ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content Guidelines Per ASCP BOC
Are you in the medical area of blood banking and looking to get the ASCP certificates to empower your experience?
The ASCP BOC conducts two exams for blood banking and determines ASCP blood banking exam content guidelines and preparation resources for both.
ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content Guidelines comprise:
- 6 content areas, including blood products, blood group systems, transfusion practice, serological and molecular testing, immunology and physiology, and laboratory operation.
- Exam content area description (main topic that you have to cover)
- It shows the percentage for both exam BB and SBB ASCP.
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) presents two certificates for the blood banking area, including the Blood Banking Technologist (BB ASCP) and the Blood Banking Specialist (SBB ASCP).
The ASCP certified BB and SBB perform all the work related to blood banking.
They perform multiple experiments (simple to complex) to determine the blood categories, choose blood components, and identify antibodies.
Here are complete details about the ASCP blood banking exam content guidelines that you need to cover for BB and SBB ASCP exams.
Blood Product ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content
The main areas of blood products are donors, storage, blood components, processing, and blood components quality control.
The Board of Certification chooses 15-20% of questions for BB ASCP and 10-15% for SBB ASCP.
Detail description for blood products content area:
Donors
It covers the following parts:
- Qualification
- Adverse reactions
- Collection methods
- Special donations
Storage
The storage introduces the following content
- Anticoagulants/additives
- Expiration
- Temperature requirements
- Properties of stored products
- Transportation
Processing
- AABB, FDA requirements
- Labeling
- Testing
Blood Components
Topics that are covered in blood components:
- Hematopoietic progenitors
- Irradiated components
- Rejuvenated red blood cells
- Washed red blood cells
- Whole blood
- Fractionation products
- Apheresis products
- Leukocyte-reduced components
- Plasma
- Platelets
- Cryoprecipitate AHF
- Red blood cells
- Granulocytes
- Deglycerolized/Frozen red blood cells
Blood Component Quality Control
Blood Group System ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content
It has three main categories genetics, the role of blood groups in transfusion, and antigens/biochemistry.
It presents 15-20% of the questions for both exams, BB ASCP and SBB ASCP.
Genetics
It overcomes the following parts:
- Molecular
- Basic
- Blood groups inheritance
Role of Blood Groups in Transfusion
It is specific to navigation:
- Antigen prevalence
- Immunogenicity
Antigens/Biochemistry
- High prevalence of antigens
- Low prevalence of antigens
- Granulocyte-specific
- P1PK/Globoside(P)
- Other blood group systems
- MNS
- Lewis
- Kidd
- Rh
- ABO
- Kell
- Duffy
- HLA
- Platelet-specific
- Lutheran
- Ii
Immunology and Physiology ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content
It is specific to cover immunology and physiology & pathophysiology.
It offers 10-20% questions for the BB ASCP exam and 15-25% for the SBB ASCP exam.
Immunology
Its covering content is:
- Immune response: Genetics, macrophages, T and B cells, and primary and secondary responses.
- Immunoglobulins: Structure, principles, physical and biologic properties, and classes & subclasses.
- Antigen-antibody interactions: testing (principles and testing) and principles.
- Complement: biologic properties and classical pathways and alternatives.
Physiology and Pathophysiology
- Blood Physiology: Blood volume and circulation, normal function, cell metabolism, cell survival, function & composition of blood (normal and abnormal function).
- Coagulation and Hemostasis: Coagulation factors and illness (Coagulation element assay result and Interpretation) and Platelet functions and diseases.
- Hemolytic Disorder of the Newborn and Fetus: Prevention, Detection, Pathophysiology, and Treatment.
- Cytopenias: Thrombocytopenia (nonimmune and immune): Pathophysiology, detection, and treatment, Neutropenia: Pathophysiology, detection, and treatment, and Anemia (nonimmune & immune): detection, treatment, and pathophysiology.
