Continuing Education for Healthcare Professionals

Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) helps meet the educational needs of professionals at the hospitals we serve by offering a variety of programs on transfusion-related topics.  The courses are specially tailored to meet the needs of various healthcare disciplines such as physicians, nurses, EMS and laboratory professionals.  All programs are provided free of charge.  Courses are available at MVRBC or can be presented at your facility.  Narrated DVD/online versions of some programs are also available to compliment on-site programs for staff who cannot easily attend.

Online Nursing Education - please contact us for availability
Online Laboratory Education - Click on the links below to view the presentations. Upon completion, contact your Client Service Coordinator

Reacting to Reactions
Anemia 101
Therapeutic Apheresis
Transfusion What, Why and How

Through a partnership with Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, we are able to offer Iowa Board of Nursing approved continuing education credits for nurses and EMS providers for most programs.  Continuing education credit for laboratory professionals may also be available.

Currently available programs are described below and can be customized to fit your organization’s particular interest if necessary.

Available Programs:
Programs for Lab professionals (L)
Programs for Nurses (N) Click here to download pdf

Anemia 101 (L, N): Review of the pathophysiology, causes and treatment associated with the patient with symptoms of anemia. (Approx. 60 minutes)

Blood Products & Beyond (L, N):  Physiology of blood, review of available blood products, indications & recommended usage, review of transfusion reactions, blood use in trauma. (Approx 60 minutes)

Blood Product Lifecycle - from donor to patient (L, N):  Follow a unit of blood from the donor through manufacture to the hospital. (Approx. 60 minutes total - 30 minutes lecture/30 minutes tour)

Blood Utilization Management (L, N):  Best practices and changes in the recommended use of blood products to enhance patient safety manage risk and control cost. (Approximately 30 minutes)

Reacting To Reactions (L, N): This program will review types of transfusion reactions, symptoms and their recommended management.  The program will also review appropriate laboratory procedures for a complete transfusion reaction evaluation. (Approximately 60 minutes)

Transfusion Safety (L, N): Indications for transfusion, administration safety and in-depth review of transfusion reactions. (Approx. 60 minutes)

Back to Basics (L):  This workshop will use dry cases to demonstrate and discuss the selection and use of serologic techniques for problem resolution focusing on techniques for ABO discrepancy, single antibody identification, positive DAT, and OB workups.  (Approximately 2 hours)

Blood Bank Case Studies (L):  Program describes serologic techniques that are helpful to blood bank workups and to be able to correlate serologic results with specific disease states.
For more information, please click here to contact us. (Approximately 2 hours)

Blood Basics (L):  This program will review the physiology of blood, and provide an in-depth review of the available blood products, indications & recommended usage as well as associated laboratory testing. (Approximately 60 minutes)

Platelet Workshop (L):  This program will review the physiology of platelets, discuss transfusion indications and dosing as well as platelet refractoriness—its causes, laboratory findings and treatment.  The workshop will be an interactive mix of theory and practice utilizing dry case examples. (Approximately 60 minutes)

Understanding Blood Components (L):  Program will review the FDA required testing of blood donors, discuss the various components and recommended uses for patient therapy. (Approximately 60 minutes)

Plasma & Platelets (N):  This program will review the physiology, discuss clinical rationale/indications for transfusion, and describe best practices specific to the care of patients receiving plasma or platelets. (Approximately 60 minutes)

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (N):  This program will review the clinical rationale/indications, provide an overview of the technical process, & discuss possible complications.  (Approximately 60 minutes)

Transfusion: What, Why & How (N):  Discuss the various, available blood products, indications/ recommended usage for each, and the nurse’s role in administration safety. (Approximately 60 minutes)

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like additional information.