Education and Training Materials

AABB offers a wide variety of education and training materials available to individual and institutional members. The materials on this section are organized into four categories: Web-based courses, training manuals slide presentations and general resources.

Web-based Courses 

Training Manuals 

Slide Presentations 

General Resources

Web-based Courses

Basic Cell Therapy
This Web-based course was developed by AABB Staff members and designed by COLA.  It will focus on the process of stem cell collection, processing, storage, and transplantation. Critical aspects of cell therapy and the different types of stem cell transplant will be reviewed.  A very interactive program, the course features graphs, pictures, slides, and diagrams.  There are review questions at the end of each module with feedback mechanisms and direction on where to go in the course to gain more information on a particular topic.  A certificate of completion is generated upon successful completion of the comprehensive quiz at the end of the course.

AABB designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award, a maximum of 1.5 contact hours for California nurses, a maximum of 1.5 contact hours for California Clinical Laboratory Personnel, and a maximum of 1.8 credits for Florida Laboratory Personnel.  All other health care professionals are eligible to receive a certificate of completion.

Please click here for more information regarding this course.

TRALI Online Course
An AABB Distance Learning Program Unit task force and Patricia Kopko, MD wrote this Web-based course.  This course is designed for three separate, but related audiences with a common goal of successful patient outcomes:

• The Clinical track is intended for physicians and other clinicians directly involved in patient care.
• The Transfusion Center track is intended for Blood Bank personnel in healthcare facilities.
• The Blood Center track is intended for personnel in centers that manage donors to collect and provide blood components to healthcare facilities.

Each track offers a different perspective on the same three case studies.

Students may take the track that most closely applies to them, or they may take more than one track.

Each track offers 1 hours of credit for successful completion.

Please click here for more information regarding this course.

AABB designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2.0 category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award, a maximum of 2.0 contact hours for California nurses, and a maximum of 2.0 contact hours for California Clinical Laboratory Personnel. All other health care professionals are eligible to receive a certificate of completion.

Click here to see a brief demo of this course.

If you are an AABB individual member or institutional member, click here to login and obtain the AABB member discount coupon code and to order the cGMP in the Transfusion Service course through the Knowledge-Forge Web store.

If you are not an AABB member, click here to order the cGMP in the Transfusion Service course through the Knowledge-Forge Web store.

Training Manuals

These manuals are available, free of charge, to individual and institutional members and are intended for use as training tools for professional development. As new developments and changes occur in blood banking and transfusion medicine, new manuals will be added to this section. In addition, the existing manuals are updated with each new edition of the Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services. The manuals are published as PDF files and may be viewed online or downloaded to your computer.

To view the manuals you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 5 or later, installed on your computer. To obtain and install the latest version of this software, go to the Adobe Systems, Inc. Web site. Listed below are the current manuals offered.

Donor Services Training (Revised August 2008)
This manual is an ideal resource for developing local training programs for donor room and Apheresis personnel to teach the basic principles and skills for performing blood donor phlebotomy.

The manual was originally developed in 1995 by members of AABB's Nursing and Donor Room Personnel Committee and was part of AABB Blood Donor Phlebotomy Certificate training program. The certificate-training program was discontinued in 1999 and the program materials were revised, updated and reformatted into a training manual by members of AABB's Continuing Education Committee. Members of AABB's Distance Learning Program Unit routinely update the training manual to ensure that it is consistent with the current edition of the Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services.

Primer of Blood Administration (Revised August 2008)
This manual is an excellent resource for developing training programs for nurses, physicians, fellows, and residents to teach the basics of blood administration. Topics include an introduction to transfusion medicine, pre- and post-transfusion activities, patient identification and safety issues, role of the blood bank, and management of adverse reactions to transfusion.

This manual was originally developed in 1995 by members of AABB's Nursing and Donor Room Personnel Committee and was part of the Nurse Transfusionist Education Program. The materials were revised, updated and reformatted into a training manual by members of AABB's Continuing Education Committee. Members of AABB's Distance Learning Program Unit routinely update the Primer to ensure that it is consistent with the current edition of the Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services.

Slide Presentations

These presentations are available, free of charge, to individual and institutional members and are intended for use as training tools for professional development. As membership needs evolve and change, new slide presentations will be added to this section.

AABB has not reviewed these presentations and makes no guarantee or promise that the material is current, complete, accurate, or contains information that is consistent with acceptable professional practice or consistent with AABB standards. The views expressed in this material represent the opinions of the author(s), not AABB. Publication of this material on AABB’s Web site does not constitute an endorsement by AABB of any view expressed herein. AABB expressly disclaims any liability for any damage or loss that may arise from relying upon or using information contained in this slide material.

The information contained in the slide materials is intended for review by medical and healthcare professionals in transfusion and transplantation medicine. Use of this material is voluntary and its use does not confer any professional credentials or qualification to take any registration, certification, board or licensure examination, and neither confers nor implies competency to perform any related professional functions.

Indications for Platelet Transfusion (updated)
This presentation is intended to provide medical directors of transfusion services with information regarding the use of platelet transfusions. The content may also be useful to those who care for thrombocytopenic patients. This presentation is based on a slide set developed by Dr. Mike Murphy of the National Blood Service and the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England. 

Serologic Evaluation of Patients with Warm-Reactive Autoantibodies (updated)
This presentation provides an in-depth review of the three goals of testing used to evaluate patients with warm-reactive autoantibodies. It is a valuable tool for teaching physicians, fellows, residents, transfusion service personnel, Immunohematology reference laboratory staff and SBB students how to evaluate serologic results and how to manage the transfusion needs of these patients.

Transfusion Reactions I - Evaluation and Management of Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions (new)
This presentation provides a three-tiered method for evaluating and managing hemolytic transfusion reactions. It takes clinicians step-by-step from bedside examinations through a series of laboratory tests to distinguish the reactions from other conditions.

Transfusion Reactions II - Treatment of Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions (new)
This presentation offers several methods of treating hemolytic transfusion reactions. Measures include hydration and the administration of diuretics and dopamine as well as supportive care. The presentation also describes the biochemical mechanisms behind several treatments.

Transfusion Reactions III - Laboratory Investigation of Transfusion Reactions (new)
Provided in this presentation is a review of the laboratory investigation of transfusion reactions from the blood bank technologist’s perspective. The topics covered include the importance of prompt recognition and reporting of suspected transfusion reactions, the need for reactions to be assessed quickly and efficiently to rule out the most serious causes first, and the importance of communicating results with physicians so appropriate actions can be taken without delay.

General Resources

Intended to supplement existing AABB publications, including the Technical Manual, these documents provide AABB members with focused technical, medical or administrative guidance on specific topics of interest to the community. The documents are developed by AABB volunteer committees and are available as a member benefit.

Resource Guide on Labeling, Storage and Comparability of Plasma Components

Disclaimer

These materials are intended for education and training to help promote a high standard of care by professionals in transfusion and transplantation medicine. Use of these materials is voluntary and their use does not confer any professional credentials or qualification to take any registration, certification, board or licensure examination, and neither confers nor infers competency to perform any related professional functions.

Despite efforts to ensure that these materials are consistent with acceptable practices, for several reasons this may not always be possible. First, new developments in the practice of transfusion and transplantation medicine may occur and it may not be possible to revise these materials each time such changes are adopted. Second, the views expressed in these materials represent the opinions of the respective authors. Publication of these materials does not constitute an endorsement by the AABB of any view expressed herein, and the AABB expressly disclaims any liability arising from any inaccuracy or misstatement. Further, the information presented is not intended as a substitute for legal advice and the content should not be relied upon for legal purposes.

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