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Specialist
in Blood Bank (SBB) Training Program at the National Institutes
of Health
The Clinical
Center, located in Bethesda, Maryland, is the research hospital
of the National Institutes of Health, the Federal Government's primary
agency for biomedical research. The Institutes conduct clinical
trials and related research projects in various medical disciplines,
and patients are referred from all sections of the United States
and from various foreign countries.
The Department
of Transfusion Medicine (DTM) provides a full range of services
to supply blood and blood components for patients at this 300-bed
hospital. These services include routine blood collection, apheresis,
component preparation, serologic investigation of complex antibody
problems, histocompatibility testing, and viral testing. Because
of the hospital's unique patient population and research mission,
the DTM staff have the opportunity to investigate challenging patient
care problems.
Program Discription
The DTM Specialist in Blood Bank (SBB) Training Program was
established in 1966. Many of its graduates are now technical supervisors,
education coordinators, quality assurance specialists, or reference
technologists at some of the nation's finest blood banks and transfusion
services. Others have joined commercial companies in reference and
education capacities. The program is a one-year course (January
to January) in advanced blood bank technology. It meets the standards
and requirements prescribed by the Commission on Accreditation of
Allied Health Education Programs and the American Association of
Blood Banks. The program is accredited and three students are usually
accepted. Students who successfully complete the course receive
a certificate and are eligible to sit for the American Society of
Clinical Pathologists 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, viral
disease testing, blood preservation and storage, component therapy,
apheresis, hazards of transfusion, immunology, HLA and transplantation,
blood bank administration, and other relevant topics. Participation
is encouraged at the monthly Blood Bank Journal Club and Laboratory
Review Conference and the weekly Blood Bank Conference. Students
are required to complete one evening course at the NIH graduate
school, the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES),
in a subject related to the field of transfusion medicine. Students
complete rotations in the DTM Transfusion Services Laboratory, which
includes an AABB accredited Immunohematology Reference Laboratory,
and the 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 both the Infectious Diseases and Cell Processing Sections of
the DTM. Rotations are also provided at the National Naval Medical
Center in Bethesda for donor phlebotomy and processing and HDN serology,
the National Children's Medical Center for pediatric hemotherapy,
and the Washington Hospital Center for neonatal hemotherapy.
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, 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.
Admission Requirements
Candidates for the Clinical Center's Specialist in Blood Bank
Training Program must meet the following requirements:
- Baccalaureate
degree from a regionally accredited college/university including
biological science, chemistry, and mathematics courses.
- MT (ASCP)
or equivalent certification.
- 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 Blood Bank 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
How to Apply
Candidates must submit the following items for consideration
by the Admission Committee:
Applications
must be received by June 30. Candidates will be contacted to arrange
an interview with the SBB Admissions Committee. (The DTM cannot
compensate candidates for their travel expenses.) Applicants will
be notified of selection or nonselection by approximately September
30.
The National
Institutes of Health does not discriminate in employment on grounds
of sex, race, color, age, religion, handicap, or national origin.
Salary and
Benefits
Salaries are at the Federal Government level of GS-9, step 1. Information
on current GS-9 level pay scales is available from your local Federal
Job Information Center. Each student is paid as a part-time (32
hours a week), temporary employee for one year. 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. Medical insurance is available through
the NIH graduate school, FAES.
Additional
Resources
Students have access to an excellent collection of journals and
books in the DTM library and the National Institutes of Health 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
and 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.
The Washington
Community
Metropolitan Washington abounds in recreational and cultural opportunities.
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offers the National Symphony
Orchestra, ballet, opera, and drama. During the summer, musical
and theatrical events are held at Wolf Trap Farm Park, a pleasant
outdoor theater, surrounded by a 117-acre park. Professional sports
events, including hockey, football, soccer, and basketball, are
held year-round. The Potomac River offers canoeing, kayaking, and
boating; a network of hiking trails along the river and Rock Creek
Park attracts the serious hiker or jogger. The area is 1/2 hour
from the Chesapeake Bay and about a 2-hour drive to the ocean beaches
or to the Blue Ridge mountains and the Appalachian Trail.
Housing in the immediate vicinity or within easy cycling distance
of NIH is readily available.
Program Officials
David
F. Stroncek, MD
Program Medical Director
Chief, Laboratory Services Section
Sherry L. Sheldon, MT(ASCP)SBB
Program Director, Technical Supervisor Transfusion Services Laboratory
Karen M. Byrne, MT(ASCP)SBB
Education Coordinator
Transfusion Services Laboratory
kbyrne@mail.cc.nih.gov
or 301-496-8335
Program Faculty
Harvey
J. Alter, MD
Chief, Infectious Diseases Section
Cathy Conry-Cantilena, MD
Medical Officer
Harvey G. Klein, MD
Chief, Department of Transfusion Medicine
Susan F. Leitman, MD
Chief, Blood Services Section
Angela C. Pickett, MT(ASCP)SBB
Technical Specialist
Elizabeth J. Read, MD
Chief, Cell Processing Section
Nancy M. Stec, MA, MT(ASCP)SBB
Assistant Technical Supervisor
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Education
