Development of a Training Program for Quality Assurance/Trainers in the Crossmatch Laboratory

Adequate employee training in a Transfusion Medicine clinical laboratory is not only vital to quality patient care, but also required by state and federal licensing agencies. The following regulatory agencies all require a summary of training and experience and on- going competency and proficiency testing: Federal Drug Agency (FDA), American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), AABB Quality Program, College of American Pathologists (CAP), and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCF A). Over the last seven years, this position has turned over every two years. Previous training consisted of shadowing the supervisor or assistant supervisor and training on the different aspects of the position as they occurred. In contrast to the front line bench technologist position that has a detailed training program in place, there was no formal, written training program for QA/Trainers. This led to inconsistent training and a feeling of frustration on the part of the new employee. In order to meet regulatory requirements and assist in training new employees who have accepted the position of Quality Assurance/Trainer (QA/Trainer) in the Crossmatch Laboratory (a clinical laboratory within Transfusion Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN) a formal, written training program was required. This Synthesis Activity consists of a review of literature regarding adult learning, and a manual for training specific duties performed by individuals in the Crossmatch QA/Trainer position