Phlebotomist Salary

The average phlebotomist salary in the United States is pegged at USD 26,300 p.a. by one source However, another survey pegs salary range for a certified phlebotomist from USD 19,000 p.a. to USD 48,000 p.a., with the average salary falling in the USD 25,000 p.a. range. As with most professions, certified phlebotomist salary is commensurate with experience and seniority.

As a phlebotomist your main responsibility would be to draw and collect blood samples from patients, verify records and prepare specimens for laboratory analysis. Typically you would divide your time between taking blood and working in a laboratory with a lab technologist testing blood. You are also responsible for explaining the procedure directly to patients, updating patient records, preparing stains and reagents, cleaning and sterilizing equipment, and taking a patient’s blood pressure, pulse and respiration rate.

To be a phlebotomist you require a high school diploma and/or certification by a nationally recognized body. The accredited phlebotomist program is usually one semester or a one-year certificate or diploma that includes courses such as anatomy, physiology of the circulatory system and phlebotomy techniques. During the course you would also be gaining experience in drawing blood through veins and skins. Though certification is optional, it is highly recommended because most employers require it. Some of the organizations that offer national certification and testing are the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), American Medical Technologists and the American Society for Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT). After the course you would be a Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) or Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT). To maintain certification you must re-certify each year.

If you are geographically mobile then you must make a note of the following statistics. Phlebotomists in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming are the highest eaeners as they earned about USD 14 per hour while phlebotomists in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, earned an average of USD 13 per hour. The lowest-paid areas are Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas where phlebotomists earn about USD 8 per hour. Hospital phlebotomists earn between USD 9 and USD 12 per hour, outpatient clinic phlebotomists earn between USD 10 to USD 13 per hour, private physicians' practices earn between USD 9 and USD 11, while the phlebotomist salary in private clinics and reference labs is between USD 9 and USD 12 per hour. If you have to work in a hospital make sure you work in a big facility because hospitals with over 500 beds paid more in relation to smaller ones.