Transfusion Medical Director Time Allocation

[DMR]

I would like to survey Blood Bank / Transfusion Service members concerning the amount of time allocated for the Pathologist / Transfusion Service Medical Director to perform document review of Blood Bank / Transfusion Service Documents (SOPs, QA Documents, Txn Rxn workups, etc). We are especially interested in those circumstances where the Txn Medical Director is also responsible for Anatomic Path / Cytology and other duties.

Thank you for your response to this request.

DMR

[Kitty Petershagen]

Along the same lines regarding Transfusion Service Medical Directors-does anyone have a job description to share?

[Barbara Barksdale]

We do not have specific time allocated for our Pathologist. Blood bank time is woven into other job duties. He also does Anatomic Path. We do not have a specific job description for his blood bank duties. Our pathologist/Medical Director wears many hats and has us very spoiled!!

[adiescast]

We are the same as Barbara. The Transfusion Medical Director weaves her blood bank time into all her other responsibilities. There is not a separate job description from the regular Pathologist. All of our Pathologists are Medical Director of some part of our system.

[L106]

All of our Pathologists mainly do Anatomical Pathology. Each Pathologist is assigned to be in charge of one Clinical Lab Dept. Our Pathologist over Blood Bank has very few BB duties and probably spends only an average of 1 hour per month on BB chores. Our Lab Medical Director (Head Pathologist) probably also spends about an hour a month handling BB responsibilities.

[AMcCord]

We are the same as Barbara. The Transfusion Medical Director weaves her blood bank time into all her other responsibilities. There is not a separate job description from the regular Pathologist. All of our Pathologists are Medical Director of some part of our system.

That's how we work it.

[rravkin@aol.com]

Our BB is managed the same way. Is there any speculation on the pros and cons of such a system?

[Eagle Eye]

we are fortunate to have full time BB Medical Director.

[tlorme]

Interesting you should ask this question: we currently work in an environment where the BB medical director is readily available for consultation, unless he is in the gross room or reading a frozen section. All of our pathologists rotate between clinical, gross room, cytopath & frozen sections, in addition to taking call. Only the BB medical director has the BB expertise, so I go to him as long as he is available. Just recently, our lab coordinator (aka secretary) announced that she will be posting a schedule identifying specific times when we can approach each pathologist for consult. I have a problem with this. We are a regional trauma center and NICU with an active CT Surgery program. I don't think limiting access to the BB medical director is in the best interest of our patients.

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

Interesting you should ask this question: we currently work in an environment where the BB medical director is readily available for consultation, unless he is in the gross room or reading a frozen section. All of our pathologists rotate between clinical, gross room, cytopath & frozen sections, in addition to taking call. Only the BB medical director has the BB expertise, so I go to him as long as he is available. Just recently, our lab coordinator (aka secretary) announced that she will be posting a schedule identifying specific times when we can approach each pathologist for consult. I have a problem with this. We are a regional trauma center and NICU with an active CT Surgery program. I don't think limiting access to the BB medical director is in the best interest of our patients.

I couldn't agree more with you.

You, as an expert scientist will, on occasion, require advice from an expert clinician (and vice versa). Stopping you from getting to the expert, but allowing you to get to "second best" is not, as you say, in the best interest of the patient.

I presume that the BB Medical Director studied long and hard to get to that position. Other Pathology Medical Directors will have studied long and hard to become the Medical Director in whatever part of Pathology they are Medical Director, but that does not make them an expert in Blood Bank.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[L106]

Just recently, our lab coordinator (aka secretary) announced that she will be posting a schedule identifying specific times when we can approach each pathologist for consult. I have a problem with this. We are a regional trauma center and NICU with an active CT Surgery program. I don't think limiting access to the BB medical director is in the best interest of our patients.

Oh, give me a break!!! As if your trauma, hemorrhaging surgery cases, and technical problems can be scheduled!

If it is a matter of specific lab personnel are interrupting the pathologists inappropriately and too frequently, then they should deal with those individuals.

[Marilyn Plett]

Have you asked your Blood Bank Director what he/she wants you to do? The secretary may be over-zealous.

[adiescast]

Our blood bank medical director is pretty much always available to us by phone unless she is out of town, and even then she has been very responsive. I called her one time when she was on a field trip with her son standing in the mud on a coastal island (about a 4 hour drive from here) looking at crabs. When she knows she will not be available, we discuss strategy before she goes.

[clmergen]

My Medical Director is always available via pager unless he is out of country. Luckily we have 4 more Clinical Pathologists that share call with him. They cover multiple hospitals 24/7. But in cases that we know may be beyond the covering Clin Path, we call our TS Medical Director even if he isn't on call. I think that schedule should go missing pretty fast.