Career Explorer Healthcare support
Human edge, growing
Phlebotomists
Draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. May explain the procedure to patients and assist in the recovery of patients with adverse reactions.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 99% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +6.8% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $45,230
- Job growth to 2035
- +6.8%
- Openings a year
- 18,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 144,000
- Usual route in
- College certificate
Where people already use AI for this work
- Explain medical information to patients or family members
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Collect environmental or biological samples
- Dispose of waste or debris
- Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health
What the work looks like
- Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.
- Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
- Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
- Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
- Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Also known as: Lab Liaison Technician, Phlebotomy Technician (Phlebotomy Tech), Registered Phlebotomist, Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT), Mobile Examiner, Patient Service Technician (PST), Phlebotomist Lab Assistant (Phlebotomist Laboratory Assistant).
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.