Phlebotomy technicians collect blood from patients and prepare the samples for testing. Most work in hospitals and clinics, but some collect blood for donation purposes. Phlebotomy technicians are important members of the health care team and often need to explain the blood-drawing procedure and put patients at ease.

Specimen collection is a common component of routine checkups for your health. It goes hand-in-hand with lab tests, allowing medical professionals to obtain tissue or fluids to look for any changes in your health. In addition, they help physicians diagnose medical conditions, plan treatments, and monitor diseases

A 24-hour urine collection helps diagnose kidney problems. It is often done to see how much creatinine clears through the kidneys. It's also done to measure protein, hormones, minerals, and other chemical compounds.

Saliva testing is used to screen for or diagnose numerous conditions and disease states, including Cushing's disease, anovulation, HIV, cancer, parasites, hypogonadism, and allergies.

Paternity testing attempts to establish the identity of a person's genetic parent, also called their biological father. This testing works by comparing the genetic material, called DNA, of a child to an individual to see if that individual is one of the child's genetic parents.

A drug test looks for signs of one or more illegal or prescription drugs in a sample of your urine (pee), blood, saliva (spit), hair, or sweat. The purpose of a drug test is to look for drug use and misuse, which includes: Using any illegal drugs, such as cocaine or club drugs.