Transfusion Medicine Rotation
The transfusion medicine rotation is four months long, with the first two months taking place early in the residency and the latter two months as a senior resident.
Over the course of the rotation residents are introduced to basic technical, administrative and clinical aspects of:
- Immunohematology
- Blood donor collections
- Transfusion practices
- Therapeutic apheresis
- Tissue banking
- Stem cell processing, storage and administration
The rotation takes place in the Division of Transfusion Medicine, a state-of-the-art facility that works to ensure a medically safe and adequate blood supply, as well as transfusion medicine and therapeutic apheresis consultative services for Cedars-Sinai patients. Three full-time transfusion medicine faculty members and a staff of highly skilled medical technologists, nurses and assistants provide the highest quality care for donors and patients.
At the conclusion of the rotation, the resident will be prepared for further study at the fellowship level, or to provide the basic clinical services required of a transfusion-service medical director.
Case Mix
The transfusion and therapeutic apheresis support of Cedars-Sinai patients undergoing heart, lung, liver and stem cell transplantation present unique learning opportunities. The resident is exposed to the challenges of managing patients with sickle cell anemia, as well as those with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
Rotation Structure
Following any mandatory morning conference, the resident meets with the transfusion medicine fellow to attend to urgent patient care issues and prepare the orders for scheduled therapeutic apheresis patients. This is followed by daily rounds with the fellow and transfusion medicine attending physician.
The afternoon is spent in other patient care activities that include working up new apheresis patients, following continuing apheresis patients, reviewing and interpreting reported transfusion reactions and immunohematology reports. Exposure to cellular therapies and blood component preparation also occurs during the rotation. Instruction in the laboratory methods used for blood typing and antibody identification, including red cell genotyping, takes place during scheduled bench rotations. Residents answer questions from donor facility staff regarding donor suitability, and from transfusion service staff regarding component utilization.
The first two months of the four-month rotation are spent learning the fundamentals of transfusion medicine. During the latter two months' residents function more independently with graduated responsibility.
Sample Daily Schedule
- 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. — Meet with fellow
- 9 a.m. to noon — Rounds with attending
- Noon to 1 p.m. — Resident conference
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Cover transfusion service, donor room, therapeutic apheresis. Resident must be present.
Subspecialty Conferences
- Weekly stem cell transplant patient management conference
- Monthly transfusion medicine journal club
- Monthly transfusion medicine resident presentation
- Transfusion medicine quality assurance/management meeting
- Transfusion audit meeting
Research Opportunities
- Applications of red cell genotyping in blood donors and recipients
- HLA alloimmunization following blood transfusion; implications for cardiac transplant patients
- Clinical uses of photopheresis
- Therapeutic apheresis in renal and cardiac transplantation
Have Questions or Need Help?
If you have questions or would like to learn more about the Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, please call or send a message to Program Coordinator, Chau Nguyen.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
8700 Beverly Blvd., Room 8709
Los Angeles, CA 90048-1804