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Specialist in Blood Banking - SBB(ASCP) — Requirements & Free Practice

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Specialist in Blood Banking - SBB(ASCP)

Specialist certification in blood banking.

Licensing authority: American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification

Initial by examination
Specialist in Blood Banking - SBB(ASCP)
Eligibility
U.S. SBB(ASCP) initial certification requires passing its examination and meeting at least one of seven alternative routes; the stated degree or higher is acceptable. Route 1: accredited baccalaureate degree including biology and chemistry courses, plus completion of a CAAHEP-accredited Specialist in Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine program within the last 5 years; the program education is acceptable for 5 years after completion. Route 2: valid MLS(ASCP) or BB(ASCP) certification, accredited baccalaureate degree, and 3 years of full-time acceptable clinical blood-banking experience in an acceptable laboratory within the last 6 years, post-baccalaureate, documented on an Experience Documentation Form. Route 3: accredited master's degree in a qualifying field and the same 3-year clinical experience, timing and form as Route 2. Route 4: accredited doctorate in a qualifying field plus either 2 years of post-doctoral fellowship in clinical blood banking in the U.S. or Canada within the last 5 years or 2 years of full-time acceptable clinical blood-banking experience in an acceptable laboratory within the last 5 years; the 2 years must be post-baccalaureate and documented on an Experience Documentation Form, and the fellowship option needs a completion certificate. Route 5: valid MLS(ASCP) or BB(ASCP) certification, accredited baccalaureate degree, and 3 years of full-time acceptable academic educator experience in clinical blood banking at a regionally accredited college/university or acceptable laboratory within the last 6 years, post-baccalaureate, documented on a Teaching Experience Documentation Form. Route 6: accredited master's degree in a qualifying field and 3 years of full-time acceptable academic educator experience in clinical blood banking at an accredited (regionally or nationally) college/university or acceptable laboratory within the last 6 years, post-baccalaureate, with a Teaching Experience Documentation Form. Route 7: valid MLS(ASCP) or BB(ASCP) certification, accredited doctorate in a qualifying field, and either 1 year of full-time acceptable clinical blood-banking experience in an acceptable laboratory within the last 5 years or 1 year of full-time acceptable blood-banking research experience in the U.S. or Canada within the last 5 years, post-baccalaureate, with an Experience Documentation Form. Qualifying graduate fields for Routes 3, 4, 6 and 7 are chemistry, biology, immunology, immunohematology, microbiology, allied health, medical laboratory science, or an appropriately related field. Acceptable clinical laboratories have CMS CLIA or DoD CLIP certificates of registration, compliance or accreditation, JCI accreditation, or ISO 15189 accreditation. The experience routes require laboratory or teaching experience in all listed procedures: serologic testing (ABO/Rh typing, antibody detection and identification, crossmatching, direct antiglobulin tests, other blood group antigen tests); molecular testing; routine problem solving (transfusion adverse reactions, immune hemolytic anemias, HDFN, Rh immune globulin evaluation, transfusion indications); quality control/assurance (reagents and equipment, component quality control, regulatory compliance); laboratory operations; and donor collection, processing and testing (donor selection, preparation and collection, processing and donor testing, component preparation for storage and administration). Proficiency in molecular testing, laboratory operations and donor collection/processing/testing may be shown by performance, observation or simulation. Applicants upload the applicable documentation form and an acceptable transcript or transcript evaluation.

Specialist in Blood Banking - SBB(ASCP)

Format
Computer-adaptive multiple-choice, one best answer
Exam questions
Total questions: 100.
Time limit
2 hours 30 minutes
Examination outline

The authority publishes percentage ranges for each content area. The practice percentages below use the midpoint of each range, normalized to 100%; they are not exact percentages published by the authority. Practice question counts may differ slightly because of rounding.

  • Blood Products — Official range: 10–15% (Practice allocation: 12.2%)
    • Donors
    • Processing
    • Storage
    • Blood Components
    • Blood Component Quality Control
  • Blood Group Systems — Official range: 15–20% (Practice allocation: 17.07%)
    • Genetics
    • Biochemistry/Antigens
    • Role of Blood Groups in Transfusion
  • Immunology and Physiology — Official range: 15–25% (Practice allocation: 19.51%)
    • Immunology
    • Physiology and Pathophysiology
  • Serologic and Molecular Testing — Official range: 20–25% (Practice allocation: 21.95%)
    • Routine Tests
    • Reagents
    • Special Tests and Reagents
    • Quality Assurance
  • Transfusion Practice — Official range: 15–20% (Practice allocation: 17.07%)
    • Indications for Transfusion
    • Component Therapy
    • Adverse Effects of Transfusion
    • Apheresis and Extracorporeal Circulation
    • Blood Administration and Patient Blood Management
  • Laboratory Operations — Official range: 10–15% (Practice allocation: 12.2%)
    • Quality Assessment/Troubleshooting
    • Safety
    • Laboratory Mathematics
    • Instrumentation
    • Laboratory Administration (SBB ONLY)
Examination sources