Collections technician vs outpatient phlebotomist

The differences between collections technicians and outpatient phlebotomists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a collections technician and an outpatient phlebotomist. Additionally, an outpatient phlebotomist has an average salary of $33,041, which is higher than the $32,521 average annual salary of a collections technician.

The top three skills for a collections technician include physical exams, phlebotomy procedures and customer service. The most important skills for an outpatient phlebotomist are patients, patient care, and medical terminology.

Collections technician vs outpatient phlebotomist overview

	Collections Technician	Outpatient Phlebotomist
Yearly salary	$32,521	$33,041
Hourly rate	$15.64	$15.89
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	29,390	15,371
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Associate Degree, 25%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	2	2

Collections technician vs outpatient phlebotomist salary

Collections technicians and outpatient phlebotomists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Collections Technician	Outpatient Phlebotomist
Average salary	$32,521	$33,041
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Santa Monica, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Clean Harbors	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between collections technician and outpatient phlebotomist education

There are a few differences between a collections technician and an outpatient phlebotomist in terms of educational background:

	Collections Technician	Outpatient Phlebotomist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Associate Degree, 25%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	-	-

Collections technician vs outpatient phlebotomist demographics

Here are the differences between collections technicians' and outpatient phlebotomists' demographics:

	Collections Technician	Outpatient Phlebotomist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8%	Male, 12.5% Female, 87.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between collections technician and outpatient phlebotomist duties and responsibilities

Collections technician example responsibilities.

Identify 2RBC products target for monthly QC or validation activities.
Set up mobile blood drives, maintain and perform daily QC on equipment.
Process, prepare, label, and store the units of blood to the FDA regulations.
Perform venipuncture and collect specimens in appropriate vials.
Demonstrate knowledge of a proficiency in venipuncture and capillary techniques.
Follow federal and state regulations including HIPPA to maintain patient confidentiality.

Outpatient phlebotomist example responsibilities.

Perform related clerical support activities: interview and instruct patients, enter data into computer system.
Provide registration, clerical, phlebotomy, EKG and courier support.
Determine specimen requirements and collect patient sample using appropriate process of venipuncture or capillary collection base on patient age and/or condition.
Work on hematology, clinical pathology with microscopy, and biochemistry on auto analyzer.

Collections technician vs outpatient phlebotomist skills

Common collections technician skills

Physical Exams, 45%
Phlebotomy Procedures, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Vital Signs, 4%
Venipuncture, 4%
Data Entry, 4%

Common outpatient phlebotomist skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Care, 17%
Medical Terminology, 15%
Patient Registration, 5%
Blood Samples, 4%
Data Entry, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Collections Technician
Collections Technician vs Outpatient Phlebotomist

Updated January 8, 2025

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