourly wage is added with all the bonuses, benefits and etc the phlebotomist salary is $23,000 to $35,000 yearly.