About This Career

Draws blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. May explain the procedure to patients and assist in the recovery of patients with adverse reactions.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Support Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Disposes of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
• Organizes or cleans blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.
• Draws blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
• Matches laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
• Disposes of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
• Conducts standards tests, such as blood alcohol, blood culture, oral glucose tolerance, glucose screening, blood smears, or peak and trough drug levels tests.
• Collects specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
• Processes blood or other fluid samples for further analysis by other medical professionals.
• Provides sample analysis results to physicians to assist diagnosis.
• Enters patient, specimen, insurance, or billing information into computer.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would sit most of the time. There's some walking and standing. You may have to lift and carry things like books, papers or tools weighing 10 lbs. or less.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel