Phlebotomist Job Description

 Phlebotomist Job Description

What do Phlebotomists do? Phlebotomists are trained to draw blood for donation or laboratory tests. They collect blood from finger sticks or with a needle from veins or arteries. A Phlebotomist job description includes assembly of equipment such as needles, gauze, vials, alcohol and tourniquets.

Phlebotomist job responsibilities may also include verifying patient information, labeling specimen vials and submitting specimens for further processing or testing. A Phlebotomist may work with doctors, nurses and other medical professional team members.  Phlebotomist duties  may also include verifying records, assembling and checking equipment and communicating with patients.

A Phlebotomist finds a vein suitable for blood extraction from the patient. Once a vein is located and punctured with a needle, the needle remains in place while the Phlebotomist collects blood in sample tubes which are vacuum sealed with a rubber stopper. The tubes may or may not include various reagents or additives depending on the specific test ordered on the blood.  These can include clot activators, a gel for serum separation, a gel for plasma seperation gel plasma separation, or additives for reactions.

If you are looking for Phlebotomist jobs, visit the Phlebotomist jobs page.

Information on this page summarized from:

(1) Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos096.htm

(2) Wikipedia contributors, "Phlebotomist," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phlebotomist&oldid=445957184

(3) Wikipedia contributors, "Phlebotomy," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia ,http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phlebotomy&oldid=437546234