SBB Question

[Mer]

Hello -

To any recent SBB's out there: I am contemplating taking the SBB and obviously know that I need to study the Technical Manual. I was wondering what kind of questions they ask about the "Standards." I have looked at this book and find it unbelievably boring (), but understand it's "part of blood bank." Also, does the SBB involve bone marrow/stem cell studying? Any other hints would be helpful...Thanks in advance!

Mer

[jhaig]

I'm a recent SBB failure - does that count?:cool:

Anyway, I took the exam and did not pass on the first try. I made a couple of mistakes:

a) Not having an actual med tech degree but 16 years experience, I thought 6 months of self-study would be enough. WRONG.

see above

Some of the questions were so obscure and so irrelevant that I almost think no amount of studying can accurately prepare you for this horrible exam. Yes, you'll need to know the technical manual inside and out AND standards (yes, they're as dry as my grandpa's scalp), but also you need extensive knowledge of ALL major and minor antibody groups. And this is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg as far as 'book knowledge'. I found that most of my questions had nothing to do with daily blood banking. It was mostly about things most blood bankers will never see in the course of routine hospital work.

I do understand it, though. By passing the SBB, you are held to a higher standard and are considered an expert in the field. So before I take the test next time, I am considering enrolling in a study course to help pass.

I'll be looking for helpful hints as well since the exam chewed me up and spit me out the first time. But next time will be different!:mad:

[Eagle Eye]

I think my thinking is littlebit different. If you are in a hospital and directly involved with different kind of cases and study them in detail...it will definetly help. eg. Rh Pos patient with anti-D in plasma and eluate...when you encounter this kind of cases study all possible scenerio...what can cause this..you look at WinRho..how it works, if winrho doesn't work what are the other option..this is more on clinical side but you do need to know they want you to be able to think more on clinical side alond with blood bank technical knowledge. SO I would say day to day blood bank operation helps but different way...if you are just doing type and screen and some routine antibodies it will not help.

SOme hints: 1) Standard 2) Tech. manual 3) Antigen facts book (atleast read last pages 4) I personally didn't like volaris(may be I was using old one!!) 5) Yes review does help, if you can get hold of SBB review hand out(one from AABB)..study it in and out 6) Know your coag very well(they do not ask straight question but their application/cases) 7) Also pedigree!! I know they are not fun but you need to know them ..That's it.

It looks like a lot but it is not. Take one book at a time (oh yes sometime tech manual is not clear so refer to Harmenings)

This are my thoughts!!!

[Cliff]

Hi Mer,

How to pass the SBB, lot's of good guesses on exam day.

Just kidding.

It requires a lot of memorization, and a true love of blood banking.

There are some tips in this forum, just search, here's a good example.

[Mer]

Thank you to all three of you who responded! I appreciate your time and thoughts! Mer

[Barb Thompson]

I had questions from the standards concerning donor qualifications. Also, another question (not from standards) dealing with coag and DIC....one of the answer choices was "gunshot to the head". I remember thinking that that sounded like a good idea at the time! I did pass, by the way, on my first try, but I had just gone through a SBB program. Very tough year, cried every day, questioned my sanity (what was left of it), but, looking back, well worth it. If you choose to take the exam without going through a program, I wish you luck, because you will need it.

I recommend the Last Chance Review, held at Gulf Coast in Feb. Info can be found on their web site.

Barbara

[Hanadi Al-Omar]

Hallo,

After 12 years in my job in Blood Bank, I'm thinking now to have SBB exam, but I don't know how to start and if there is a chance to have the exam via online or in any GCC countries, what is my studying reference. and I need any useful informations regarding this topic.

Edited October 27, 2008 by Hanadi Al-Omar

[Barb Thompson]

Check out aabb.org. They post a list of SBB programs, and you can see which ones are on-site or on-line. The ASCP website (ascp.org) posts a list of suggested reading. I think you can access the info without having to be a member.

Barbara

[a44744]

I went to SBB school and recently passed the SBB exam, the first time (about a year and a half ago). The best advice I can give you is the following:

1. My exam was primarily transfusion or reference lab related. I think I had one quality question and some donor center math.

2. Yes, you need to know the Tech Manual. However, it is not the best source of info. You need a variety such Antigen Factsbook, Human Blood Groups, Rossi's Transfusion Medicine, Issit, etc. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket.

3. If you work in a transfusion service that is AABB accredited then you should be familar with the quality aspect of the Standards. The Standards are good also as a quick reference for components, ie. 3.0 x 10e11 platelets in a Pheresis platelets versus anything below would be a Variable Content.

4. The best lesson that I learned in SBB school was that the exam will be situational, not recall. You will have very few questions, or none at all, that require recall. You will never get a question that asks, "an anti-D and an anti-C could be ???" Instead, you will get an adsorption/elution study where you look at panels and make the distinction between the aforementioned and an anti-G. You will never get a transfusion question that asks, "what do you give for a factor VIII deficiency?" They will give you enough data to calculate the dose, but then the answer will be in the number of units of cryo. Stuff like that.

5. Also, sometimes more than one answer could be correct. You must choose the best answer.

It may seem like a daunting task to take/pass the exam. Just put in the work to gain the knowledge and then draw on your experience. Heck, the first 10 questions they asked me, I didn't have a clue what they were talking about! But I passed and, surprisingly, did well. I thought for sure I had flunked it. Good luck!

[marilynm]

The on line Distance Learning SBB program of Janet Vincent's at UTMB in Galveston TX is an excellent well established way to prepare for the SBB. Also, the Last Chance Review held at Gulf Coast in Houston Tx by Clare Wong.

Marilynm

[Hi-Freq]

A lot of the above mentioned information is very good. I also attended a 1 year SBB program, and passed the exam. However, in addition to studying the AABB Tech Manual, and Standards (which actually I like), and of course Issitt, I had just happened to be in a job where I was doing ELISA method viral testing, and thus had read many package inserts on HIV1/2, HIV antigen, HCV, Core, HBsAg, HTLV, and there were questions on every one of the viral markers on the SBB exam!!! My exam also had quite a bit of Probability and Statistics. And all of them have you to calculate the platelet count in a patient whose plt count was X and after receiving 10 units of pooled platets, by how much did his platelet count rise, or something to that effect. There's questions about temepratures galore! The storage of thawed FFP and cryo - for how long and at what temp - room temp or refrig? And how many gm/dl does 1 unit of packed rbs raise the hemoglobin? Of course reading the panels and ruling out was a breeze, I thought. But the exam (IMO) would have been quite difficult to pass had I not been through the exhaustive and intense SBB program first.