9 tips for success in Medical Laboratory Science

A year ago, I was eagerly and nervously awaiting my first day of the BCIT Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program. Today, I got to meet the new intake of MLS students, and it all came rushing back. The excitement, the questions, the uncertainty, and the fears. So with that in mind, and now that I’ve had time to reflect on my first year, I thought I’d compile a list of tips for success in the BCIT MLS program.

Work hard. Very hard.

BCIT is a tough grind. If you don’t put in the hours, you’ll find it very challenging.

To give you an idea, we put in around 30 hours a week at school. That’s just classes and labs, studying and homework aside. On average, I put another 30 hours a week into studying, assignments, and preparing for labs.

A lot will be asked of you. At a certain point, you’ll think you’ve given it everything you’ve got, until you realize more challenges lie ahead.

Make friends and support each other

Having a support group while completing this program is essential. There will be moments where you’ll feel overwhelmed, and you may want a shoulder to cry on. Or at least pass out on. Plus, you’ll benefit from seeing how others understand and tackle the subject matter.

Don’t give up

There will be days when you think you can’t get out of bed. When you’ve been giving 110 percent and you’re on the verge of burnout. The feelings will come and go. No matter what, keep going. Don’t give up, because you know what you’ve chosen to do is worth it.

Strategize your study time

It’s normal to gravitate toward subjects that interest you more than others, or that you find easier. But make sure to spread your studying evenly across all subjects. Know your weaknesses and don’t avoid working on them.

Make sure to give everything you’ve got early on. If you don’t, it can be hard to recover if you haven’t done as well on the midterm exams. We don’t get a break between our last class and final exams. We learn new material right up until the Friday before finals, and then we have a weekend to study. You’ll have an exam a day, sometimes two, all crammed into one week. Be sure to keep up.

Pay attention in Level 1

Remember that the course material is progressive. Much of the Level 1 subject matter will be expanded upon in Level 2, and so on. So putting your maximum effort into Level 1 will definitely pay off.

Bring your memorization A-game

There’s a lot to memorize. Unfortunately, there’s no way around this. I found using visualization techniques worked well for much of the content. The amount of information you’ll encounter is staggering, so the better you can remember things, the further ahead you’ll be.

Let go of being a perfectionist

This career attracts perfectionists. Striving for high grades comes with the territory. It’s a good thing, but in this type of learning environment, an unhealthy focus on getting the best grades can become a problem.

For example, early in the program I would freeze up in labs because I didn’t know how to proceed on small details. But I wanted to do things perfectly, so I would agonize over and delay decisions, which would ultimately put me behind. Being a perfectionist in that environment really backfired on me. Allowing myself to make small mistakes meant that, even though I didn’t achieve a perfect grade, I could identify what I truly understood, and what to focus more on—all while saving myself a lot of stress. Plus, mistakes are excellent teachers; we remember our mistakes.

Keep your sense of humour

I’m lucky to have friends in the MLS program who I can laugh with, even when things are tough. When students get entrenched in negative thinking, it becomes reinforcing, and group dynamics can spiral. I’m not saying you can’t acknowledge when things are hard—we do all the time—but bringing playfulness and lightheartedness to everyday interactions with the teachers and your classmates diminishes stress.

Remember the end goal of becoming a medical laboratory technologist

This is an amazing career. The pain and personal sacrifice are definitely worth it. You’ll be making a difference every day. And you’ll never be bored, because this technology-driven profession is always evolving.

(Story written by Laurie Neale)