I can’t believe we’re basically at the halfway point of this semester! It feels like everything’s been moving really fast, at one point we were all trying to find our classes, the next we’re being hit with quizzes, assignments, and midterms. It almost feels like a blur, but it’s been pretty fun so far in this program!
Due to my previous experience with my BSc. and my MLA studies, a lot of the content so far has felt like review for me. Mind you, it’s been a while since I’ve been in school, so it’s been a nice refreshment for all the things I’ve learned throughout the years. I’m glad I started at the beginning rather than doing a bridging option (which I didn’t find out about until it was too late) because I’ve learned a lot of new things too – specifically how to use specific lab instruments like the osmometer and the EPOC blood gas analyzer and the principles behind these types of instruments. These were things that weren’t taught during my studies, specifically in my MLA studies, and it’s been so cool getting to do them in our labs. I’m glad we’re getting that hand-on experience with the type of equipment we’ll see in the actual medical labs; with my MLA studies, the primary focus was phlebotomy and ECGs, the only lab equipment we had experience with were microscopes, centrifuges, ESR set-ups, and the hematocrit. Unfortunately the pandemic did set back our other lab work experiences in areas like working in the biological safety cabinet for micro, and we had to speed-run things at the end like staining techniques to finish our program on time. So, being able to learn the other stuff used in the medical lab has been great!
Overall, I just be chilling and loving the hand-on work with the lab equipment LOL
You’re not going to find my stressed this early in the program hahaha
Going to a public college is cool since it’s such a mixture of people with different backgrounds and experiences. There’s a handful of classmates who are straight out of high school and are experiencing the post-secondary life for the first time, then there’s a bunch of us mature students who have already graduated from a college/university and/or have been in the workforce for a number of years before coming back to learn. It’s genuinely a nice feeling knowing there are other people around me, who are around the same age, who have decided to come back to school. Going back to school in your late-20’s and early 30’s can be very daunting. I know it’s never too late to go back to school but still, for me, it’s hard not to compare myself to some of my friends who already have their careers lined up, and/or who have found jobs that they enjoy and know they’ll stay at for a while. When I compare myself, I just end up feeling a bit behind… I went to school already, worked a number of years, just to go back to school? My younger self knew that life isn’t always just a straight line of high school -> college -> work -> retire, but they sure wanted it to be that simple. Life is not always straight line, and when it comes to a decision that will benefit you in the future, it may be good to deviate from that line.
I’m really glad I made the decision to go back to school to be an MLT. I’m excited to continue to learn and grow as an individual and mes lab professional. I’m glad that the professors and lab instructors here are all nice to talk to and helpful, and my classmates are all chill from what I’ve experienced so far. I’m just pretty grateful so far with how things have turned out!
If you’ve read this far, thank you! I hope you have a great day!
Side note, the banner for this post is a little illustration I did for some of the outfits I wore so far in college. If you’ve seen my post about it on my other socials (ie Instagram and Bluesky), my scrubs are navy in those, versus the one here is burgundy. I just didn’t feel like posting the actual colour of my school scrubs and letting everyone know right away where I go to school lol. Blue is a nice generic one where it could be representing any school, while the burgundy I feel is very specific. I absolutely love the burgundy since it honestly makes sense for med lab (cause of blood)! I guess if you have me on LinkedIn you’ll know which school I go to, but for the rest of the public, I’ll wait a bit 😂
