I am happy to report that our AABB and Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) Program had another successful year.
Our SBB student, Ji Hye (“Jay”) Sexton, graduated on March 24, 2017, and staff, faculty, and her family celebrated her graduation ceremony in the Wilmer Portrait Room.
Ji Hye (“Jay”) Sexton
Jay studied genetic engineering at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea and clinical laboratory science at the University of Minnesota. After graduation she was fortunate to receive employment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and has been with the Transfusion Medicine Laboratory since 2014. Jay’s future plans are to become more involved in the reference lab and molecular testing.
Our new SBB students — Zohaib (“Zee”) Ishaq, Sean Erony, and Adrian O’Neal — began on September 1, 2016.
Zohaib (“Zee”) Ishaq, Sean Erony, and Adrian O’Neal
Zee began his employment in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Transfusion Medicine Division in June 2014 upon graduation from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in medical technology and research. Zee has enjoyed working in blood bank and is motivated to learn more about blood banking through the Specialist in Blood Banking Program. He plans to use the skills and knowledge gained through this program to advance his career as a technical specialist.
Sean came to the Johns Hopkins Hospital Transfusion Medicine Division in June 2014 upon graduation from the University of Delaware where he earned a B.S. in medical laboratory sciences. Sean hopes to develop the skills and knowledge to become a technical specialist or a supervisor/manager of a transfusion service.
Adrian began working in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Transfusion Medicine Division in April 2016. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 2009 with a B.S. in medical laboratory sciences. Adrian has worked at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, Maryland, as a generalist, and at the Johns Hopkins Medical System and the University of Maryland Medical System. She eventually ended up in blood banking where she found her passion, which allowed her to pursue a Specialist in Blood Banking certification. She’s not quite sure what she will do after she obtains her SBB certification since there are so many enticing options, but hopes to be involved in education and training in some capacity to share her newfound knowledge with others. Adrian would also like to pursue a master’s degree in order to move into a managerial position within Transfusion Medicine.
We look forward to another successful SBB year with our new students!
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The Johns Hopkins SBB Program is a 52-week work study program where the employed MT or BB-certified technologist works in the Transfusion Medicine Laboratory gaining experience. The Program consists of immunohematology reference lab training, didactic lectures, student presentations, a research project, and student rotations.
The requirements for acceptance into the Johns Hopkins SBB Program are ASCP certification as a Medical Technologist or Technologist in Blood Banking and a minimum of two years of fulltime Blood Bank experience. The application deadline is November 30 for consideration in the class beginning in September of the next year. There is no tuition for the program; our students are fulltime employees (with benefits) of the Johns Hopkins Hospital who work 40 hours per week in the Transfusion Medicine Laboratory.
More information can be found on our website: http://pathology.jhu.edu/department/divisions/transfusion/sbb.cfm, or feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].
Lorraine N. Blagg, MA, MLS(ASCP)CM, SBB
Education & Development Coordinator
Transfusion Medicine Division
Department of Pathology
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland