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Specialists in blood bank technology perform and
supervise both routine and specialized tests in blood centers and
hospital-based transfusion services, using methodology that conforms
to the Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services of the
American Association of Blood Banks.
Their duties include:
testing for blood group antigens, compatibility
and antibody identification;
investigating abnormalities such as hemolytic
disease of the newborn, hemolytic anemias, and adverse responses
to transfusion;
supporting physicians in transfusion therapy,
including patients with coagulopathies or candidates for allogeneic
organ transplant;
blood collection and processing, including selecting
donors, drawing and typing blood, and performing pretransfusion
viral screening and confirmatory tests to ensure the safety of
the patient;
and since this is a post-graduate
Blood
Bank Technology Specialist
immunohematology
and management program, supervision and/or teaching compose a
considerable part of the responsibilities of the specialist in
blood bank technology.
Work Environment
Specialists in blood banking work in many types of facilities, including
community blood centers, hospital blood banks and transfusion services,
transplantation laboratories and blood bank equipment and they supply
vendors. They may also be part of a university faculty. Some weekend
and night duty, including emergency calls, may be required.
Job Outlook
Approximately 15 jobs are expected each year in Florida for these
post-graduate level specialists until 2008.
Advancement
Because this is a post-graduate certificate program, qualified specialists
may advance to supervisory or administrative positions, or move
into teaching, quality assurance or research activities. The criteria
for advancement in this field are experience, technical expertise,
and completion of advanced education courses.
Length of Training/Requirements
College graduates with a bachelor's degree and certification as
a medical technologist, plus one year of clinical laboratory experience
in blood banking, or a bachelor's degree in a biological or physical
science, plus two years of clinical blood bank laboratory experience,
can apply to the one-year, CAAHEP approved specialist in blood banking
program offered by Florida Blood Services (FBS). This is a distance
learning program with most lectures and all tests presented online.
Rotations to receive clinical experience are performed at the student’s
location. The curriculum includes basic and advanced serological
techniques, blood donation and product manufacturing, apheresis,
viral disease testing, genetics, transfusion medicine practices,
component therapy, quality systems and process control, HLA and
transplantation, education and research, management, blood bank
administration and other relevant topics. Students must travel to
FBS three times during the year for selected lectures and rotations.
Licensure/Certification
Specialists in blood bank technology must pass or be eligible for
licensure by the Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel before being
employed in Florida. Certification as a Specialist in Blood Bank
Technology (SBB) is voluntary and may be obtained from the American
Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Continuing education hours
are required by the state of Florida every two years for license
renewal. The SBB graduate is also eligible for a Florida Laboratory
Supervisor's License.
Updated: 2009 |
