Medical Skilled Trades
Phlebotomy Technician
Phlebotomists draw blood for tests, transfusions, research or blood donations. Training programs usually take less than a year.
1.Career snapshot
- Role
- Phlebotomy Technician
- Pay (planning range)
- $35K–$55K+ Wealth Playbook guide, 2026
- Training time
- 1–6 months
- Pathway
- Specialty Diagnostics
- Demand
- Employment of phlebotomists is projected to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.
- Patient contact
- High
- Occupation code
- SOC 31-9097 · O*NET 31-9097.00
- Career advancement potential
- Entrepreneurship potential
2.What you'll do
Everyday work and where it happens
You check each patient's identity, explain what you are about to do, and draw blood with a needle or finger stick while keeping the patient calm. You label every tube correctly, enter the sample details in the lab system, and keep your work area and instruments clean and safe. Sometimes you collect samples at set times for special tests.
Typical duties
- Verify a patient's or donor's identity before drawing blood
- Draw blood by venipuncture or finger stick
- Explain the procedure to help nervous patients relax
- Label samples and enter the information into a database
- Assemble, maintain and safely dispose of needles, tubes and other instruments
- Keep work areas and equipment clean and sanitary
- Where you could work
- Hospitals, Medical and diagnostic laboratories, Offices of physicians, Blood donation centers
- Schedule
- Most phlebotomists work full time. Those in hospitals and labs may need to work nights, weekends and holidays.
- Physical demands
- You may stand for long periods. You work with needles and blood samples, so you follow safety steps every time.
- Patient contact
- High
3.How to get there
Education, training, exams and licensing
- Typical training
- Certificate
- Training time
- 1–6 months
1.Finish high school or an equivalent
Some employers hire high school graduates and train them on the job, but phlebotomists typically complete a postsecondary program.
2.Complete a phlebotomy certificate program
Offered by community colleges and vocational or technical schools, these programs usually take less than one year.
3.Log supervised blood draws
Certification bodies ask for documented practice; for example, NHA's CPT requires evidence of 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary sticks on live people.
4.Earn a professional certification
Some employers prefer certified phlebotomists. Options include the CPT from NHA and the PBT(ASCP) from the ASCP Board of Certification. Basic Life Support certification may also be needed.
5.Check your state's rules
Some states require phlebotomists to complete an accredited program, hold a license or certification, or meet other requirements. Contact your state licensing agency.
Exams and credentials
- CPT - Certified Phlebotomy Technician (National Healthcareer Association)
- PBT(ASCP) - Phlebotomy Technician (ASCP Board of Certification)
Licensing
States may require phlebotomists to complete an accredited training program, hold a license or certification, or meet other requirements, and some employers prefer certified phlebotomists. Requirements vary by state; check your state board.
Look up your state's license requirements (opens in a new tab)
4.What it costs
Tuition, fees, exams and financial aid
Costs vary by program.
Grants, loans and work-study can help pay for an eligible program. Start with the FAFSA at studentaid.gov (opens in a new tab), and ask each program what its total cost includes.
5.What you can earn
Starting, median and experienced pay, and where the figures come from
Planning range
$35K–$55K+
Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026
Local wage data isn't loaded yet, so this is a broad planning range, not a wage figure.
A planning range is broad and has no median: it is for planning, not a promise of pay. Starting, median and experienced wages will show here when BLS wage data is loaded.
For reference only (not this page's pay figure): BLS median, May 2025, national: $45,230 a year (source, opens in a new tab).
6.Jobs near you
Coming soon
We plan to show local openings here once a job-data source is connected. Until then, you can search current listings yourself.
7.Career ladder
Next certifications and roles
- Phlebotomy Technician(this career)
- Medical Laboratory Technician(Usually an associate's degree in clinical laboratory science.)
- Medical Laboratory Technologist / Scientist(Needs a bachelor's degree. BLS says some technicians advance to technologist positions after gaining experience and additional education.)
Working independently
Some phlebotomists travel to do their work, for example to long-term care centers or patients' homes, and O*NET lists "Mobile Examiner" as a job title. In some states it may be possible to offer mobile blood-draw services on your own, but the rules differ from state to state, so check your state's requirements before you start.
8.Your wealth path
From your first paycheck to owning and investing
Train
Certify
Get hired
Advance
Build wealth
Own / invest
Estimated take-home pay
Low end of the planning range: $35,000 a year
About $29,161 a year ($2,430 a month)
High end of the planning range: $55,000 a year
About $44,231 a year ($3,686 a month)
Estimate only. Assumptions: tax year 2026, single filer, the standard deduction, federal income tax, FICA at 7.65%, and a default state income tax rate of 5.00% (choose a state above to use its rate). No retirement contributions or other deductions. The Paycheck calculator uses the same engine.
9.Find training
Free U.S. Department of Labor resources. We don't list or rank schools.
Registered apprenticeships exist for some of these roles. For licensed careers, check that a program meets your state's licensing rules.
10.Compare careers
Save this career and put it beside others
Sources
- Pay: Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026 (a planning range, not wage data).
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Phlebotomists (opens in a new tab)
- O*NET OnLine: 31-9097.00 Phlebotomists (opens in a new tab)
- NHA: Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) (opens in a new tab)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (opens in a new tab)