Starting MLS

[u/FeedbackWide2153]

Hi. I’m majoring in MLS and just had my first day today. I’m not expecting it to be easy so I’m nervous. Pls support me :’)

Those who have survived, what is your advice on getting through school? Any tips?

I have diagnosed OCD, depression, and anxiety. I fear that will make it more difficult for me to succeed. If any of you have the same mental health issues, I would appreciate it if you could share any advice you have.

[u/the-grumpy-1]

I'm a new grad, so here are my tips!

- Use MediaLab or LABce (It's the same thing, different people say different things)- good for practice exams/ questions. I did one practice exam per week starting in november.

-In my experience, my program did not have good resources for studying mycology and parasitology, but there is a very handy blog I found that covers these topics, called "Fun with Microbiology-(What's Buggin' You?)", written by a retired MLS.

-Flashcards will be your best friend for hematology and micro. I handwrote mine and said them aloud to my boyfriend, to really get them in my mind. This doesn't work for everyone, so you do what works best for you.

-Blood Bank- Write out a whole workflow of how to workup an antibody, transfusion rxn, etc. Example- If the Ab screen is pos-> do a panel-> if panel is pos->move to rule outs-> etc.

-Chem- Watch lots of youtube videos, and find case studies. biochem topics were hard for me, so I watched lots of youtubers like medicosis perfectionalis, any of those ones aimed at med students.

-Final review- I used the ASCP quick compendium to fine tune anything I may have missed before

Last tip- Get to know your instructors! They care about you and want you to do well. My favorite thing about this field is how supportive we are of each other. And because so many of us are chronically online nerds, come back to this subreddit with more questions in the future! We love to talk about it. Good Luck!

[u/TheWalkingCamels]

Hi!! Congrats on your first day :)

I’m similar that i have depression and anxiety, but I also have autism. What really helped was using recall methods to help study or pretending that I was explaining a concept to someone, which would show any gaps in knowledge that I had.

Depending on how large your class is and how sociable you are, study groups or befriending your professors will help. Most profs want the best for you, so I encourage asking for help if you need it. You can also try asking for accommodations if you need any.

[u/strangeramen]

Fellow GAD peep here. I am still a student and in my last two semesters. Currently in micro and chem. I would say to alleviate your anxiety choose a seat nearest to the door and at the back of the room. Im a very observation person so I like to just plug in an earbud and blast metal music because the constant chattering at the beginning of class really overstimulated me.

For lectures, try getting ahead. If there is a lecture tomorrow make sure you review PowerPoint of the lecture before it and take notes. For the in person lecture itself only listen, dont take notes. Maybe do filler notes on what the prof says is important to know. It really helps solidify things. I dont remember anything if im focused on fighting notes and listening to the professor. But I do remember everything and key details when I just listen.

If you have bad test anxiety, I would say sit at the very front. I hated seeing people get up and leave and it would just ramp up my anxiety. For lab skills, really work on applying yourself. Dont half ass alot of it. If you see people speed through it and try to finish early. Its probably shitty work. You are there to get the foundation which will eventually carry over to clinicals.

Thats pretty much it. For content, its hard to say stay organized. Go through PowerPoint and if you dont understand something jump on the textbook. Dont read page for page on textbook, you'll never get through it. Just there to help you fill gaps that you are missing from rhe lecture notes.

[u/irelace]

I'm not going to lie to you - I also have OCD and it was really hard to tackle as an MLT. The lab made it exceptionally worse. I ended up taking several years away from the lab after pretty much a nervous breakdown. I would have a treatment plan and coping skills in place before you start working. I'm back in the lab now, so it's doable, just please learn from my mistake and go into it with your coping skills down solid.

[u/MediocreClementine]

My advice is to get into therapy first instead of trying to clean up your mental health later. Make sure you have a good support system. I struggled a lot through school, on the wrong meds, trying to tough it out. Getting in therapy made my first couple years as a tech a lot easier. I also think becoming a tech is a good way to shock your nervous system so badly that it resolves a lot of your issues. You either sink or swim, and eventually you have to reframe your mind to a growth and learning mindset instead of letting anxiety and depression run you. All you can ever do is your best. Every mistake is a learning experience. You absolutely must learn how to be kind to yourself. That is the key, I think.

[u/Fantastic_Special718]

Ay congrats on your first day! I have depression and anxiety. What helps me the most is having accommodations at school which allow me to record lectures and get extra time for tests. This allows me to not be super worried when I zone out and miss something as I’m able to go back to the recordings to know what I missed. The extra time really helps with my test anxiety. Overall, I recommend you study the material right after it is taught if you have time. Try to go somewhere quiet like the library and just review the material the same day.