Experience Requirements Overview

  • Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
  • Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
  • Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
  • Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

Related Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Detailed Work Activities

  • Collect biological specimens from patients.
  • Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
  • Explain technical medical information to patients.
  • Clean medical equipment.
  • Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

  • Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
  • Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.
  • Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
  • Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
  • Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
  • Conduct standards tests, such as blood alcohol, blood culture, oral glucose tolerance, glucose screening, blood smears, or peak and trough drug levels tests.
  • Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
  • Process blood or other fluid samples for further analysis by other medical professionals.
  • Provide sample analysis results to physicians to assist diagnosis.
  • Enter patient, specimen, insurance, or billing information into computer.
  • Document route of specimens from collection to laboratory analysis and diagnosis.
  • Draw blood from capillaries by dermal puncture, such as heel or finger stick methods.
  • Conduct hemoglobin tests to ensure donor iron levels are normal.
  • Transport specimens or fluid samples from collection sites to laboratories.
  • Collect fluid or tissue samples, using appropriate collection procedures.
  • Explain fluid or tissue collection procedures to patients.
  • Train other medical personnel in phlebotomy or laboratory techniques.
  • Perform saline flushes or dispense anticoagulant drugs, such as Heparin, through intravenous (IV) lines, in accordance with licensing restrictions and under the direction of a medical doctor.
  • Administer subcutaneous or intramuscular injects, in accordance with licensing restrictions.
  • Draw blood from arteries, using arterial collection techniques.
  • Monitor blood or plasma donors during and after procedures to ensure health, safety, and comfort.
  • Determine donor suitability, according to interview results, vital signs, and medical history.
  • Calibrate or maintain machines, such as those used for plasma collection.
  • Serve refreshments to donors to ensure absorption of sugar into their systems.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.