What is a Phlebotomist?

Patients ask me all the time: “You’re a Flee-bot-o-mist?” as they are trying to read my title on my  badge. I can’t help but reply: “Yes, I’m a phlebotomist. It’s greek for ‘vampire’ ”.  It’s a good ice-breaker and you get the patient to laugh. It also gets them thinking: ‘Well, what is a phlebotomist?’ and that’s very important. Not many people realize a phlebotomist is more than just a person with a needle in their hand (or fangs for teeth…see what I did there?).   A phlebotomist is an individual who practices the art of phlebotomy or ‘the incision..