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online group study for SBB exam


samah

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Many have mentioned what they did to study (Transfusion, Technical Manual, Issitt, Daniels, Last Chance Review, etc.) and I want to add some additional items about what I did to study.

1)  I found Malcolm's educational powerpoints on blood group systems on this web page to be very helpful. (Thank you so much for sharing.)

2)  I read lots of abstracts and some articles in the journal "Blood" (many of them are open content, all are after one year).  Particularly about coagulation disorders and treatments and hemolytic anemias.

3)  The web page "Blood Bank Guy" has lectures and quizzes and this helped me.

4)  I am a visual learner.  I would do searches and look for Google Images (it is amazing what is out there, like pretty cartoons of Platelet glycoproteins, Complement cascade, red cell antigen structures) and then print them out and (literally!) cut and paste them into a study notebook.  Then I'd add my notes.

5) practice the "Blood Bank Math" problems <repeat>

 

Linda Frederick

Congratulations... Join the group...

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Hello Emwilson7, I have a question about the material in these notes.  (Thank you for sending me a copy!)  On page 101 there is this remark which confuses me: 

 

"To provide a safety margin in calculating RhIG dosage, the following approach may be used:  When the number to the right of the decimal is less than five, round down and add one dose of RhIG.  When the number to the right of the decimal point is 5 or greater, round up to the next number and add one dose of RhIG, i.e. 2.5 doses (calculated) requires 4 doses.  DO NOT ADD A DOSE ON THE EXAM."
 
I participated in The Last Chance Review last February, and there it was stressed that the dose should be added when making calculations for the exam.
 
What is your opinion?  When calculating the RhIG dose for problems on the exam, should we add or not add a vial? 
 
Thank you!
 
Catherine Baldwin

 

 

I attended this year's SBB review at AABB to revive my brain cells. Coincidentally, the presenters specifically addressed this question - they said don't add a dose. In fact they stressed it multiple times over the course of 3 hours.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If anyone else would like a copy of the SBB review guide, just send me your email address.

 

Thank you for your generous offer Emwilson, if you still have an electronic version of the review guide I would very much appreciate a copy; my email address is cgriffin51@gmail.com.

 

Thanks again,

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Hi Nick,

 

If you can attend the Last Chance Review Webinar February 8th and 9th, do it!  It is a great review.  If you cannot attend, purchase the notes and use them as an outline for your studies. 

 

Here is the link to the Last Chance Review:  http://www.giveblood.org/services/education/sbb-last-chance-review

 

When you are going over the Last Chance Review notes, if you have questions, post them here.  I studied those notes in detail before I took and passed the SBB exam in November 2013 and so I understand them pretty well.

 

I took the 2 year SBB course that is sponsored by Blood Systems Laboratories.  I thought it was excellent.

 

These are the books I used when I studied for the SBB exam:  AABB TM (of course), Harmening's Modern Blood Banking, Harmening's Laboratory Management, Harmening's Clinical Hematology (especially the coagulation part), Hilyer et al Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine, Daniels' Human Blood Groups, The Blood Group Antigen Facts Book, and Stevens' Clinical Immunology and Serology. 

 

Catherine

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Hello All ! I have been working as a CLS in BB for the past four years and very interested to take SBB exam next year. Is it

 

necessary to go through a training program in order to pass the SBB exam? For anyone who took the test recently, how hard was

 

the test ? What was the toughest question you encountered on the test? I would appreciate if anyone can provide me with some

 

insight .

 

Thanks for your time and attention.

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Hello All ! I have been working as a CLS in BB for the past four years and very interested to take SBB exam next year. Is it

 

necessary to go through a training program in order to pass the SBB exam? For anyone who took the test recently, how hard was

 

the test ? What was the toughest question you encountered on the test? I would appreciate if anyone can provide me with some

 

insight .

 

Thanks for your time and attention.

There are people who pass it without taking a class, but I believe the pass rate is 20%.  It's much higher for people in a class/program.  However, you need to know yourself and your level of committment, your ability to study relentlessly at home (with all of the distractions), etc.  Peer pressure and schedules help me tremendously, so I'm getting ready to start an SBB/Master's degree program.

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Long, long ago, in an exam room far, far away, I took the exam on my own and managed to pass. I don't know what your particular circumstances are, but what was invaluable to me was a Red Cross center an hour away that had a SBB program. They let me attend all the weekly review sessions prior to the exam (I seem to remember a dozen or so) and it was a huge help. I sent the head of the program a pile of roses after I passed! Good luck Jane12 and Terri.

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Like Phil my exam was in an exam room far far away - in fact I was in the last group that had a practical portion of the exam. You had to pass the written and then they sent you specimens. I studied using Mollison, Issit, Pittiglia and Garratty & Petz. Flash card of the blood groups. The NY Blood Center on Long Island offered a few weeks of courses that also helped. Plus I took a graduate course in Immunohematology at the University Hosp I worked at (and got to instruct a few lessons myself).

My test was BB trivial pursuits but the serology was pretty easy (I thought). Good luck to all takers. Someone once asked me if it was worth it to challenge the exam considering the low pass rate of self-studiers. My comment was (and still is): Look at all the knowledge you will gain whether you pass or not. If you can afford to lose the money it is definitely worth it.

ROCK ON!

Edited by David Saikin
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I am planning to take it this January. Would like to join if there is any study group going on. I just came back from 2014 AABB meeting with their review notes and they are very helpful! 


I am planning to take it this January. Would like to join if there is any study group going on. I just came back from 2014 AABB meeting with their review notes. 

 

 

Watched some Youtube Videos on Immunology, Coag etc and reading AABB manual, Blood Group Antigen Facts Book, Blood Transfustion Therapy-A physician's handbook. Browse through Harmenings Clinical Hematology Book and Daniel's Blood group book (for locations and interactions).

 

I heard that review from Gulf Coast Reginal MC is very helpful but I dont think I will be able to make it since I am taking the test in January. Anybody taking it around the same time as I am? 

Edited by dothandar
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On 4/18/2013 at 10:12 PM, Emwilson7 said:

Do you want me to scan it and email it? Or would you rather I print it out and mail it to you?

Can i also get a copy please? I'm planning to take my exam in few months. My email is avdelapena@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance. 

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