Top 12 Certified Phlebotomy Technician Skills to Put on Your Resume

As a certified phlebotomy technician, the right mix of technical precision and calm, patient-first communication changes everything. Hiring teams scan for proof. Not just that you can draw blood well, but that you guard specimen integrity, follow safety rules without flinching, and keep the lab humming.

Certified Phlebotomy Technician Skills

1. Venipuncture
2. Capillary Collection
3. Specimen Handling
4. Patient Identification
5. Infection Control
6. Centrifugation
7. Blood Typing
8. HIPAA Compliance
9. EHR Software (e.g., Epic, Cerner)
10. CPR/BLS Certification
11. Order of Draw
12. Customer Service

1. Venipuncture

Venipuncture is the act of entering a vein with a needle to obtain a blood sample. Clean entry, clean exit. Minimal discomfort, maximum specimen quality.

Why It's Important

Accurate venipuncture fuels diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. One steady stick can spare a patient repeat attempts and a lab preventable errors.

How to Improve Venipuncture Skills

Blend technique with presence. Small refinements pay off fast.

1. Preparation and positioning: Seat the patient safely; support the arm. Select a palpable, bouncy vein—usually the median cubital—after a focused assessment.

2. Right tools: Match needle gauge and collection system to vein size and required volume. Don’t force a large gauge on a fragile line.

3. Hygiene and safety: Standard Precautions every time. Hand hygiene, gloves, skin antisepsis, sharps safety without exception.

4. Palpation over sight: Train your fingertips to read depth, size, and direction. Eyes mislead; touch confirms.

5. Angle and entry: Bevel up. Glide in at roughly 15–30 degrees with a smooth, confident motion. No fishing.

6. Tubes and removal: Let the vacuum work. Invert additive tubes gently; never shake. Release the tourniquet promptly, withdraw, and apply steady pressure.

7. Reps and reflection: Practice deliberately, seek feedback, and review misses to refine your approach.

8. Communicate: Narrate the steps, check comfort, and coach breathing. Anxiety drops; success climbs.

Dial in these details and you’ll see fewer complications and better specimens.

How to Display Venipuncture Skills on Your Resume

2. Capillary Collection

Capillary sampling uses a lancet to collect small volumes of blood from a fingertip or infant heel. Quick. Targeted. Ideal when venous access is tough or minimal blood is needed.

Why It's Important

It reduces invasiveness and is a go-to for pediatrics, the elderly, and point-of-care tests—without sacrificing result quality when performed correctly.

How to Improve Capillary Collection Skills

1. Explain first: Set expectations. A calm, concise script lowers tension and movement.

2. Pick the right site: Adult/child—lateral finger; infant—lateral/medial heel. Rotate sites to protect tissue.

3. Warm and clean: Warm the site to boost flow. Clean, dry, and do not touch again after antisepsis.

4. Smart puncture: Perpendicular to fingerprint lines. Depth control matters—enough to flow, not enough to bruise.

5. First drop off: Wipe away the first drop to reduce tissue fluid contamination.

6. No squeezing: Gentle pressure only. Excess milking invites hemolysis and diluted samples.

7. Label on the spot: Patient present. Two identifiers, date/time, your initials.

8. Cover and assess: Apply pressure, bandage if needed, and check the patient’s comfort before they go.

Small sample, big stakes. Technique makes all the difference.

How to Display Capillary Collection Skills on Your Resume

3. Specimen Handling

Specimen handling spans collection, identification, storage, and transport. The chain of custody for your sample’s integrity.

Why It's Important

Poor handling sabotages results. Hemolysis, mislabels, temperature swings—each can skew data or force a redraw.

How to Improve Specimen Handling Skills

1. Two identifiers: Verify verbally and against the order. No shortcuts.

2. Order of draw: Follow the prescribed sequence to prevent additive carryover.

3. Mix, don’t shake: Invert additive tubes gently the recommended number of times.

4. Temperature and timing: Chill, protect from light, or deliver warm—whatever the test demands. Move promptly.

5. Label at bedside: Legible and complete—name, DOB or MRN, date/time, collector ID.

6. Prevent hemolysis: Correct needle gauge, minimal tourniquet time, steady flow, no vigorous mixing.

7. Document and transport: Use biohazard bags, separate requisitions as required, and log times accurately.

8. Review errors: Track rejects and trends. Adjust processes to drive the rate down.

Handle specimens like they’re irreplaceable. Because they are.

