Skills
Phlebotomist Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in phlebotomists, and how to build and show them.
Phlebotomists need technical skills such as venipuncture and capillary collection, order of draw and tube additives, and specimen labeling and processing, plus people skills like calm, reassuring bedside manner and steady hands and focus. They also use tools such as Evacuated tube system and holders and Butterfly (winged) infusion sets.
Technical (hard) skills
- Venipuncture and capillary collection
- Order of draw and tube additives
- Specimen labeling and processing
- Centrifuge operation
- Chain-of-custody procedures
- Laboratory information system (LIS) entry
People (soft) skills
- Calm, reassuring bedside manner
- Steady hands and focus
- Accuracy under time pressure
- Empathy for anxious patients
Tools, equipment and technology
- Evacuated tube system and holders
- Butterfly (winged) infusion sets
- Tourniquets and gauze
- Lancets and capillary tubes
- Centrifuge
- Sharps containers and biohazard bags
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how phlebotomists put their skills to work:
- How to perform a routine venipuncture
- How to follow the order of draw
- How to handle a patient who feels faint
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Venipuncture and capillary collection” and “Order of draw and tube additives.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “calm, reassuring bedside manner,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as CPT (NHA) near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our phlebotomist glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Phlebotomist training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.