- Transplantation: Solid organ and HPC (Hematopoietic progenitor cell)
Serologic and Molecular Testing ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content
Serologic and molecular testing classifications are routine tests, reagents, quality assurance, and special tests & reagents.
The Board of Certification (BOC) picks 20-25% of questions from serologic and molecular testing for both exams.
Routine Tests
- Blood grouping tests
- Antibody detection and their clinical significance
- Direct antiglobulin testing
- Compatibility tests (Crossmatch and antibody detection)
Reagents
- Antiglobulin sera
- Reagent red blood cells
- Blood grouping sera
Special Tests and Reagents
- Titrations
- Use of thiol reagents
- Solid phase
- Column agglutination test
- ELISA
- Adsorptions
- Enhancement media
- Enzymes
- Elutions
- Lectins
- Immunofluorescence
- Chloroquine diphosphate
- EDTA-glycine acid
- Column agglutination test
- Molecular techniques
- Cell separations
- Neutralization/inhibition
Quality Assurance
- Reagents
- Blood samples
- Test procedures
Transfusion Practice ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content
This content area provides 15-20% of total exam questions for technologists and specialists in blood banking exams.
It navigates the following areas:
- Patient blood management and blood administration
- Extracorporeal and apheresis circulation
- Transfusion adverse effects (Transfusion-transmitted diseases, Nonimmunologic reactions, and Immunologic reactions)
- Component Therapy
- Transfusion indications
Lab Operation ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content
Laboratory operation gives 5-10% of questions for BB ASCP and 10-15% for SBB ASCP exams.
It is divided into four categories for the blood banking technologist exam and five for blood banking specialists exams.
These categories are quality assessment/troubleshooting, safety, laboratory mathematics, instrumentation, and lab administration (SBB ONLY).
Quality Assessment/Troubleshooting
- Postanalytical, analytical, and preanalytical
- Regulation (accreditation standards, competency assessment, proficiency testing, etc.,)
- Quality control
Safety
- Safety programs & practices: Usage of PPE ( personal protective equipment), practices of safe works, chemicals and reagents safety data sheet, prevention of infection with bloodborne
- pathogens.
- Emergency practices (needlesticks, fire, splashes to mucous membranes, etc.,)
Laboratory Mathematics
Instrumentation
- Centrifuge
- Automated analyzer
- Cell washer
- Microscope
- Irradiator
Lab Administration (only for SBB)
- Financial: Inventory and purchasing, reimbursement and cost analysis, capital equipment acquisition, and budgets.
- Operations: validation/test verification, information technology, customer service, Data management (research, outcomes, etc.,), facility management (lab design, utilities, etc.,)
- Personnel: Tissue management, distribution and storage, medical-legal issues/risk management, IQCP (Individualized Quality Control Plan), continuous quality improvement, training and education, quality management, conflict resolution, disciplinary action, and counseling, performance standards, and productivity and staffing.
Check ASCP Molecular Biology Exam Content Here?
FAQs for ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content Guidelines
How many exams does ASCP conduct for blood banking experts?
The ASCP BOC conducts two exams for blood banking: BB ASCP and SBB ASCP.
What is the difference between the BB ASCP and the SBB ASCP certificate?
The BB ASCP certificate goes to blood bank technologists and SBB ASCP goes to blood bank specialists.
Does the ASCP BOC determine the exam syllabus for BB/SBB ASCP?
The BOC determines the same ASCP Blood Banking Exam Content Guidelines for both exams (BB ASCP and SBB ASCP)
Abdelhalim Elshawadfy is an ASCP certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS ASCP), Specialist in Microbiology (SM ASCP), and Molecular Biology Technologist (MB ASCP) with a distinguished career marked by expertise, continuous learning, and a commitment to elevating the standards of clinical laboratory science. As an ASCP Certification Expert and American Board Certification Expert, Abdelhalim Elshawadfy continues to make invaluable contributions to the field, leaving a lasting impact on the medical community.
Resources” ASCP BOC.