Salary
Average Salary: $29,730
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,241,168
You won't get rich as a phlebotomist. The average salary for a phlebotomist ranges from $12 to $15 dollars per hour, depending on whether you have taken a certified phlebotomy course and have a license (not all states require it for the job, in fact, many don't even require any specialized education as long as you can pass the phlebotomy test and have put in the requisite training hours). This range also considers whether you work in a hospital, a doctor's office, or an out-patient blood lab (hospitals typically pay the least, private offices and labs will pay about a dollar more an hour). Technicians in urban cities often get a few dollars more than rural areas and supervisors with education who have been working many years make the most.
Many consider phlebotomy a starter position in the healthcare field and some technicians are either still in school or go back to school to go on to earn a nursing or medical degree. Phlebotomy offers a way to pay off schooling and earn a modest living.
With the average phlebotomist making around $25k to start, you'’re not going to be able to buy a condo or take many vacations, or get more than a Big Mac when dining out. If you're not a student, you might consider doubling up on work as both a lab technician and working in a hospital or doctor's office to get more of a living wage. The work may not be very well paying but there is plenty of it.
For those with certification and experience, in urban areas, you could earn closer to $35k after ten years. Again, not enough to party in Ibiza with Zac and Miley, but you do get benefits like medical insurance (so someone else can suck your blood and test it) and paid vacation time (that you will be able to spend visiting your parents so you can sleep in your old bed). Plus you can always get a Smart car for around $14,000. And you get to wear the nifty white lab coat to work (which you can get dry cleaned and take the cost off your taxes as a business expense).