Year of commencement: 2025

Duration: 3 years in the Making

• 1st year: training in Clinical Medicine
• 2nd and 3rd year: specific training in Hemotherapy, Immunohematology and Cell Therapy

The program is located accredited by the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires.

The Hemotherapy Residency at the Austral University Hospital offers comprehensive, solid and up-to-date training in a key specialty for the care of clinical-surgical, oncohematological and critical patients.

Hemotherapy is the discipline dedicated to the procurement, processing, and quality control of blood components for transfusion purposes, as well as providing transfusion and hemostatic support to patients. The specialty also encompasses the study of immunohematological disorders responsible for clinical pathology, the development of cell therapies—including bone marrow transplantation—and the treatment of various diseases through apheresis procedures.

The Blood Bank is part of the Department of Diagnosis and Treatment at Austral University Hospital, a high-complexity university hospital that promotes interdisciplinary work and excellence in patient care, teaching, and academics. Within this context, the residency program is developed in close collaboration with multiple hospital specialties, with a strong focus on quality, patient safety, and academic training.

• Number of current residents: 1
• On-call duty per month: No active on-call duty is performed, only passive on-call duty by telephone between 2 and 3 times per week.
• Post-call rest: Not applicable
• Average entry/exit times: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 17 p.m.
• International rotations: Not applicable
• Average weekly teaching hours: 4 hours per week
• Vacation days per year: 30 days

• High complexity and volume of patients
  Training in a high-complexity university hospital with transfusion support for clinical, surgical, critical and oncohematological patients, including bone marrow transplantation and perioperative transfusion planning.

• multidisciplinary approach
  Permanent interaction with clinical, surgical, intensive care, obstetrics, hematology and critical areas of the hospital.

• Human, ethical and holistic development
  Training in legal, regulatory, bioethical, patient safety and Quality Management Systems aspects, including hemovigilance.

• Active scientific activity
  Participation in clinical research, improvement projects, academic production, seminars, and face-to-face and distance learning courses.

• Management and quality
  Training in transfusion management, indicators, internal audits, risk management, demand planning, stock management and transfusion contingencies.

• Patient Blood Management (PBM)
  Participation in Patient Blood Management (PBM) programs and training in the rational use of blood components and alternative strategies to transfusion.

• Collaborative environment
  Interdisciplinary work and participation in hospital committees related to transfusion, quality and patient safety.

The Hemotherapy Service is part of the Department of Diagnosis and Treatment at Austral University Hospital. It carries out clinical, teaching, and academic activities in transfusion medicine, immunohematology, therapeutic apheresis, hemovigilance, and cell therapy.

• Head of Service: Silvina Adria Palumbo
• Resident InstructorsMaría Alejandra Seresi
• Staff physician: Mabel Goodridge

Upon completion of the residency, the physician will be qualified to:

• Supervise the selection of donors according to standardized norms.
• Organize and supervise the production of blood components.
• Perform and interpret complex immunohematological studies in adults, pediatric patients, and pregnant women.
• Participate in pre- and post-transfusion therapeutic decisions.
• Supervise the administration of blood components.
• Perform therapeutic apheresis procedures.
• Implement hemovigilance programs.
• Develop transfusion management programs focused on patient safety.
• Apply alternative strategies to transfusion.
• Implement cryopreservation and transfusion support for bone marrow transplantation.
• Perform hemostatic corrections in patients with bleeding.
• Work in an interdisciplinary manner and participate in teaching and research activities.

Training plan

The Hemotherapy Service aims to provide residents with the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for professional development in Transfusion Medicine, both in the clinical field and in the management, quality and leadership of services.

The training includes:

• Rotations through all areas of the Service, with emphasis on the production, quality control, storage and release of blood components.
• Participation in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of the pathologies addressed by the specialty.
• Outpatient clinic activity, focused on transfusion evaluation, pre-surgical patients or evaluation prior to bone marrow donation.
• intervention in transfusion consultations in hospitalized patients, operating room, intensive care and critical care areas.
• Formed at Quality Management Systemscontinuous improvement, indicators, risk management, and internal audits.
• Training in administration, organization and management of Transfusion Medicine Services.
• Training in legal, normative, regulatory, bioethical and patient safety aspects.
• Comprehensive training in Hemovigilance, including detection, notification, analysis and prevention of adverse transfusion events.
• Participation in the perioperative transfusion planning and in Patient Blood Management (PBM) programs.
• Training in the rational use of blood components and in alternative strategies to transfusion.
• Participation in therapeutic apheresis and donation procedures (plasmapheresis, plateletpheresis, erythropheresis, leukapheresis, plasma exchange, among others).
• Formed at advanced immunohematology, resolution of complex cases, incompatibilities, autoantibodies and alloimmunization.
• Participation in activities related to cellular therapyCollection, processing, cryopreservation and transfusion support of bone marrow transplantation.
• Training in stock management, demand planning and transfusion contingencies.
• Participation in hospital committees related to transfusion, patient safety and quality.
• In-service teaching activities, seminars, interdisciplinary exchanges, and participation in face-to-face and distance learning courses.
• Participation in clinical research activities, improvement projects, and academic output.
• Comprehensive preparation for obtaining the degree of Medical Specialist in Hemotherapy and Immunohematology.

Academic activities:

• Teaching activities in service.
• Interdisciplinary passes.
• Face-to-face and distance learning courses.
• Participation in clinical research and improvement projects.

Training in a highly complex university environment, with close support from the professional team and strong integration of care, teaching and academics.

The Department is characterized by a dynamic and participatory professional environment, where staff physicians actively support the residents' training. Ongoing consultation, close supervision, and collaborative analysis of clinical cases are encouraged, fostering the progressive development of professional autonomy within a supportive and conducive environment. This collaborative work climate is based on mutual respect, open communication, and consensus-based decision-making. We maintain cordial and collaborative relationships with other professionals at the hospital.

• Seresi Alejandra
  mseresi@cas.austral.edu.ar

• Palumbo Silvina
  Tel: 02304482159
  spalumbo@cas.austral.edu.ar