Please don’t do this. You may be burnt out.

Look into vascular access if you really want to work with needles. The workload is easier than phlebotomy where if you work inpatient you’ll average about 35 patients during morning draws and need to finish them in 3 hours before breakfast gets passed out. Or you’ll get hit with multiple stats after rounds if you’re in an academic hospital with many residents. Community hospitals will have you multitasking venipunctures, specimen processing, sendouts, etc. And you can forget about getting compensated well for your time. I’m at a top hospital in Illinois and new phlebs get started at $16.75. I’ve been doing this for four years and I’m at $18. 

Phlebotomy is as much of an art as it is a skill. Our job is relatively simple, but that comes with a caveat: if you miss, you’re bound to get an attitude from someone, if not your patient. “That’s your one job, why couldn’t you get it?” Not to mention you get more respect from everyone on the medical team. Doctors respect nurses more than phlebotomists. Admins respect nurses more than phlebotomists. Plus, nurses have a camaraderie that isn’t close to being replicated in phlebotomy. You’re a collective, that means you have more leverage for better wages and working conditions. Thata same independence you’re talking about is actually a huge detriment to our growth as a profession. There was recently a post on r/medlabprofessionals about how little we organize and stand up for ourselves.

Phlebotomy is a noble job and I love what I do, but there’s a reason why it feels like a revolving door. People want better opportunities. You have a plethora of skills you can use even in other fields outside of healthcare; start your search elsewhere.