Phlebotomist
April L. Rosser
Ivy Tech Community College

Phlebotomist I have always wanted to work in health care and help people but I did not want to be a nurse or directly involved in individualized health plans. I wanted to work behind the scenes. I became a CPhT and went to work right away at my local hospital. Life was wonderful! I was helping sick people feel better and doing something worthwhile that came along with the means to help support my family comfortably. Then that dreadful day came, and I was laid off due to budget cuts. I decided I needed more education and that I could still have a career in health care. I only needed to find what was right for me. I wanted a career that would not be cut. I knew that this would …show more content…

As a CPT I will open doors for advancement in my career to continue my schooling and earn additional accreditation as a MLS or a MLT with a Bachelor’s Degree, or maybe even a PA! Without going back to a college or university I still have opportunity with professional advancement a CPT supervisor, shift leader, and adding other certifications; for example, becoming certified to administer and determine the results of TB test.
Finishing school and becoming a CPT all sounds wonderful! But will I find employment? What salary should I expect? These are questions that anyone finishing school needs to ask and research. According to United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov, (2012) “the median annual wage of medical laboratory technicians was $36,280 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned more than $24,210, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $56,040.”
The median annual wages in selected industries employing medical laboratory technicians in May 2010 were as follows: Federal government | $40,180 | Hospitals; state, local, and private | 37,130 | Offices of physicians | 35,790 | Medical and diagnostic laboratories | 34,280 |

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also state, “employment of medical laboratory technicians is expected to grow by 15 percent between 2010 and 2020, about as fast