Is phlebotomy a guranteed steady field?

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2012

There's no such thing as a steady field, especially in health care right now. You never know what insurance and Medicare cuts are going to do to ancillary staff like phlebotomists. I'm not sure how much money you're making right now, but don't expect phlebotomy to be very high-paying, especially after you pay for the certification classes. The hours of a phlebotomist also tend to be mostly standard office hours, although some hospitals may employ phlebotomists 24 hours per day.

Phlebotomy could very well to a good job for you and teach you skills that will help with nursing, but there is no guarantee. You could try contacting your local hospitals to ask for salary ranges. Also explore outpatient lab clinics that do blood draws for doctor's offices. Maybe take the course and search for a job while maintaining your current position in case you can't find a job that works for you right now.

Have you considered getting your CNA certification? That may give you more options as far as workplace, schedule flexibility, teach you nursing skills and help you be more marketable after nursing school.

M.C.P · Mar 29, 2012

thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I have been thinking about getting my CNA certification, I am actually looking into that now, my aunt is a CNA so I want to speak to her about it also. Thanks so much!

RN2BKS · Mar 29, 2012

I agree, I would do CNA! Most hospitals/nursing homes are flexible with nursing students and maybe you will want to work there when your a nurse?! :) Good luck with everything!

kayruhh · Mar 30, 2012

I'm a certified phlebotomist and I have not been able to find a job for it in two years:/

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 2, 2012

It depends on the area you live in. I'm getting ready to do my phlebotomy certification this summer & fall. In my area, there are plenty of phlebotomy jobs. However, a few counties over, there isn't anything open. It's all relative. Do your research and see what has the potential for you to get a job. CNA salary seems to be lower than phlebotomists in my area. Again, it's all relative.

Good luck! I'm excited to get started. I think venipuncture experience will give me some confidence before clinicals.

Music in My Heart · Apr 2, 2012

"Guaranteed" is a meaningless phrase today. The good thing about CNA is that it's a fairly high turn-over job (for good reason), they have them everywhere, and they work all shifts.

The money part might be an issue, though.

All things being equal, I'd choose phlebotomy over CNA every time... both to build practical RN skills as well as to save your back.

caliotter3 · Apr 2, 2012

If you need to work and need flexibility in your schedule, you should become a CNA. There are far more opportunities for a CNA than there are for a phlebotomist with no experience.

margritamix · Apr 2, 2012

Hello,

A lot of posters have already left pretty good comments about this thread, but I just want to give you my two cents as well (which I hope helps!) because I am currently a working phlebotomist at a hospital and I also hold a CNA license in my state.

When I graduated my phlebotomy program in summer of 2008, I had a really hard time finding a job, because of the economy at the time (as you know). But at work, I currently also mentor and guide phlebotomy students as they get blood drawing experience (externship) and they have told me that finding a phlebotomy job posting in my city here in the Northwest is getting more and more scarce so they have had to fight each other for finding a job and securing interviews.

However, I am now currently looking for a CNA position because a lot of the nursing schools that I am trying to get into are asking for pretty much, a one-on-one patient experience before we even get accepted into school, and being a CNA is the fastest way to get that experience. Our schools here don't really count phlebotomy as a one-on-one experience with the patient. That said, I am not sure what schools in your area will consider for patient care experience.

I guess, what I am saying is that if you're looking to just get into the field of healthcare anyway you can (without having nursing as a real focal point in the end) then phlebotomy is not a bad way to go. But if you have your heart set on nursing, it might be better to cut out the middleman that is phlebotomy and just do CNA. I wish I did that in the beginning so that I would be in a nursing school today.

willkarter · Feb 25, 2014

I'm a certified phlebotomist and I have not been able to find a job for it in two years :/

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2014

Doing just phlebotomy is a waste of money unless you are already a CNA using it to get PCT jobs. Hospitals are also training any sort of techs they can to do it, in addition to nurses. A better option would be PCT - a good PCT course should include phlebotomy, CNA and basic EKG skills. You're be able to do CNA work, PCT, phlebotomy, monitor tech, lab tech or unit clerk. Courses average between 2 to 6 months. This would make you more flexible and wanted by employers.

RunBabyRN · Feb 27, 2014

CNA would certainly be more helpful for you than phleb. The markets all vary widely of course. If a phleb program is available in your area, then the market is likely saturated. I did my phleb years ago (before the economy tanked), and the market here is pretty saturated. I only found work because I knew someone, and I had prior military medical experience. However, at that time, I was considering moving out of state, and the hospital there was going to pay my moving expenses, as it was hard to get phlebs there. Again, this was 2007, so things have changed a lot since then. You can't count on anything at his point (if you've spent enough time here, you know that nursing is by no means a guarantee, either).