Education
This site exists for one main reason: To help as many as possible learn as much as they can about blood banking and transfusion medicine. What follows is a summary some of the educational opportunities you will find here.
The Blood Bank Guy Podcast is a series of free lectures designed to outline the basics of transfusion medicine. If you are new to podcasting, the short version is that these are topical, free presentations that you can watch or listen to on your computer, download to your iPod/iPhone/iPad (or other MP3-capable device), burn onto a CD, or whatever! Most of the podcasts are available in both audio and video form, and you can subscribe in iTunes or RSS to automatically download new episodes. See the Blood Bank Guy podcast page for more details.
I've found that many, many, MANY people like to learn and review by taking quizzes. If that is your style, and even if you just want to review some things after hearing a lecture or reading material elsewhere, the Blood Bank Guy quiz area may be just the ticket for you. This was a major focus in 2011 that is continuing into 2012, so please keep checking back and you will see lots of new quizzes!
For the last fifteen years, I have been developing a set of review notes for basic blood banking/transfusion medicine. I use those notes when I lecture for the Osler Institute several times per year, and the response I have received has been extremely gratifying. I am honored that so many people find these notes useful in their study of blood banking. You can find the most current version of the notes here; as always, they are offered free of charge. Also, click the links at right under "Lecture Notes" for detailed notes from the Blood Bank Guy podcast on various topics in transfusion medicine.
In October 2011, I added several new educational modules to the site. You can check out the discussions of polyagglutination, the G antigen (and anti-G), and basic Rh genetics using the "Topic Discussions" list on the right side of this page. There is a new module there from Dr. Tuan Le on massive transfusion that I think you will like, and by the end of March 2012, you will find a completely updated module on transfusion reactions (in the meantime, check out the handy-dandy reaction chart I updated in September 2011)
The above should get you started, but keep exploring and keep coming back, as I am actively developing this site! Your feedback is always welcome, and if you like what you see, let someone know about it by clicking the "ShareThis" icon below!