How to Display Specimen Handling Skills on Your Resume

4. Patient Identification

Patient identification confirms you’re drawing the right person for the right tests. Voice check, band check, order check—every time.

Why It's Important

Misidentification is a never event. It risks wrong results, wrong treatment, and preventable harm.

How to Improve Patient Identification Skills

1. Use two identifiers: Name plus DOB or medical record number. Ask patients to state, not just agree.

2. Match all documents: Wristband, requisition, and labels must align before you proceed.

3. Barcodes and scanning: When available, scan the band and the labels to lock in accuracy.

4. Speak up culture: If anything doesn’t match, stop and clarify. No pressure to rush.

5. Hard-to-identify patients: Use approved protocols for infants, nonverbal, or unconscious patients; involve caregivers and confirm carefully.

6. Audit and refresh: Periodic spot checks and brief retraining keep habits sharp.

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Identification done right saves time down the line.

How to Display Patient Identification Skills on Your Resume

5. Infection Control

Infection control is the shield: hand hygiene, PPE, aseptic technique, and safe sharps practices from start to finish.

Why It's Important

It protects patients and staff, preserves sample quality, and keeps care environments safe.

How to Improve Infection Control Skills

1. Hand hygiene every time: Before and after contact, before aseptic tasks, after fluid exposure, and after touching surroundings.

2. PPE that fits the task: Gloves for draws, masks/eye protection if splash risk, gowns when appropriate. Don and doff correctly.

3. Skin antisepsis: Use appropriate antiseptic, allow proper contact time, and avoid repalpating the site after cleaning.

4. Sharps safety: Activate safety devices immediately and discard directly into a puncture-resistant container.

5. Clean zones: Disinfect work surfaces on a schedule and between patients. Keep supplies covered and organized.

6. Ongoing training: Refresh annually. Drill spill response and exposure protocols so reactions are automatic.

Consistency beats intensity. Make safe choices routine.

How to Display Infection Control Skills on Your Resume

6. Centrifugation

Centrifugation separates components—serum or plasma from cells—by spinning at defined speeds and times.

Why It's Important

Proper separation preserves analytes and prevents cell metabolism from distorting results.

How to Improve Centrifugation Skills

1. Prepare correctly: Confirm clotting time for serum tubes; check fill volumes and caps are secure.

2. Balance loads: Equal mass opposite positions. Imbalance shortens equipment life and risks sample integrity.

3. Follow SOPs: Use the specified rotor, speed (g-force), and duration for each tube type. Set timers—don’t guess.

4. Temperature awareness: Use temperature control when required; heat can degrade sensitive tests.

5. Post-spin handling: Remove promptly, avoid remixing layers, and transfer aliquots with care if needed.

6. Maintain the device: Clean rotors, inspect gaskets, and document maintenance and calibration.

Precision in, precision out. That’s the rule.

How to Display Centrifugation Skills on Your Resume

7. Blood Typing

Blood typing determines ABO and Rh status. Phlebotomists don’t run the test; they make sure the sample that arrives is unmistakably the patient’s and suitable for testing.

Why It's Important

Transfusion safety depends on accurate typing. One mislabeled or compromised sample can have severe consequences.

How to Improve Blood Typing Skills

1. Impeccable ID and labeling: Collect type-and-screen specimens with two identifiers and any facility-specific requirements (e.g., dedicated armband, second draw policy).

2. Right tubes, right fill: Use the specified tube type and fill to the mark to preserve ratios.

3. Avoid hemolysis: Gentle draws, correct gauge, minimal tourniquet time, and proper mixing.

4. Document collection details: Date/time, site, and collector ID. If a second verifier is required for transfusion samples, obtain it.

5. Transport promptly: Follow time and temperature requirements so the lab can test without delay.

The lab handles the typing; you deliver a sample they can trust.

How to Display Blood Typing Skills on Your Resume

8. HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA compliance means protecting patient health information in every form—spoken, written, and electronic—throughout collection and processing.

Why It's Important

Privacy builds trust. It’s also the law, with real penalties for breaches.

How to Improve HIPAA Compliance Skills

1. Know the rules: Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification. Understand what they mean for daily workflow.

2. Minimum necessary: Access only what you need for the task. Close screens. Lock workstations.

3. Secure communication: Use approved, encrypted channels. Never share PHI over unsecured text or personal email.

4. Physical safeguards: Keep requisitions and labels out of public view. Store paperwork in designated, secure areas.

5. Report quickly: Escalate suspected breaches immediately per policy. Time matters.

6. Refresh training: Annual updates and quick huddles after any incident keep standards high.

Guard PHI like you would your own. Relentlessly.

How to Display HIPAA Compliance Skills on Your Resume

9. EHR Software (e.g., Epic, Cerner)

EHR systems store orders, demographics, labels, and results. For phlebotomy, they’re the command center for accurate collection and tracking.

Why It's Important

Clean orders, clean labels, clean documentation—fewer redraws and faster turnaround. EHR proficiency reduces errors and saves time.

How to Improve EHR Software (e.g., Epic, Cerner) Skills

1. Master workflows: Practice order retrieval, label printing, barcode scanning, and specimen receipt steps until they’re second nature.

2. Use shortcuts: Learn smart phrases, favorites, and patient lists to move quickly without missing details.

3. Scan everything: Wristband-to-label barcode matching wherever available. It’s the fastest path to accuracy.

4. Document precisely: Record collection times, sites, and any issues (hemolysis risk, difficult draw) in the correct fields.

5. Downtime ready: Know paper backup procedures and reconciliation steps for system outages.

6. Privacy aware: Log off when stepping away and verify you’re in the correct chart before documenting.

Speed matters, but accuracy wins. Let the system work for you.

How to Display EHR Software (e.g., Epic, Cerner) Skills on Your Resume

10. CPR/BLS Certification

Basic Life Support certification (including CPR and AED use) confirms you can respond fast when breathing or circulation stops.

Why It's Important

Emergencies don’t warn you. BLS training turns panic into a plan.

How to Improve CPR/BLS Certification Skills

1. Refresh on schedule: Re-certify before expiration and review updates annually to match current guidelines.

2. Hands-on practice: Use manikins, feedback devices, and realistic drills to sharpen depth, rate, and recoil.

3. AED familiarity: Practice power-on, pad placement, and safe shock delivery until it’s automatic.

4. Team dynamics: Rehearse roles, closed-loop communication, and rapid task switching.

5. Scenario variety: Adult, child, infant, choking—mix scenarios to reduce hesitation.

6. Post-event review: Debrief after drills to catch gaps and set micro-goals.

Muscle memory saves seconds. Seconds save lives.

How to Display CPR Certification Skills on Your Resume

11. Order of Draw

The order of draw is the precise sequence for filling tubes to prevent additive carryover and protect test accuracy.

Why It's Important

One tube out of place can alter results. The sequence exists to stop it.

How to Improve Order of Draw Skills

1. Blood culture bottles or yellow (SPS): Sterile specimens first.
2. Light blue: Sodium citrate for coagulation testing.
3. Red, gold, or tiger-top (SST): Serum tubes, with or without clot activator/gel.
4. Green: Heparin tubes for plasma chemistry.
5. Lavender or pink: EDTA tubes for hematology or blood bank.
6. Gray: Oxalate/fluoride for glucose or alcohol testing.

Keep it sharp:

• Memorize and rehearse with mnemonics and quick drills.
• Post a pocket card on your cart for instant reference.
• Stay current with your facility’s SOP updates.

Correct order, fewer redraws, cleaner data.

How to Display Order of Draw Skills on Your Resume

12. Customer Service

Customer service means meeting patients with respect, clarity, and speed while performing technically sound collections.

Why It's Important

Good experiences build trust. Trust builds cooperation. Cooperation improves outcomes.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

1. Greet and orient: Introduce yourself, verify the plan, and set expectations in plain language.

2. Read the room: Adjust tone and pace. Offer choices when possible to restore a sense of control.

3. Minimize discomfort: Warm compresses, proper anchoring, and a confident stick reduce pain and fear.

4. Professional presence: Neat appearance, organized cart, and attentive body language.

5. Close the loop: Confirm next steps and provide simple aftercare instructions.

6. Invite feedback: A quick “How was that for you?” uncovers small fixes that matter.

Technical excellence wrapped in empathy—patients remember both.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume