Specialist in Blood Banking Examination Review

Blood in tubes in a rack.

Overview

This is an asynchronous (individuals can complete it at their own pace during the semester) review course designed to help students prepare for the ASCP Board of Certification Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) certification exam. The course format consists of PowerPoint presentations, case studies, practice problems, quizzes, and a final practice exam. The course instructors and director are available for questions and guidance throughout the course. 

The course fee is $1,000.00. 

Admissions and Payment

This online course is designed to assist individuals preparing to take the Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) examination offered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology. There are no prerequisites needed, but at least three years of full-time experience will give you a good clinical background prior to taking the course.

This course does not require formal admission to GW.

Please click here for instructions on how to submit an online application and course fee.

Application Deadlines and Course Start Dates
Course Start Date Application Deadline Payment Deadline
February 15 January 31 February 1
June 15 May 31 June 1
September 15 August 31 September 1

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the review course, learners should be able to:

  1. Apply the appropriate immunohematology principles and regulatory policies to ensure the safe practice of transfusion medicine.  
  2. Interpret patient and donor results using fundamental concepts from immunology, hematology, genetics, and hemostasis.
  3. Perform the relevant calculations used in blood banking practices, including Hardy-Weinberg, Kleihauer-Betke, and RhIG dosage.
  4. Correlate patient test results with their medical history and clinical symptoms to support a proposed plan of transfusion therapy
  5. Evaluate donor test results and history to confirm donor eligibility.
  6. Resolve patient and donor data discrepancies to minimize error and ensure appropriate blood component therapy. 
  7. Demonstrate sufficient content mastery for the Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) examination.
Structure

Students have 12 weeks to complete the course. The 11 modules include learning objectives, PowerPoint presentations, and handouts. Practice problems and case studies are included where applicable, as well as videos and quizzes. The topics for each of the 11 modules are as follows:

  • Genetics/Immunology
  • Blood Group Systems I (ABO, H, Lewis, I, P, Lutheran)
  • Blood Group Systems II (MNS, Miscellaneous, Polyagglutination)
  • Blood Group Systems III (Rh, Duffy, Kidd, Kell)
  • Donors and Components
  • Transfusion Practices and Adverse Effects of Transfusion
  • Anemias, HDFN, HLA, and Transplantation
  • Management, QA, and Safety
  • Hematology and Coagulation
  • The Antiglobulin Test and Post-Transfusion Testing
  • Antibody Identification