Phlebotomists are a vital part of healthcare systems all over the world, helping to draw blood from millions of people each year for testing, analysis and even for blood transfusions. They help a lot of people, which is why many get into the profession. However, it is also good to know the phlebotomist salary. Without phlebotomists, many people would not know about any blood diseases they may have, or receive much needed blood transfusions. Because they are so vital to a well functioning health care sector, there are quite a lot of opportunities in the phlebotomy sector. Elderly populations worldwide are also increasing at a very rapid rate, and thus because of this there will be a much increased demand for phlebotomy. It is predicted that growth in opportunities as a phlebotomist will grow strongly over the next decade, much faster than the average across all professions. This is a consoling piece of information for many of those looking to enter phlebotomy and obtain their certification to be able to perform venipuncture.
Figures for the phlebotomist salary vary from source to source; however, they do tend to sit within a fairly narrow range, thus giving quite a consistent estimate of phlebotomy salaries.
According to the United States Bureau Of Labour Statistics, a phlebotomist can expect to earn a wage of approximately $12.50 an hour. This is well below the average for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians in general, who earn a median wage in excess of $20 per hour. Obviously the hourly rate earned by a phlebotomist will vary based on a number of different factors. For example, a newly certified phlebotomist can expect to earn a lower hourly wage than one with 10 years on experience in the field will. Similarly, the phlebotomist salary in areas with high costs of living will generally exceed salaries in regions where the cost of living is much lower.
Salary.com on the other hand reports that the average phlebotomist salary in the US is approximately $29,000 per annum, based on their survey data. This equates to an hourly rate above that reported by the United States Bureau Of Labour Statistics; however, it is still a fairly accurate approximation. As mentioned before, this figure is just an average and therefore salaries will vary from person to person across America depending on a number of various factors; location, experience and the place of work (e.g. with a private firm, for the government etc) will all impact the determination of a person’s salary.
Finally, Indeed.com gives a phlebotomist salary estimate very similar to that given by Salary.com, once again at approximately $29,000 per year. However, they also show a downward trend in phlebotomy salaries over recent years, which is quite worrying.
From all of the above sources it can be concluded that the average phlebotomist salary lies somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000 to $30,000 each year. This shows that a lot of phlebotomists are in their line of work because they love what they do, not the money they earn, which is a very admirable and respectable trait.