Interested in BB/TM pathology

[dingdong28]

Hello everyone,

I'd like to start by saying thank you for taking the time in reading my post. I've been a long-term viewer of this website and only recently did I make an account. I'm a non-trad, pre-med student with a military background and have 3 years experience as a generalist med lab tech (ASCP).

As the title speaks for itself, I have a weird obsession for working in blood bank and would love to continue to work in the field, but not as a med tech (ASCP). I was wondering if anyone has any work experience as a clinical pathologist in transfusion medicine or is/was a blood bank director at one point in their lives? I infrequently check the aabb.org website for current job postings (both for my personal gain and for the heck of it) and there's mostly positions for MT/MLT since there's a shortage in the field. I'm sure one might say to just stay as a med tech and pursue a specialist in blood banking (SBB) course/certificate but I just cannot see myself being a "tech" for the rest of my life. I'd like to do something more than being a blood bank supervisor or working in a immunohematology reference lab, although the latter may be interesting but wouldn't satisfy my life goals. Would anyone be able to provide any feedback or advice? Would my med lab experience be appreciated when applying to programs for medical school and residencies? I'm planning on shadowing one of the blood bank pathologists at the I work at (very highly ranked and prestigious healthcare system in OH, can you guess who???..sarcasm) and was wondering if any one else has any insight on the field. Any/all feedback would be much appreciated. I also used the search function but couldn't find much about the field. If anyone also has any information on research in transfusion medicine, I would greatly appreciate it as well, since that would be something I would love to be involved in one day.

Again, thank you so much for taking the time in reading this post and I sincerely apologize if this is inappropriate or something that should not be posted in this thread.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Thrombus]

Quite honestly, I am not sure why we need blood banking pathologists anymore.

 

[Path or bust]

I agree with Thrombus, not as many are needed as before. This is needed skill of a lab medical director or pathologist. Of course in larger groups, blood centers or in large academic hospitals there will be spots.

 

[SoDakMLS]

Would my med lab experience be appreciated when applying to programs for medical school and residencies?

Former CLS generalist and blood banker here. The experience is a bit of a wash for medical school applications. You have healthcare experience, and have a credible story about what you're interested in, but the patient exposure is limited so you likely don't have those gushy stories that display compassion, humanism, and whatever else that medical school admins are looking for. Make sure to utilize an academic advisor experienced with pre-meds for crafting the application and personal statement. I was applying without guidance and highlighted many of the WRONG things from my experiences in my application. A medical school application is very different from a traditional job application. For medical school, you will come in literate with usage of common laboratory tests and you will be re-hashing medical microbiology.

The med tech experience really shines during interviews for pathology residency. Most people have zero idea of what lab medicine is, how clinical labs operate and are regulated, common testing methodologies, all of which are topics on the CP board exam. An AMG with decent board scores and relevant experience can essentially choose their pathology program.

 

[yaah]

Quite honestly, I am not sure why we need blood banking pathologists anymore.

Regulations.

I know of people in a few groups who have been sanctioned or otherwise punished by regulators for failing to adhere to regulations. Having a certified pathologist in charge helps obviate that.

That being said, the blood bank director does not have to be a pathologist.