If you are interested in becoming a phlebotomy technician, or even if you’re already working in the field, you may be interested in how the phlebotomist salary stacks up by state. As with many professions within the health care industry, the phlebotomist salary can vary widely from one state to another and in this article, we’ll take a look at the various factors that influence pay for the phlebotomy technician by state as well as where the earnings are the highest.

Cost of Living

The single largest factor which drives discrepancies in the phlebotomist salary from one state to the next is the cost of living in a particular state. As you’re likely well aware, some states have exorbitantly high cost of living indices, such as California and New York. To attract and retain a qualified phlebotomy technician, an employer within one of these states must offer a salary that is in line with the costs to reside within the state. Some areas of the nation have very low costs of living, particularly in the southeast. In turn, you will find that the median phlebotomist salary tends to be lower in these areas.

Demand

The demand for qualified phlebotomy technicians is some states is simply greater than the number of available professionals seeking jobs. In this state of increased demand versus supply, the phlebotomist salary tends to increase to attract employees. This is currently the case in Texas where, although the cost of living is not particularly high in most areas, the phlebotomist salary can often reach over $40,000 per year.

Where is the Phlebotomist Salary the Highest

If you are seeking to become a phlebotomy technician in the state of California, we have good news for you. Although the bottom 10% of professionals in the field earn just over $23,000, the phlebotomist salary for the upper 10th percentile is over $51,000 per year. This is obviously due to an increased cost of living in the state. However, the state with the second highest phlebotomist salary, Florida, does not have a high cost of living, but employers are having difficulty finding a qualified phlebotomy technician. Because of this, the earnings in that state can often exceed $46,000 for top earner in the field.

If you are considering a career as a phlebotomy technician, it is likely that you’re also evaluating job openings, salary ranges, and benefits. However, if you are thinking of beginning your journey as a phlebotomist, it can also be helpful to consider opportunities for advancement within the field.

One of the best career moves for the certified phlebotomy technician is to become an instructor. As phlebotomy training is relatively short and inexpensive to complete when compared to many other roles within the health care industry, you can enter the field without investing years of your time or tens of thousands of dollars. This means you can begin a career in the field relatively quickly and start gaining the valuable experience you need to start moving up the ladder with roles and responsibilities.

How Do I Become an Instructor?

The minimum requirements to move from a certified phlebotomy technician to a certified instructor accredited by the American Association of Phlebotomy Technicians are:

• Candidate must currently hold phlebotomy certification with a major accredited certification agency OR be licensed as an LPN or RN.
• Must have accrued a minimum of five years performing phlebotomy related duties
• Must have accrued a minimum of at least one year of verifiable teaching experience
• Must submit a detailed course outline to the AAPT Advisory Board which also must be accepted and approved

Where Do Instructors Work?

Employment opportunities are widely available for the phlebotomy technician instructor. Many instructors are employed in vocational schools or community colleges where certificate programs are offered to students. They also very often find employment with hospitals, community clinics, and private lab corporations which train and instruct their own phlebotomists to meet their standards.

How Much Do Instructors Make?

Salaries for the phlebotomy technician instructor vary greatly. The factors that influence pay are generally where a position is located as well as the employer setting. Private labs typically tend to pay a higher salary than community health care employers such as hospitals. Earnings can also be influenced by the candidates work experience and education level. The median salary for the phlebotomy technician instructor is currently between $36,000 and $40,000.

If you’re interested in a career as a phlebotomy technician and are already thinking of your advancement options, do some research on phlebotomy instructors in your area.

Once you received your certification as a phlebotomy technician, your next step is a very exciting one: you get to start searching for a rewarding job placement. The newly certified phlebotomy technician has the opportunity to find positions in a variety of health care related settings, from hospitals to blood banks. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to evaluate phlebotomy jobs in your area to help you find the most gratifying job for your unique needs.

Employment Setting

The first factor to consider is to try to get an understanding of the environment in which you would like to work. Since the role of the phlebotomy technician is employed in hospitals, private labs, clinics, private health care practices, and blood banks, you need to know what type of environment you would succeed in. If you think you would like to help patients as part of an overall treatment plan, then perhaps working in a hospital would be a good fit. You’ll work closely with the physicians and nurses to help monitor a patient’s treatment needs and progress. If you would prefer a role that is more service oriented, then a blood bank could be a great choice. These facilities play a key role within their communities in connecting the general public to those in need.

Scheduling Considerations

When researching phlebotomy technician job openings in your area, it is important to also be aware of the typical schedules associated with various workplace environments. For a phlebotomist who works in a hospital, the day may start as early as 5:00am whereas private labs may not open until 9:00am. If you’re not an early riser, then perhaps the latter is a better fit for you. Generally, job postings will give you an indication of the expected schedule for a particular position, however, if they don’t you can always contact the appropriate human resources representative to learn more about the job.

Salary Ranges

Compensation for the phlebotomy technician is typically either hourly or salaried. Obviously, pay is a major consideration for any job and some employers in the industry tend to offer higher compensation than others, while those who offer less in terms of monetary compensation may provide better benefits packages. For instance, while private labs are often able to offer a more attractive salary or hourly wage than hospitals and community clinics, hospitals very often offer great benefits packages which can include generous health and dental plans.

If you’re interested in getting a feel for what types of openings are available in your area, feel free to take a look at out Jobs page where you can locate openings near you. While there are many employment opportunities for the certified phlebotomy technician, taking the time to understand if a specific role will meet your unique needs will help ensure that you accept a position that will be challenging and rewarding for years to come.

