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AACC’s New Online Tool Could Revolutionize How Students Prepare for Clinical Board Examinations

AACC
29 Jul 2013
Sonia Nicholas
Managing Editor and Clinical Lead

Industry news

AACC has given delegates an exclusive sneak preview of its new Question Bank at the 2013 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Houston. Created to help laboratory medicine trainees prepare for board examinations in the U.S. and U.K., the Question Bank is the most extensive compilation of board study questions ever collected.

Until now, no program has provided board examination study materials for all laboratory medicine disciplines in one place. According to Nader Rifai, PhD, editor-in-chief of AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal and director of clinical chemistry at Boston Children’s Hospital, the review materials available to trainees are also often incorrectly formatted and contain outdated information.

The new Question Bank is peer reviewed and current. When it launches in September, it will contain more than 1,000 questions pooled from experts in the field, numerous scientific associations, and private databases that thoroughly cover all categories of laboratory medicine. These include transfusion medicine, chemistry, coagulation, toxicology, hematology, immunology, hematopathology, microbiology, blood bank, bacteriology, mycology, and parasitology. As the program continues to develop, hundreds of new questions will be added every quarter. Contributing organizations include AACC, the College of American Pathologists, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, and the Association for Clinical Biochemistry, among others.

Available online for use with a computer or mobile device, the Question Bank is divided into 10-question courses on multiple topics, each with three stages of difficulty. This makes it useful for trainees of all levels. A score is calculated at the end of each course, and if a trainee receives an 80% or better, the participant gets a certificate that can also be sent to their mentor. This gives participants and their mentors a much-needed quantitative way to track and evaluate their progress.

“I’m very excited about the Question Bank’s ability to address the unmet needs of trainees,” said Dr. Rifai. “It is the only program that allows trainees to tailor their study program to meet their own personal needs. It will have a significant positive impact on trainees getting ready for the
boards, and for anyone else in the field of laboratory medicine wishing to assess or increase their knowledge.”

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Blood TransfusionBlood Transfusion involves giving donor blood to a recipient patient. Screening is essential to avoid transfusion reactions. Blood banks use immunohematological techniques to determine rh and ABO blood group, and screen for antibodies using specific antisera. Blood Banks use Direct Coombs Tests (DCT) and Indirect Coombs Tests (IAT) to detect hemolysis and Haemolytic Disease of the Newborn (HDN).HematologyIn Haematology / Hematology, complete blood cell counts (or full blood counts) are obtained using automated blood count analyzers to enumerate blood cell types.  Hematology also encompasses haemostasis and coagulation, thrombophilia and hemophilia, plasma viscosity and ESR analysis, hemoglobinopathies, cell morphology and haematinic measurement.ImmunologyImmunological techniques measure and characterize immune responses. Immunology kits and analysis systems often use techniques such as ELISA, radioimmunoassay (RIA) and immunodiffusion assays, Immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry. Immunologists use equipment such as flow Cytometers, plate readers, plate washers and fluorescent microscopes.Cellular PathologyCellular Pathology deals with the microscopic analysis of tissue samples and cells. Sample preparation and processing includes fixation, staining, sectioning and slide mounting, using equipment such microtomes and cryostats. In choosing immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry kits, consider chromogens, staining method, antibodies, microscopes and imaging.Point-of-CarePoint-of-Care Testing (POCT) or Near Patient Testing (NPT) products are available for urine, blood and other clinical chemistry analyses. POCT includes: blood glucose testing, blood gas and electrolytes analysis, rapid coagulation testing (PT / INR), rapid cardiac markers diagnostics, drugs of abuse screening, urine strips testing, pregnancy testing, fecal occult blood analysis, food pathogens screening, hemoglobin diagnostics, infectious disease testing and cholesterol screening.Clinical ChemistryBiochemistry (or clinical chemistry) involves the analysis of bodily fluids using chemical tests. Techniques used include HPLC, chromatography, spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, immunochemical, electrophoresis, turbidometric / spectrophotometric assay, MRI and ISE analysis. Tests are often carried out on plasma or serum but urine (urinalysis) and fecal specimens are also processed.Clinical GeneticsMolecular Genetics covers the analysis of hereditary genetic disease and chromosomal abnormalities. Genetics can be analysed using DNA, RNA, and protein microarrays, PCR, RT PCR and DNA sequencing. Genetic equipment includes genetic workstations, thermal cyclers, cooling blocks and electrophoresis products. Diagnostic kits are used for DNA / RNA extraction and purification.Clinical MicrobiologyMicrobiology is the study of microorganisms including protists, prokaryotes, fungi, and, often, viruses. Microorganisms are a useful research tool as genetic vectors and, in immunology, for antibiotic susceptibility testing, cellular biology and genetics. Microorganisms commonly grow readily in incubators with microbial culture media; this can contain chromogenic supplements to differentiate between cell lines. Estimate your culture’s density of microorganisms with colony counters, or screen and select colonies for desirable clones with automated colony pickers. Additionally, equipment is available to monitor environments for the presence of microbes and identify with microbial identification instruments. Find the best microbiology products in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.AACCThe American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo is the largest meeting for clinical laboratory professionals in the world. This year's meeting is being held in Atlanta, USA, July 26th-30th, 2015.

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