No, I haven't gone completely nuts, and yes, I am aware of the 800 gazillion regulations involved in running a Blood Bank, but all in all, it's STILL fun!
I think it's hard to find an area in the laboratory where you get to interact more with people on a daily basis and really make a difference in patient's lives. As you may have guessed, I also believe that LEARNING about Transfusion Medicine should be fun. That is why I made this site. My goal is to give you good solid information without being so doggone SERIOUS!
Who is this site for?
I have designed this site for anyone with an interest in Transfusion Medicine. In particular, though, I am most interested in improving Blood Bank knowledge for Pathology residents. I fear that education in Transfusion Medicine has become somewhat less of a priority to many residency programs in recent years, and that path residents in general are suffering because of it. Far too many times I've had the experience of having someone just getting ready to take their boards come up to me and say in a plaintive voice: "If only I'd heard this stuff three or four years ago!" (This is obviously not true everywhere, so if you are in a program with a great blood bank rotation, be very happy. Hopefully, there still might be something useful here for you.) I wanted to create a site which discusses the basics of Blood Banking in a relaxed, easy way, at a level designed to be understandable and usable for the pathology resident. Please understand that if you are looking for the highest-powered, most indepth look at every topic in blood banking, you are probably not going to find that here, because that is not what I am trying to do!
Can I look if I'm not a Pathology resident?
No! You must leave immediately! I'm joking, OK? I hope that anyone with an interest in Transfusion Medicine will find something they can use here, whether they are medical students (another ignored group when it comes to Transfusion Medicine), interns, housestaff, attendings, nurses, or even other pathologists! Just pick and choose what interests you, and maybe you'll even learn a thing or two.
The Boards Question
Many residents visit this site and send me e-mail asking if I can fill them in on what might be covered on the Pathology Board exam. Let me save you some time now and just tell you that I can't do that, primarily because I don't know! If you want, though, you might find some useful information in the FAQ I've written on preparing for the boards.