Career activities of physicians taking the subspecialty board examination in blood banking/transfusion medicine.
BACKGROUND
Changes in blood banking and transfusion medicine (BB/TM) in the past 15 years may have made BB/TM a less attractive career choice than previously for physicians.


METHODS
To evaluate this, we developed a survey of professional activities and sent it to all physicians who took the BB/TM specialty examination offered by the American Board of Pathology (ABP) between 1995 and 2004.


RESULTS
The examination was taken by 390 physicians (range, 25-68/year). Responses to the survey were received by 151 (39%). The number of candidates did not appear to be declining during the 10 years. All physicians who responded had practiced BB/TM and 94 percent were still doing so. Forty-three percent were engaged in BB/TM full-time and another 10 percent for at least 75 percent of the time. Most of the remaining time was devoted to pathology. Forty-three percent practiced in a university hospital, 22 percent in a community hospital, and 21 percent in a blood center. Examples of practice activities included transfusion service (85%), therapeutic apheresis (63%), stem cell collection (46%), stem cell laboratory (32%), and coagulation laboratory (29%). Sixty-six percent are involved in research.


CONCLUSIONS
Interest in BB/TM careers is not decreasing as evidenced by the number of physicians taking the ABP specialty examination. Most currently practice BB/TM, many in an academic environment. Their activities are diverse. Many are involved in research and have presented abstracts at professional meetings. Approximately 60 percent combine the practice of BB/TM with pathology, but only a few (6%) practice hematology.
McCullough
Jeffrey
J
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. mccul001@umn.edu
Benson
Kaaron
K
Roseff
Susan
S
Simon
Toby
T
Strauss
Ronald
R
Stubbs
James
J
Triulzi
Darrell
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002321:Career Choice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000639:trends; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000078329:Workforce