Phlebotomists perform various duties for healthcare facilities, donation centers, and medical offices to help identify health issues and provide blood to patients during emergencies.
Their responsibilities include educating patients/donors on specific procedures, drawing blood, collecting bodily fluids, and preparing samples for testing.
Healthcare facilities hire phlebotomists in situations where standard blood work is needed.
Patients/donors do not need advanced medical care from a registered nurse or physician in these cases.
It allows the healthcare facility to focus on providing care to other patients while minimizing facility costs.
To perform blood work, phlebotomists operate in various settings.
It includes healthcare facilities, blood donation centers, and medical offices.
The following section explores each occupation/domain in detail to understand better where phlebotomists work and why they work at these locations.
1. Ambulatory Healthcare Services
Phlebotomists work for various ambulatory care services clinics to perform blood work on patients in different demographics and environments.
Ambulatory care focuses on medical services performed outside a hospital or comparable facility.
Instead, patients receive medical services at specialty clinics, physician offices, outpatient departments, and urgent care clinics.
These healthcare establishments allow patients to receive medical services closer to home when they don’t require advanced care from a hospital or emergency department.
The phlebotomist’s role is to collect blood and bodily fluids for testing.
In addition, they’ll perform various responsibilities unique to the ambulatory care service to ensure patients receive adequate care.
It ensures healthcare professionals can focus on more complex medical tasks by reducing their overall workload.
2. Blood Donation Centers
Blood donation centers often hire phlebotomy technicians to draw blood from donors to assist patients requiring blood.
In addition to blood, donors may donate platelets or plasma for particular healthcare circumstances.
These centers supply hospitals, emergency care units, and other facilities with blood, platelets, or plasma to treat emergency patients.
A blood donation center consists of several phlebotomists, a registered nurse, and a physician or qualified medical professional.
Each professional plays a distinct role in ensuring optimal care while donors donate blood.
For instance, phlebotomists draw blood for testing and transportation.
Registered nurses or physicians provide advanced aid if a donor requires medical care.
Some nurses will draw blood if the donation center is understaffed or phlebotomists call out of work.
3. Employment Services
Many employers require background checks and drug testing before hiring employees to ensure they meet the company’s guidelines.
As a result, some employment services utilize phlebotomists to obtain blood and bodily specimens for drug testing.
The direct relationship between the company and employment services ensures quick, accurate, reliable, and affordable testing, especially when hiring employees frequently.
4. General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
General medical and surgical hospitals are known to pay phlebotomists very well.
In these environments, phlebotomists educate patients on the blood work process, update patient information, draw blood, collect bodily fluids and prepare them for testing.
They may also perform additional hospital-related obligations based on the department’s needs.
For instance, soothing alarmed patients, utilizing hospital-specific applications, managing blood storage bags and test tubes, working under a physician, and following hospital protocols.
5. Government Facilities
Numerous phlebotomists work for extensive government facilities with healthcare departments to draw blood and collect samples.
It allows institutions with large staff sizes to obtain blood samples and specimens for testing quickly.
Accordingly, phlebotomists work with a registered nurse or physician who can provide necessary advanced care.
Government facilities typically pay phlebotomists very well and offer exceptional health benefits.
They may also offer opportunities for career advancement or provide paths for phlebotomists to pursue other disciplines within the facility.
For instance, some senior phlebotomists apply for secretarial positions or work as laboratory technicians in other departments.
They use that experience to develop their skills, allowing them to apply for various jobs in the future.
The government facility may also provide education and cover college/university costs if the phlebotomist decides to pursue a degree.
Few phlebotomists work at government facilities compared to hospitals and medical and diagnostic laboratories because there aren’t nearly as many positions available.
In addition, government facilities mostly hire experienced phlebotomists with years of training and a well-documented professional background.
Employing new phlebotomy technicians is rare because government facilities want to ensure their employees receive the best possible care.
6. Insurance Companies
Phlebotomy technicians who work in malpractice insurance are known as professional insurance phlebotomists.
These specialists perform paramedical exams as required by the insurance company.
Responsibilities include updating health histories, checking vitals, drawing blood, collecting specimens (urine, saliva, etc.), and even completing ECG tracing.
Nevertheless, the duties of professional insurance phlebotomists vary to fulfill their employer’s needs.
One of the most beneficial aspects of this domain is setting your schedule and hours.
It allows phlebotomists to earn additional money on the side or work in a profession with more flexibility.
7. Medical and Diagnostic Labs
Medical and diagnostic labs work with physicians, clinics, and other healthcare establishments to draw blood, collect samples, and prepare them for testing when patients don’t require additional medical care.
It reduces the patient flow and waiting time at the healthcare facility/office by allowing them to focus on patients requiring direct care.
Additionally, it decreases the facility’s cost because they don’t need to hire a phlebotomist or buy additional equipment to support their patients adequately.
The medical and diagnostic lab also benefits from their arrangement with various healthcare establishments.
They make money from the patient, physician’s office, healthcare facility, or insurance company for drawing blood and preparing it for testing.
8. Physician’s Offices
Some physicians hire phlebotomists to draw blood, collect samples and prepare them for testing.
The physician may want to better manage the entire patient care experience by directly providing test preparation in this circumstance.
Physicians may also hire phlebotomists because there aren’t any nearby medical and diagnostic labs, or they can’t secure an acceptable deal.
In rare cases, a physician will cancel an existing arrangement with a medical and diagnostic lab due to numerous patient complaints or ongoing billing issues.
A phlebotomist’s salary can vary significantly because many physicians own their practice and determine their employee’s pay.
As a result, it’s beneficial for phlebotomists to look for an ideal employer with great pay and benefits.
9. Mobile Medical Lab Clinics
Phlebotomists in mobile medical labs go to various locations to perform blood work services.
It includes drawing blood for testing, taking blood donations, collecting bodily fluids, and other phlebotomy-related tasks.
These phlebotomists utilize mobile medical labs, greyhound buses, or other vehicles to get from one place to another.
It allows them to bring their services to businesses, institutions, establishments, and special events.
Depending on the employer, the phlebotomist may transit throughout the city/state or journey to other states.
10. Community Health Centers
Some phlebotomists volunteer at or work for community health centers assisting people in underserved areas.
These facilities provide various medical services, including medical, dental, and behavioral health care.
They also perform blood testing and first aid, provide healthcare advice and advocate for patient healthcare.
Volunteering at community health centers to help the neighborhood is excellent for new phlebotomy technicians.
It allows them to gain experience, develop a sense of fulfillment and improve their chances of getting hired.