- Program Director, Transfusion Medicine Fellowship
- Blood Bank Laboratory, Therapeutic Apheresis & Blood Donation Program
- Director, Transfusion Medicine
- Education Coordinator III
- Transfusion Medicine Fellowship
The purpose of the program is to provide training for qualified physicians to prepare them for careers in blood banking/transfusion medicine and to stimulate interest in research related to blood banking/transfusion medicine.
Selection of Fellows
Policies & Procedures for Resident Selection
All policies and procedures for Resident Selection, Evaluation, Promotion, and Dismissal are in compliance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements and with the institutional policies and procedures of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH).
Resident Selection
All candidates applying to the Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program must, as a requirement for application, meet all American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) eligibility prerequisites required to enter training in the related specialty program at Jefferson Health.
Further, all candidates must satisfy the requirements of the State of Pennsylvania Board of Medical Licensure for appointment at the specific level of training for which the position is offered.
In addition, applicants must meet one of the following qualifications to be eligible to apply for the Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program:
- Graduates of medical schools in the United States and Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
- Graduates of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
- Graduates of medical schools outside the United States who meet one of the following qualifications:
- Have received a currently valid certificate from the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) or
- Have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a U.S. licensing jurisdiction.
- Graduates of medical schools outside the United States who have completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited medical school.
Fellowship applicants are evaluated on the basis of their preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skill, and personal qualities such as motivation, honesty, and integrity. The program does not discriminate with regard to sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
All prerequisite training must be successfully completed prior to beginning a Fellowship in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine.
There is no firm timeline or deadline for acceptance. All applications are initially screened by the Program Director. Applications that justify consideration for an interview are discussed informally by the Selection Committee members. The decision to offer an interview to an applicant is made by the Program Director, based upon the evaluation of the application, taking into consideration the interest, experience and education of the applicant. Interviews may be conducted in person or virtually, as desired or appropriate. Interviews are conducted by Program Faculty, Program Director, and key supervisory personnel. Applications will be accepted and interviews will be performed on a rolling basis. Preference is usually given to internal candidates.
After the interview process, the Fellow is selected, depending on the majority opinion of those interviewing the applicant.
All offers of employment with Jefferson Health are contingent upon approval of the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), licensure, and satisfactory completion of training in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved program or, where applicable, an American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited program. Residents entering as PGY 3 or above must have passed one of the following: United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Steps II, III, and I; Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) I, II, and III; National Boards Part II, III; and I, or Federation Licensing Examination (Flex) 1 and 2, in order to qualify for appointment.
Location of Training
The Fellowship is a joint training program in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine supported by TJUH and the American Red Cross (ARC-Penn-Jersey Region). The trainee will spend the first two months at TJUH with the exception of selected orientation at ARC. The Fellow will split the remaining ten months between TJUH and ARC, with a two-week rotation at Nemours duPont Hospital for Children and/or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and a one-week rotation in the HLA Labs at TJUH and ARC.
The Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship within the Department of Pathology & Genomic Medicine includes the Blood Bank Lab, Apheresis Unit and Blood Donor Center. There are major clinical opportunities for collaboration within Oncology, Obstetrics, Pediatrics and other clinical areas (Dialysis, Transplantation). Hematology/Oncology Fellows and Pathology Residents rotate through the Blood Bank on a regular basis. Scheduling will be such that the daily operational responsibilities of the Blood Bank will be covered either by the Transfusion Medicine Fellow or Pathology Residents. They both participate in the on-call schedule.
The Fellow will rotate through the Blood Bank Lab, Apheresis Unit and the Blood Donor Center, to provide theoretical concepts and practical exposure. The Fellow will be the principal liaison between the various clinical services and the Blood Bank regarding transfusion problems. There are abundant opportunities for clinical and basic research interaction within TJUH. The program can be modified to provide individualized attention to relevant areas.
Certifications
The Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship curriculum is designed to prepare the candidate for a career in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine and related areas. Successful completion of the year of Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine fellowship training provides eligibility for the subspecialty examination in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine given by the American Board of Pathology.
