What are the pros and cons of being a phlebotomist?

Pros:

• Job opportunities

  Phlebotomists benefit from a high amount of employment opportunities. The United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts a 22% growth in this field between the years 2020 and 2030 with an estimated average of 19,500 new phlebotomist jobs each year. This growth rate is considerably larger than the average growth rate for all other US occupations.

• Variety of medical work environments

  Phlebotomists also have the advantage of having many different medical environments in that can perform their jobs. This gives these professionals some options in terms of working conditions, schedules, pay, and other important factors.

  Here are some of the most common medical working environments in this field:

  • Hospitals

  • Diagnostic labs

  • Blood infusion centers

  • Blood donor centers

  • Doctors' offices

  • Urgent care facilities

  This also means that most phlebotomists don't have trouble finding work in their respective communities.

• Minimal education and training requirements

  Compared to many other professions in the medical field the education and training of a phlebotomist are short and less expensive. Training programs normally take around four to eight months to complete.

Cons:

• Compensation

  Being a phlebotomist has many downsides and the rate of pay is on the low side. A phlebotomist earns an average wage of $17.07 per hour and an average annual salary of $35,510 in the United States.

• Dangerous work conditions

  Phlebotomists can be exposed to a high level of danger at their workplaces. They often come into contact with bodily fluids and patients who have all types of contagious diseases, such as tuberculous or COVID-19.

• Needle stick injuries

  Needle stick injuries are also a danger when you are a phlebotomist. This can occur when they draw blood from a patient. If a needle stick injury happens before, it is just a minor injury, but if it happens after blood has been taken from a patient, the phlebotomist can become infected with whatever disease that particular patient has.

• Work schedules

  The work schedules of a phlebotomist are also a negative aspect of the job. Shifts tend to be on the longer side, ranging from 8 to 12 hours, and most phlebotomists regularly have to work nights, weekends, and holidays. The long hours of work also take more of a toll because generally, phlebotomists work on their feet.

• Patient interactions

  Phlebotomists also can often encounter rude or at least unhappy patients. Since most people don't like to be stuck with a needle, they are rarely happy to see a phlebotomist. And drawing blood from a child can be a really difficult experience.

• Expensive training

  While training to become a phlebotomist is very fast, it is not very cheap. It's not as expensive as a college degree, but when you take into account how much the average phlebotomist makes, it does not seem worth it.