Specialists in Blood Bank (SBB)

The Specialist in Blood Bank (SBB) Training Program at the DTM was established in 1966. Many of its graduates are now technical supervisors, education coordinators, quality assurance specialists, and reference technologists at some of the nation's finest blood banks and transfusion services. Others have joined commercial companies in reference and education capacities. This is a one-year certificate (July-July) program in advanced blood bank technology. The NIH Clinical Center Blood Bank, Specialist in Blood Bank Technology Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the AABB Committee on Accreditation of SBB programs.

Students must complete the entire program to receive the certificate and be eligible to sit for the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Registry examination offered for the Specialist in Blood Banking.

The curriculum includes formal and informal teaching sessions covering basic and advanced serological techniques; blood donations; genetics; molecular immunohematology; viral disease testing; blood preservation and storage; component therapy; apheresis; hazards of transfusion; immunology; human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and transplantation; blood bank administration; and other relevant topics. Participation is encouraged at monthly departmental blood bank Journal Club presentations, Laboratory Services Section's continuing education opportunities and weekly transfusion medicine conferences. Students complete rotations in the DTM Laboratory Services Section, which includes an AABB-accredited Immunohematology Reference Laboratory, and an ASHI-accredited Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Typing Laboratory. A rotation in the Blood Services Section of the DTM provides experience in donor recruitment, screening, phlebotomy, and apheresis procedures. Experience in infectious disease testing and hematopoietic transplantation is obtained through rotations in the Infectious Diseases Section and Center for Cellular Engineering of the DTM. Rotations off-site address neonatal/pediatric transfusion practices.

With the guidance of a senior DTM staff member, each student is required to pursue an in-depth project suitable for presentation and/or publication. The project may concern a research issue in blood banking, a case study with a review of the literature, or an educational project.

Students are evaluated periodically by the education coordinator and the technical supervisor. The final grade of pass or fail is based on appraisal of all activities and examinations. As employees of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), students are also evaluated through the department's employee performance appraisal system. Students are considered part of the technical staff of the Laboratory Services Section of the Department of Transfusion Medicine. They share in the responsibilities of holiday and weekend coverage plus other assignments as deemed necessary by the supervisory staff.

CAAHEP
9355 113th Street North #7709
Seminole, FL 33775

Phone: 727-210-2350
Fax: 727-210-2354
Email: mail@caahep.org
Website: https://www.caahep.org

Program Benefits

• The program is tuition FREE and students EARN a SALARY
• Student (3) to faculty (>10) ratio unbeatable
• Weekly didactics shared with the Transfusion Medicine Fellowship physicians
• Gain experience galore in a full-service blood bank:

• Bench to Board: something in the laboratory that you want to discuss???? Bring your questions to class!!!!

The ASCP SBB Certification: 5-year cumulative outcomes 2017-2022 Graduates

Publications Describing the SBB Program

Byrne KM, Paige TD, Flegel WA. An outcome-based review of an accredited Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) program: 25 years and counting. Immunohematology 2020 March;36(1):7-13.

Byrne KM, Sheldon SL, Flegel WA. Organization and management of an accredited specialist in blood bank (SBB) technology program. Transfusion 2010;50:1612-1616.

Before and After

See snap shot below for opportunities available to students graduating from our program:

Since 2005, approximately a quarter of graduates have either received or are pursing master's degrees from various universities. Some of these universities recognize the NIH SBB certificate and the ASCP SBB certification for credits toward degrees such as Clinical Laboratory Management, Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology and Biotechnology.

Remley VA, Collins A, Underwood S, Jin J, Kim Y, Cai Y, Prochazkova M, Moses L, Byrne KM, Jin P, Stroncek DF, Highfill SF. Optimizing a Fully Automated and Closed-System Process for Red Blood Cell Reduction of Human Bone Marrow Products. Cytotherapy 00 (2023) 1-9.

BByrne KM, Collins AA, Seifu R, Paige TD, Flegel WA. Using social media to recruit for a face-to-face Specialist in Blood Bank (SBB) Technology program. Immunohematology 2022; 38(2): 62-63.

Lodermeier MA, Byrne KM, Flegel WA. Red blood cell sedimentation of Apheresis Granulocytes. Transfusion 2017;57:2551-2552. video clip

Schmid P, Huvard MJ, Lee-Stroka AH, Lee JY, Byrne KM, Flegel WA. Red blood cell preservation by droplet freezing with polyvinylpyrrolidone or sucrose-dextrose and by bulk freezing with glycerol. Transfusion 2011;51:2703-8. video clip

Tynuv M, Flegel WA. Quality improvement with platelet additive solution for safer out-of-group platelet transfusions. Immunohematology 2019 Sep;35(3):108-115.

Byrne KM, Mercado CMC, Nnabue TN, Paige TD, Flegel WA. Inhibition of blood group antibodies by soluble substances. Immunohematology 2019;35:19-22.

Reese EM, Nelson RC, Flegel WA, Byrne KM, Booth GS. Critical Value Reporting in Transfusion Medicine: A survey of communication practices in US facilities. Am J Clin Pathol 2017;147:492-499.

Byrne KM, Levy KY, Reese EM. Following the Rules Set by Accreditation Agencies and Governing Bodies to Maintain In-Compliance Status: Applying Critical Thinking Skills When Evaluating the Need for Change in the Clinical Laboratory. Lab Med 2016;May47(2):e21-6.

Byrne KM, Frank EG, Gedman LA, Ivey JR. They're Here! How to Prepare Your Blood Bank for Inspection. Lab Med 2015 Winter;46(1):e2-6.

Candidates for the Clinical Center's Specialist in Blood Bank Training Program must meet the following requirements:

• US citizenship is required
• Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college/university including biological science, chemistry, and mathematics courses.
• Two or more years full-time blood banking experience.
• Quality and extent of the applicant's blood banking experience are considered.

Additional criteria considered in selecting candidates are:

• Membership in transfusion medicine associations
• Participation in training workshops
• Attendance at continuing education programs
• Research interests and projects
• Supervisory and teaching experience
• Attainment of advanced degrees
• Awards and outstanding employee ratings

Candidates must submit the following items for consideration by the Admission Committee:

• A resume or any other written document provided it contains contact information, academic history, starting and ending dates of employment, number of hours worked per week, and description of duties/responsibilities for each position listed.
• A short summary of the applicant's reasons for applying to the Clinical Center's Specialist in Blood Bank (SBB) Training Program and a statement of career goals, including how the applicant intents to use SBB training.
  • FORM may be used to capture items above.
• Official transcripts from all colleges attended, including medical technology and postgraduate courses, if applicable.
• Two or more letters of recommendation, including one from the applicant's current supervisor or medical director.

Applications should be sent or emailed to: CC-DTMSBBApplication@mail.nih.gov

SBB Education Coordinator
NIH Clinical Center
Department of Transfusion Medicine
Building 10, Room 2S217
10 Center Drive, MSC 1184
Bethesda, MD 20892-1184

Phone Number: 301-496-8335

Applications are welcome throughout the year and will be reviewed upon receipt of a complete packet. The candidate interview and selection process is generally complete by the end of March. Candidates will be contacted to arrange an interview with the SBB Admissions Committee. The DTM does not compensate candidates for their travel expenses. Applicants will be notified of selection or nonselection.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) does not discriminate in employment on grounds of sex, race, color, age, religion, handicap, or national origin.

A competitive salary (GS 11, step 1) is offered. Each student is paid as a part-time (32 hours a week), temporary employee not to exceed 13 months to be eligible for benefits. In addition to the 10 regular holidays recognized by the Federal Government, students accrue approximately 10 days of annual (vacation leave) and 10 days of sick leave, if needed.

Participation in program does not convey Federal status; though they are welcome to apply to opportunities open to all US citizens.

Students have access to an excellent collection of journals and books in the Clinical Center library. An extensive collection of textbooks and journals in both blood banking and related fields is available from the National Library of Medicine, located on the NIH campus. Students are encouraged to attend seminars, lectures, and symposia given on the NIH campus, at area universities and other local medical institutions. If funds permit, students will receive support to attend one professional meeting in the field of transfusion medicine.