Major Curriculum Areas
Administration
- Patient Blood Management
- Laboratory Management
- Proficiency Testing
- Accreditation
- Inspection
Donor Center
- Donor Eligibility and Screening
- Autologous, Directed and Volunteer Donors
- Therapeutic Phlebotomy
- Donor Adverse Reactions
- Apheresis Donations
- Double Red Cell, Platelet, Plasma Donations
Blood Processing
- ABO and Rh
- Antibody Screening
- Transfusion Transmitted Disease Testing
- Component Processing
Reference Laboratory
- Antibody Identification
- Transfusion Reactions
- Extended Phenotyping
- Molecular Testing
Tissue Typing
- HLA Typing
- HLA Antibody Identification
- Paternity Testing
Consultation Concerning Clinical Transfusion Therapy
- Compatibility Issues
- Blood Typing Discrepancies
- Emergency Situations
- Blood Component Therapy
- Platelet Refractoriness
Hemapheresis
- Red Cell Exchange
- Photopheresis
- Plateletpheresis
- Leukapheresis
- Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
- Stem Cell Collection
- Autologous and Allogeneic
- CAR-T Collection
- Special Research Procedures
Research Project
Fellows are provided protected academic time for research. The Fellow will be required to develop a minimum of two projects that have potential for publication, at least one at Jefferson.
Educational Opportunities
Blood Bank Meetings
- Continuing Education Lectures
- American Red Cross, AABB, and American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) Webinars
- Multidisciplinary Transfusion Medicine Rounds (two times/week)
- Journal Club (monthly)
Administrative Meetings
- Transfusion Committee (quarterly)
Department Meetings
- QA/PI Meeting (monthly)
- Grand Rounds (monthly)
Local or National Meetings
- American Red Cross Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) (quarterly)
- AABB Annual Meeting
- ASFA Annual and/or Regional Meetings
Evaluations
Policies & Procedures for Fellow Evaluation
Fellows will be evaluated in accordance with the requirements of the Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Review Committee, American Board of Pathology requirements, and ACGME Institutional requirements. Evaluation of fellows will be completed electronically and maintained in personnel files in the department. Fellows may review their files and append comments to evaluations. Fellows may not remove evaluations from the file, copy evaluations, or alter evaluations.
Fellows are evaluated on a quarterly basis. The evaluators are the Transfusion Medicine Director, Associate/Assistant Director(s), American Red Cross Physicians, and supervisory personnel at all institutions. Evaluation methods are based on Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Core Competencies and Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine milestones. They include faculty observation, patient workup, interaction with nursing, house and medical staff, and presentations. Fellows are also evaluated in technical competence, clinical competence, and professional characteristics.
Summative and formative evaluation sessions are held with the Program Director or designee every six months, and written summaries of the sessions are maintained in the fellow's file. The Program Director will prepare a final evaluation of the fellow’s performance at the completion of residency training, which must be maintained indefinitely in the department, with a copy forwarded to the Office of House Staff Affairs of TJUH. This final evaluation will state that the fellow has demonstrated sufficient competence to enter practice without direct supervision.
Policies & Procedures for Program & Faculty Evaluation
Fellows will evaluate the teaching faculty at all institutions. The evaluation will be kept anonymous through intermingling with evaluations from Pathology Residents and Hematology/Oncology Fellows on Blood Bank rotation, and will be kept confidentially by the Program Coordinator.
Fellows will evaluate the Fellowship Program annually. A meeting will take place that includes the Program Director, key faculty at TJUH and ARC, and the Fellow. Resident performance and outcome assessment results will be used to evaluate the educational effectiveness of the program. Minutes will be kept to document the interaction.
Stipends
It is anticipated that the Fellow will begin his/her training in July, to correspond with other residency/fellowship programs. Four weeks of vacation will be allowed. The stipend will be in accordance with other TJUH Fellows, and fully paid malpractice insurance is included.