I am not interested in med. school. (sorry could not find the right area for this post), but I am interested in laboratory science. I have a bachelor of science degree and didn't exactly ace my science classes. I took some med. tech. classes and struggled through them, but I enjoyed them. I don't know why I have a hard time with my science courses, but I do like the material. If I apply myself would it be possible to do well in a med. tech. program and make it through the clinical year?? During the clinical do you rely on previous science courses or just med tech classes? Any advice would be helpful!
Clinical Laboratory Science... right for me?
- Thread starter Hawaiian
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My clinical year was at a mid-sized (~500-bed) hospital that had its own education program, so my 7 other classmates and I did supervised bench work starting at 0530, 600, 630, or 0700 until 1300 or 1400, then had a couple hours of class each day. I actually put in up to 20 hours per week beyond that working in the component room of the Blood Bank separating whole blood into pRBCs, FFP, and platelets. It was a long and sometimes stressful year!
While there isn't the same competition to get into MLS programs as there is for med school (thus some rocky grades are OK), the course work isn't slack. Undergrad courses in cell & molecular biology, microbiology, immunology, analytical chemistry, and instrumental analysis are the foundation of what you will be taught in an MLS program. You will also be dealing with basic statistic principles as they pertain to quality control.
Did you feel comfortable & interested in your undergrad labs? Did you do any research or work as a lab assistant where you got any hands on experience? How do you feel about working in a clinical setting where you have to interact with sick people and their families, or even have to draw their blood? Do you think you'd like to work with blood, urine, sputum, feces, and other body fluids? How do you feel about performing maintenance and troubleshooting errors on analyzers? These are some of the questions you should be asking.
As far as some observations about working in the field (at the same hospital I trained at)--
Pros: good (not great) pay out of undergrad, job security, use critical thinking skills to solve problems
Cons: work eve/night/weekends/holidays, interacting with nurses is difficult, "hidden" from patients (might be a pro for some), little respect, work tends to get repetitive
I left the lab for med school so that I could be more involved with the patient--rather than just providing info needed to treat, I want to know how that information fits with my patient and what to do with it.
While there isn't the same competition to get into MLS programs as there is for med school (thus some rocky grades are OK), the course work isn't slack. Undergrad courses in cell & molecular biology, microbiology, immunology, analytical chemistry, and instrumental analysis are the foundation of what you will be taught in an MLS program. You will also be dealing with basic statistic principles as they pertain to quality control.
Did you feel comfortable & interested in your undergrad labs? Did you do any research or work as a lab assistant where you got any hands on experience? How do you feel about working in a clinical setting where you have to interact with sick people and their families, or even have to draw their blood? Do you think you'd like to work with blood, urine, sputum, feces, and other body fluids? How do you feel about performing maintenance and troubleshooting errors on analyzers? These are some of the questions you should be asking.
As far as some observations about working in the field (at the same hospital I trained at)--
Pros: good (not great) pay out of undergrad, job security, use critical thinking skills to solve problems
Cons: work eve/night/weekends/holidays, interacting with nurses is difficult, "hidden" from patients (might be a pro for some), little respect, work tends to get repetitive
I left the lab for med school so that I could be more involved with the patient--rather than just providing info needed to treat, I want to know how that information fits with my patient and what to do with it.
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I was accepted into a med tech clinical program (applied after I had my bachelors), and ultimately decided it wasn't right for me. I worked as a phlebotomist and liked working with the patients too much to be happy down in the lab.
They put in long days, with early hours. They worked at the benches in the morning (rotating through the different parts of the lab), and then were in class in the afternoon. It's a lot of technical information, and a lot of knowing when something isn't quite right. You do become an expert in your field, and thus field questions from phlebs, nurses, and physicians. You deal with every body fluid imaginable, from blood to sputum, from fluid drained off the lungs to urine and feces. Some of it is quite disgusting. Some of it is a little unnerving (you can kill someone by turning out the wrong blood bank results). It can get crazy busy, or it can be so slow that you can easily read a book during your shift. Those are things you'll have to deal with.
The lab's a great place to work (most of the time), but it's hard work getting there. The supervisor of my lab said that his clinical year for med tech was harder than his master's degree. Take that for what it's worth.
They put in long days, with early hours. They worked at the benches in the morning (rotating through the different parts of the lab), and then were in class in the afternoon. It's a lot of technical information, and a lot of knowing when something isn't quite right. You do become an expert in your field, and thus field questions from phlebs, nurses, and physicians. You deal with every body fluid imaginable, from blood to sputum, from fluid drained off the lungs to urine and feces. Some of it is quite disgusting. Some of it is a little unnerving (you can kill someone by turning out the wrong blood bank results). It can get crazy busy, or it can be so slow that you can easily read a book during your shift. Those are things you'll have to deal with.
The lab's a great place to work (most of the time), but it's hard work getting there. The supervisor of my lab said that his clinical year for med tech was harder than his master's degree. Take that for what it's worth.
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Before I started med school I worked as a MT for 5 years. My years as an MT were incredibly valuable in terms of knowledge gained, and for purposes of admission. Adcoms were totally interested in my lab background and it came up in every single interview I went to. I think CLS would be a good major for someone who plans on working for a few years before med school. It would be sort of a waste to get your CLS and then not ever work as one. Its a professional degree. However, the knowledge you gain in training/your clinicals is most likely more relevant and useful than the normal premed/bio major would be.
I had a great career in the lab and I sometimes miss it. The things I learned in the lab have definitely carried over to med school. I more or less know everything about the lab, testing, ref ranges, blood bank, etc. Its just one less thing you need to learn in med school.
Good luck! PM me if i can be of assistance.
I had a great career in the lab and I sometimes miss it. The things I learned in the lab have definitely carried over to med school. I more or less know everything about the lab, testing, ref ranges, blood bank, etc. Its just one less thing you need to learn in med school.
Good luck! PM me if i can be of assistance.
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CLS is pretty tight. Youll like it! i hope you find your path
my ppl, THE native americans, say that when we ask the spirits to give us strength, they send us difficulties that make us stronger.
my ppl, THE native americans, say that when we ask the spirits to give us strength, they send us difficulties that make us stronger.
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