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Hi! I'm Beth, and I'm a newbie Blood Bank Technical Specialist. I heard this was a pretty happening place to get the dish on all things Blood Bank! haha. I will have many questions... so there's your warning I welcome all input, advice, words of wisdom. Feel free to help a sister out! Have a great day!

Nowhere, in the above advertisement, does it say that the candidate must have any detailed knowledge of blood group antigens and antibodies (except the degree required - but this requirement, I presume, does not just apply to IR laboratories). Sadly, this is true now around the world. It is all management and saving money, rather than having a detailed knowledge of the background to the science.

Also, if you report and it is not a reportable issue, they will tell you that and it is removed. So always better to err on the side of caution and have them reject, rather than miss reporting.

From the posts given here it seems that there is some dependency on the size of the hospital (number of beds) and the patient populations treated. There are issues of fiscal responsibility and best utilization of staff and other recourses such that dedicated staff, although ideal, may not be cost effective in all settings. A well qualified and dedicated managerial team is always needed as this factor can make a huge difference in meeting the obligations of resource management and service delivery, and staff maintenance, while maintaining fiscal responsibility. It is here that I have experienced the greatest shortage.

Whether you call yourselves Lean (or Six Sigma or some other facetious productivity name) or not, the reality for many labs these days is that generalists are more and more necessary to keep things going in light of personnel shortages, We are a 250 bed level 2 trauma hospital, with a fair amount of Lab work on the type of patient population we see, including BB. The only real "dedicated" techs we have are in Micro (and of course, Histology). About a quarter of the techs on first shift are generalists that can work on a regular basis in BB (in addition to the main Lab area). On second and third shift, virtually all of the techs work BB in addition to the main lab area. Whether one has BB with all dedicated staff or no, the key is to have adequate training and competency, along with extensive references, including having good P&Ps available. This is true for all areas of the Lab (and in health care in general!). It requires a sharp and dedicated management model and staff. Scott