If you’re considering becoming a phlebotomy technician, you are very likely aware that this career in and of itself can be very rewarding and challenging. However, what many individuals who are aspiring to become a phlebotomy technician don’t realize is that this field can be a great way to enter the health care industry with an eye on career progression and advancement.

The training required to become a certified phlebotomy technician is relatively short and inexpensive when compared to many other career tracks within the allied health fields. This makes it a perfect entry point for those individuals who want to test the waters within the health care industry to learn more about what jobs and vocations might best suit them without making a major investment in time and financial resources. In many cases, training and certification for the phlebotomy technician can be completed in a matter of weeks and for a cost of a few hundred dollars. Compare that to nursing degree programs which can require 4 years of study at an accredited institution and the associated tuition and you can quickly begin to see that becoming a phlebotomy technician can be a rapid way to start out in the industry and get exposure to the working environments associated with hospitals and clinics.

So after becoming a phlebotomy technician, what other health care related professions might be viable career choices? There are many directions that you may choose to pursue if you find that you enjoy the health care industry. For starters, another somewhat lateral career track within the health care industry which requires minimal training and certification is medical assisting. Becoming a medical assistant can expose you to many exciting career opportunities in which you are able to work closely with practicing nurses and physicians to gain valuable hands-on skills.

Alternatively, if you become a phlebotomy technician and spend some time in the health care industry, you may discover that you are truly passionate about working with patients. In this case, you may seriously want to consider a career in nursing. While the degree programs and costs associated with training to become a nurse required more time and tuition fees than typical certificate programs, you will rarely speak with a practicing nurse who does not believe it was well worth the investment. Nurses are able to have a direct impact on the lives of their patients each and every day and enjoy an incredible sense of accomplishment.

If you are considering becoming a phlebotomy technician, it’s never too early to start evaluating how this career step can have future implications in expanding your employment options in the health care industry.

If you’re considering a career as a phlebotomy technician, one of the best places to learn more about the vocation is by reading through one of the available books dedicated to this exciting profession. There are currently many different guides and manuals to begin with if you’re interested in becoming a phlebotomy technician. These range from study guides for certification exams to handbook manuals for practicing phlebotomists. Many of these texts can give you a great insight into what the field involves and the types of tasks which you may encounter whether working in a private lab, hospital, blood bank, or community health clinic. In this article, we’ll share a few of our recommended books for the aspiring phlebotomy technician to help you get a feel for this rewarding vocation.

Phlebotomy Handbook by Diana Garza and Kathleen Becan-McBride

The Phlebotomy Handbook is currently in it’s 8th edition which was released in 2009 and is a comprehensive manual which illustrates current techniques in blood specimen collection and the rules and regulations which the phlebotomy technician will be required to understand in practice. It also covers safety and disease prevention techniques, equipment usage, and specimen quality control and assurance. Whether your just interested in learning more about the field or are preparing to begin phlebotomy training or certification, this manual is an excellent resource for understanding the current landscape of the profession

Phlebotomy Simplified by Diana Garza and Kathleen Becan-McBride

Phlebotomy Simplified, another manual produced by the authoritative duo of Diana Garza and Kathleen Becan-McBride, offers many of the topics covered in the more comprehensive Phlebotomy Handbook, however the topics are covered in a much more straightforward manner. This text is a great starting point for those who might be interested in becoming a phlebotomy technician, however have not yet started any formal training on the field. It’s current edition also includes a CD which covers many of the topics presented in the book in a format which can be used on the go.

Phlebotomy Essentials by Ruth E. McCall and Cathee M. Tankersley

Phlebotomy Essentials makes a great resource for anyone interested in learning the fundamental techniques required of the phlebotomy technician and currently includes a fantastic CD-ROM with many great multi-media resources such as videos, flash cards, animations, as well as a comprehensive glossary. The current edition has been completely updated with the latest techniques and procedures which are presented in a full-color format.

Whether your interested in becoming a phlebotomy technician, or are already on your way, these three resources are some of the best in the field in presenting comprehensive information relating to the practice of phlebotomy.

After you have successfully completed your phlebotomy training and certification, you may want to choose to become a member of a professional organization dedicated solely to the phlebotomy technician. Professional organizations can have many great benefits. They can help you to stay abreast of current trends and changes in the industry and additionally, can offer the phlebotomy technician a number of good contacts within the field which can lead to job placement or possible career advancement. In this article, we’ll take a look at the top three professional associations for the phlebotomist.

National Phlebotomy Association

The National Phlebotomy Association is widely recognized as one of the earliest professional associations for the phlebotomy technician. It currently administers one of the most widely taken exams in the field, which over 15,000 professionals in the industry have completed. This exam serves as a professional certification, however, the NPA is also heavily involved in helping to maintain educational standards in phlebotomy training programs throughout the United States. They offer practice courses and exams for individuals who are planning to sit for the certification exam and also hold an annual conference at which you may be able to develop many industry contacts as well as attend various workshops and seminars to broaden your knowledge.

American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians

The ASPT is primarily recognized for their current certification exam. The organization has offered certifications since 1983. They are also very well known for the host of valuable resources that they offer in preparing students to sit for certification, which is constantly updated based on changing conditions within the industry.

American Phlebotomy Association

The American Phlebotomy Association is also a great industry resource for individuals working as a phlebotomy technician. The APA’s primary role is to ensure the standard of care within the field as a certification agency. However, they also offer educational resources for those already in the field. They provide a comprehensive database of articles which is updated on a regular basis that helps to keep phlebotomists up to date on recent developments within the field.

No matter whether you’re just setting out to begin your phlebotomy training or have been working as a phlebotomy technician already, joining a professional organization can be a great resource in taking your career to the next level.