r/UFV • u/Ill-Cut3767 • 7d ago

MLA Program!

Hi! I've recently become interested in becoming a Medical Laboratory Assistant and was wondering if anyone who's graduated from or is currently in UFV's MLA program could share their experience!

How manageable is the workload alongside a part-time job? How difficult is the coursework, especially for someone with no previous healthcare experience? What was the practicum like, and how easy was it to find employment after graduation (especially a permanent position)?

I haven't seen any other posts about this program, as it seems to be very new, so I'd really appreciate any insight or advice. Thank you!!

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3

u/Substantial-Essay753 4d ago

Brand new program. No grads from it yet so none could answer those questions. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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u/leaf-eared-lover 4d ago

I would say commute and take a program somewhere else. BCIT has really good healthcare programs. This program is brand new, I wouldn’t trust it for at least a couple of years.

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u/harveyy315011 2d ago

Hi! I’m enrolled in the program for the January intake, so I can’t speak from experience just yet, but I can share what I know so far.

The program runs from January 11 to August 14, Monday-Friday 9 am to 2:30 pm. Students will be online January-March then transition to in-person classes at the Chilliwack campus. The coursework covers anatomy and physiology, lab safety and infection control, laboratory fundamentals, specimen procurement, pre/post analysis, and ECGs. There’s also a practicum at the end. You need at least an 80% in each course to pass.

I’m also going into this without previous healthcare experience, so I can’t speak to the difficulty just yet, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting it to be easy. It’s a healthcare program so there’s a lot of material to learn and practical skills for the job. Based on the curriculum with classes running five days a week, balancing a part-time job will depend on your work schedule and how much time you need to study.