[citation needed] Phlebotomies are carried out by phlebotomists – people trained to draw blood mostly from veins for clinical or medical testing, transfusions, donations, or research.

[6] The duties of a phlebotomist may include interpreting the tests requested, drawing blood into the correct tubes with the proper additives, accurately explaining the procedure to the person and preparing them accordingly, practicing the required forms of asepsis, practicing standard and universal precautions, restoring hemostasis of the puncture site, giving instructions on post-puncture care, affixing tubes with electronically printed labels, and delivering specimens to a laboratory.

[citation needed] A therapeutic phlebotomy may be carried out in the treatment of some blood disorders (example: Hemochromatosis, polycythemia vera, porphyria cutanea tarda), and chronic hives (in research).

Some of the larger retail pharmacy chains offering in-store clinical services (such as Clicks, Dis-Chem) also provide training for aspirant phlebotomists.

("light blue") (weak calcium chelator/anticoagulant) Plasma separator gel ("navy") Fluoride Oxalate Grey, Green, Yellow, Purple 1.

Purple (mitogen) tube A phlebotomy draw station is a place where blood is drawn from patients for laboratory testing, transfusions, donations, or research purposes.

While physicians did perform bloodletting, it was a specialty of barber surgeons, the primary provider of health care to most people in the medieval and early modern eras.