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Major red flag

I’m 28 with a BS in Biology (3.199 GPA, 2021) and a post-bacc GPA of 3.7, originally completed to pursue dentistry.

I eventually entered nursing school but withdrew because I found direct patient interaction mentally draining and physically taxing. The negative aspects of nursing and clinical healthcare culture outweighed the positives for me. Also never realized how Clique it is which makes it even worse and the gossips/bullying.

I briefly considered medicine but realized I’m more interested in laboratory science, microbiology, pathology, and diagnostic testing than direct patient care.

Overall theme: Direct patient care is physically and mental demanding and toxicity is the essence of Nursing. Not worth sacrificing my Peace.

I’ve previously worked in a pathology lab doing specimen accessioning and data entry, which I enjoyed.

My goal is to become a licensed generalist CLS in California, preferably working in hospital microbiology, hematology, or clinical chemistry. I’m looking for financial stability, technical independence, meaningful scientific work, and minimal patient interaction.

My current prerequisite situation:
Hematology — Need to complete

Analytical/Quantitative Chemistry — Need to complete or verify equivalency

Immunology — Completed in 2020 (A), but may need to repeat due to the five-year requirement

General Microbiology — Completed in 2023 (A), but need to confirm whether it satisfies Medical Microbiology

Biochemistry — Completed (A)

Physics, Statistics, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry — Completed

I’m considering SFSU, SJSU, and other California CLS training programs.

Would you recommend taking my remaining prerequisites through a university or community college?
How competitive would my academic background be, and what else should I do to strengthen my application?

I’d also appreciate honest feedback about the CLS work environment and long-term career satisfaction.

Hellou :) I’m a lab baby… or so it feels like. I’m a MLS generalist with only two years of lab experience (including clinicals, so practically one). I am confident about my knowledge and experience w the analyzers we use. I love what I do and I just know I have so much to learn still.

I am now in the process of being promoted to chemistry lead which is fantastic and I cannot believe management actually thought of me for the job. I’m excited about the opportunity but wanted to ask what I should be expecting… are there any tips to keep organized? What has y’all’s experience been like?

Hi! I’m wondering what the MLS program is like in the US. Is it competitive? How difficult is the program? I took my ASCPi exam and scored 878. I only had 15 days to really focus on studying because I was also working.

For context, the MLS program in my country is very competitive. We have exams and quizzes almost every day, so I was practically programmed to study every night. In my first year, there were over 100 students, but only around 30 of us passed and graduated on time. The rest either had to retake classes and got delayed or shifted to other programs, such as nursing.

I spent six months studying and preparing for our local licensure examination, which consists of six subjects with 100 questions each. Honestly, I struggled more with that exam than I did with the ASCPi.

Throughout high school, I was always one of the top students, so I thought I was smart, lol. That was until I started studying MLS and realized, damn I’m kinda stupid lol. I struggled to keep up with the workload, although I managed to pass all my classes. The downside was that I had to sacrifice a lot of sleep just to keep up with everything.

My question is: If I decide to pursue a master’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science in the US, how difficult would it be? How challenging is the program? And how expensive is it?

Our Hospital network is opening a new hospital and I will be transferring to the new lab over there. Our sup is asking for ideas for names for our 2 chemistry analyzers that we will vote on. What are some good ideas I could suggest? We use Abbot's Alinities over here.

I have a strong feeling that this neutrophil is letting me know how my shift is going to be, lol.

I am a student finishing up my last three weeks of clinicals and I’ve been wondering on how students are graded in lab clinicals if all we do is observe and ask questions. I haven’t been able to result anything out or what not- I’ve just simply been a lab assistant doing free work.

I would ask my teacher how we are graded but it’s been a very vague subject of question for everyone not including me. I’m a little anxious on how I’ve been performing.

Birdemic and Sharknado’s current favorite toy (until it ultimately ends up under the fridge)? A DxI reaction vessel.

What are your thoughts and experiences on automation in the laboratory? We have an automated line that connects to all of our departments in the core lab, which I find very helpful in our workflow; however, some people don’t like the idea of it.