Pathology Collectors

ANZSCO ID 311216

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
9,000
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
41%
Female Share
92%
Average age
45

Summary

Pathology Collectors extract, collect, label and preserve blood and other specimens from patients for laboratory analysis.

Specialisations: Blood Collector.

A certificate III in pathology collection is usually needed to work as a Pathology Collector. Some workers have a university qualification.

Tasks

  • Greet donors.

  • Records donors' personal details, including their weight, age, blood type and contact details.

  • Explains the procedure to donors and checks their personal details.

  • Takes a finger-prick test to check the donor's haemoglobin (red blood cells) and ensure that iron levels in the blood are normal.

  • Takes blood from donors.

  • Informs donors of emergency medical contacts for potential side-effects of donating blood.

  • Cares for donors who may be feeling dizzy or have another adverse reaction.

  • Provides refreshments for donors, and ensures they absorb enough sugar back into their system.

  • Maintains machinery and orders supplies.

  • Advertises blood collection days.

  • Drives a blood bank collection vehicle.

  • Gives speeches about donating blood.

Characteristics

Job Type
Technicians And Trades Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Medical Technicians, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 41% of people employed as Pathology Collectors work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 25 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 40 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours less than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
97.8%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
0.7%
3
Public Administration and Safety
0.4%
4
Financial and Insurance Services
0.1%
5
Other industries
0.5%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

31.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.8% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.8% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.5% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.6% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Pathology Collectors All Jobs Average
NSW 31.1 31.6
VIC 25.8 25.6
QLD 21.8 20.0
SA 6.3 7.0
WA 11.5 10.8
TAS 1.6 2.0
NT 0.5 1.0
ACT 1.4 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
45
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
92%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Pathology Collectors is 45 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 92% of the workforce. This is 44 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Pathology Collectors All Jobs Average
15-19 0.6 5.0
20-24 6.5 9.3
25-34 18.7 22.9
35-44 21.8 22.0
45-54 27.4 21.6
55-59 13.6 9.0
60-64 7.9 6.0
65 and Over 3.5 4.2
Median Age 45 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A certificate III in pathology collection is usually needed to work as a Pathology Collector. Some workers have a university qualification.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Health Industry and Laboratory Operations VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Pathology Collectors All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.7 10.1
Bachelor degree 17.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 17.8 11.6
Certificate III/IV 42.2 21.1
Year 12 10.0 18.1
Year 11 2.1 4.8
Year 10 and below 6.5 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Medical Technicians who have good people skills, a high attention to detail and are accurate.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 52%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 48%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 48%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 48%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 48%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 45%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 43%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 43%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 41%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 39%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 37%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 37%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 34%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 34%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 34%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 32%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 30%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 72%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 61%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 58%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 54%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 52%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 44%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 41%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 40%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 37%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 35%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 34%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 33%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 33%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 32%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 31%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 31%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 27%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 27%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 22%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 20%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 52%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 52%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 48%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 48%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 46%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 46%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 46%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 43%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 43%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 41%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 41%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 41%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 39%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 37%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 37%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 34%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 74%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 71%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 68%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 62%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 62%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 59%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 57%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 54%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 54%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 54%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 54%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 53%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 52%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 52%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 50%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 50%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 49%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 46%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 46%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 44%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 81%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 71%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 57%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 57%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 29%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 14%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 67%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 57%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 57%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 50%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 43%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 38%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 98%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 97%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 94%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 93%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 93%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 93%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 92%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 91%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 89%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 88%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 86%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 85%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 85%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 84%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 84%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 82%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 82%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 80%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 80%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 78%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 31-9097.00 - Phlebotomists.


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