Pathology and laboratory resident and medical student programs | veterans affairs

CONTACTS ROTATION DIRECTOR J. Carlos Manivel, M.D.  Room BB-105  Pager: 818-7176  [email protected] ROTATION COORDINATOR Janelle Sennett Room BB-119 [email protected] BLOOD BANK

ROTATION The blood bank lab provides blood products for transfusion to our Veteran patients while also offering trainees an experience similar to labs in medium-sized community hospitals. A

wide variety of patients are served, including hematology/oncology, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, general surgery and general medical patients. The transfusion process is a team effort that

extends beyond the lab. The process starts with the clinician's assessment of the patient's needs, obtaining of informed consent and writing orders. Residents and fellows can gain

perspectives on all aspects of transfusion from verified specimen collection and crossmatch in the blood bank lab to patient infusion and investigation of adverse reactions.   Fellows on

service for one month will participate in day-to-day blood bank operations and provide consultation for blood utilization, therapeutic apheresis procedures, ordering of lab testing, and

investigation of transfusion reactions. In addition, they will attend related conferences and have the option to receive laboratory bench training. Resident rotations are 1-2 weeks and focus

on basic laboratory bench training and an orientation to blood bank given in a series of basic lectures. Residents can also participate in transfusion service activities if time permits.

The transfusion service is AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) accredited, and is inspected by the FDA and JCAHO. CHEMISTRY AND TOXICOLOGY ROTATION Chemistry is part of the core

laboratory and is the largest section of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, while toxicology is part of the special diagnostics section. Chemistry tests include electrolytes,

glucose, urea, creatinine, liver function tests, cardiac profiles and lipid profiles, amongst others. Blood gases and urinalysis are also done in this section along with endocrine tests

(TSH, Vitamin B12, Folate, LH, FSH and Prolactin); therapeutic drug monitoring (Dilantin, digoxin, etc.) and tumor markers (PSA, AFP). The toxicology section includes both analytical

toxicology and forensic toxicology sections. Analytical toxicology testing deals with routine toxicology testing for drugs of abuse and therapeutic drugs to support clinical needs of the

medical center. Our forensic toxicology laboratory is a unique laboratory within the entire VA system, and is certified to perform employee drugs of abuse testing for the entire VA system.

The clinical chemistry rotation for the residency program in clinical pathology is a two-week rotation. Learning is by observation and through didactic sessions. In this rotation, the

residents will spend time in various areas of the laboratory observing how common automated analyzers used in a clinical chemistry laboratory work. Basic analytical techniques such as

spectrophotometry, nephelometry, gas and liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and immunoassays are discussed. Residents will be introduced to the basic concepts of laboratory quality

control and quality assurance. Advance rotation of one month is also available for the fellowship program in clinical chemistry.