Phlebotomists withdraw blood from patients to be analyzed later in a laboratory. Before I take a blood sample, I need to know the type of laboratory test that is requested and I must make sure I have the correct patient. When drawing blood, I obtain the exact amount of blood needed for the lab test, place it in the correct preservative, and label the specimen for transport to the laboratory for analysis. I keep track of the patients I see by entering data into the laboratory’s database.