Phlebotomist You’re a what ?

You’re in Washington, DC, and you

become ill. You go to a doctor, who

orders some tests. Then you seek the

services of a phlebotomist, a medical

technician who draws blood for

analysis.

Waiting in the ambulatory care

center at Howard University Hospital,

you worry about just how big a needle

the phlebotomy technician will stick in

your arm. You begin to fidget in your

chair.

Gregory Harris enters the waiting

area and calls your name. He smiles

when you acknowledge him and leads

you to a small curtained area.

“Have a seat,” he says.

You sit down. Your hands feel

clammy. You look around but don’t see

any needles. Stacked on a small table

are several vials used for collecting

blood. The small glass vials have

brightly colored stoppers. “Why all the

different colors?” you ask, drumming

your fingers on the armrest of your

chair.

“They’ve got different additives that

mix with the blood sample, depending

on the type of test you need,” he says.

“What’s your favorite color?”

You don’t answer because you’re

not listening. You watch him put on a

pair of rubber gloves. You’re thinking

the needle will hurt. “So, how long

have you been doing this job?” you

ask, trying to sound casual.

“Thirteen years,” he says with a

smile. “I supervise 7 other phlebotomy

technicians—I’m the elder statesman

around here. I’ve been drawing blood

since I was 17.”

“Huh,” you say.

“Nowadays, you’ve got to be 18,”

he says as he wraps a rubber tourniquet around the upper part of your

arm, tying it snug. “I learned mostly on

the job.”

“Is that how most phlebotomy

technicians learn?”

“Yeah. Most folks get some classroom training and some supervised

practice on the job,” he says, examining your extended arm. “Four different

associations certify phlebotomy

technicians, and they’re all a little

different as far as how much training

and experience they require. I’m

certified through the National Phlebotomy Association and the American

Society of Clinical Pathologists.”

He taps two of his fingers on the

soft, inside part of your elbow. “You

don’t have to go to college to do

this?” you ask.

“No. Most phlebotomy techs have a

high school education,” he says and

begins gathering several small objects.

“I graduated from high school at 16

because I skipped the 9th grade,” he

adds, “but I’ve got a bachelor’s degree

in medical technology from Howard

University. I started going to college

part time after I was already working

as a tech.”

While talking, Harris has collected a

few items: some vials, an adhesive

bandage, a bit of cotton, an individually

wrapped alcohol swab, and a plastic

sleeve with a capped needle protruding from one end.

“I guess you have to understand all

Matthew Mariani is desktop publisher for the

OOQ, (202) 691-5728.

by Matthew Mariani

42 Occupational Outlook Quarterly ● Spring 2000
about veins and stuff,” you say.

“Yeah. Mainly you have to know

about the circulatory system and

some basic anatomy,” he says.

He tears open the foil-lined packet

containing the swab and rubs it on a

small portion of your arm. The alcohol

feels cool as it evaporates. Then you

hear two voices, and you look toward

the floor-to-ceiling curtain to your

left. It’s another phlebotomy technician and patient talking on the other

side.

“So, is this going to hurt?”

Harris laughs. “You tell me,” he says.

You look down, and your jaw drops.

The needle is already in your arm. He

has inserted a vial into the plastic

sleeve, and the vial is filling with dark

red blood.

“I thought you were still feeling

around for a vein!”

“Hey, I’ve been doing this for a

while,” he says.

“Wow. So, you like your job, huh?”

“Sure. I like dealing with all the

patients,” he says. “I also train the

other techs and coordinate our

continuing education, which you need

to stay certified. I arrange presentations for the staff.”

“What about?”

“New techniques and research,” he

says. “And safety is a big issue.”

“What do you mean, ‘safety’?”

Holding the plastic sleeve of the

needle with one hand, he gently

removes the now full vial of blood and

sets it down. He picks up a new vial

and eases it into the sleeve. Blood

begins flowing into the second vial.

“We have to pay attention and be

careful,” he says. “Accidentally sticking

ourselves with a needle we’ve used on

a patient can transmit blood-born

viruses like hepatitis or HIV, which

causes AIDS.”

“Oh, right. I see.”

He reaches for the rubber tourniquet with his free hand and removes

it. The second vial finishes filling. He

removes the vial, sets it down, and

picks up a small piece of sterile

cotton. He places it over the needle

entry site, slips the needle out of your

arm, and immediately presses down on

the cotton.

“Press down on this—it prevents

bleeding,” he says. “See how I dispose

of the needle in this medical waste

container without recapping it?

Standard safety practice.”

You nod, and he reaches for the

adhesive bandage to secure the

cotton.

“So, you want to be a phlebotomy

technician?” he asks.

“How does it pay?”

“Good question,” he says. “Average

pay was $9 an hour in 1998—that’s

what I saw in a survey done through

the American Society of Clinical

Pathologists. Actually, phlebotomists

are the lowest paid of all medical

technicians, because we need less

training.”

“Are there a lot of jobs, at least?”

“You know, I was asking someone

from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

about that the other day,” he says. “He

said there were about 2.4 million

health technologists and technicians in

the whole country in 1998, but only a

tiny percentage of those were phlebotomy technicians.”

You get up from your chair. Harris

checks the vials containing your two

blood samples to make sure they are

correctly labeled. He removes his

gloves and disposes them. “You’re all

set,” he says. “I’ll take these to the lab,

and you should have test results

tomorrow.”

“Well, thanks a lot, Mr. Harris,” you

say. “I didn’t think getting blood drawn

could be so painless. I appreciate it.”

He grins. “All in a day’s work,” he

says.

Occupational Outlook Quarterly ●

Photos of Gregory Harris by Harrison Allen

 Spring 2000 43