Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The end of the semester
I got my grades!
Clinical Chemistry : A-
Hematology : B
Histotechnology : A-
Clinical Microbiology : A
Transfusion Practices : A-
Not the greatest I've ever done - and that was my first B in college so far - so my GPA is now 3.84. But on the plus side, I'm finished with classes! I'll still be paying tuition for a while, but that seems to rank along with death and taxes as something I can't escape.
During the summer semester I'll be doing Simulated Clinical, which is where the experience of working in a hospital or medical laboratory network is recreated on campus. High-volume workflows, reporting of dangerous microorganisms, ethical dilemnas and so on. But it's only three days a week, which gives me plenty of time to write, especially since there won't be assignments and exams. You're being evaluated as you work, instead.
SimClin lasts from May through July, giving me August off. In September I start my clinical placement, where the college puts me in a hospital or medical laboratory network to see how well I perform on the job. I just hope the hospital won't be way out in the boondocks, like in Yellowknife. The worst part about working in a small hospital is that I'd probably have to do phlebotomy (drawing blood), and that still scares the heck out of me.
Oh, and I get to pay tuition for this too. Seriously, if I were anywhere but Canada I would contemplate selling plasma at this point.
Clinical placement ends in February, when I take the CSMLS certification exam that qualifies me to work as a medical laboratory technologist. After that I don't have to pay any more tuition. Hopefully I get paid instead, when I have a full-time job again.
So that's the plan, everyone.
And if there's anything I've learned from life, it's that plans have a way of changing. But so far, so good.
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9 comments:
I'm so happy for you!
You did great!! And what a weight to be lifted. I hope you get the hospital of your choice--or at least the city of your choice.
I'm very proud of you. Well done!
Congratulations!
Well done! I used to get nervous every time I got a 'B' - then I went to Law School and THAT was blown out of the water! I think we just have to realise that challenging ourselves is exactly that - a challenge. And those are AWESOME grades for such high-level stuff...
Congratulations! Those are great marks, and you should be proud of them.
Impressive grades. And I am jealous of your doneness. I still have a bunch of exams, which, oh joy, I haven't studied for. :P
Great work, Marian. Looks like you're passing the academic part with flying colors.
Maria - Thanks! Keeping my fingers crossed about clinical placement.
Sara - Thank you. It's great to finally be done with classes.
Charlotte - Good to know other people are perfectionists about grades too. And as my friends sometimes remind me, when we apply for jobs in a year's time, no one's going to check whether we got an A or a B in a particular course.
Randall - Aw. Thanks for saying "great". :)
Tara - Thanks, and best of luck in your exams!
Loren - Thank you! The grande finale exam that will decide my professional career is still to come, but I'll keep you all updated. :)
"And if there's anything I've learned from life, it's that plans have a way of changing. But so far, so good." Seconding this! I'd also like to echo the sentiment of the preceding commenters who noted that you did great. :)
Thanks, Deb. I'm my own worst critic, so I'm glad to get favorable reviews from all of you. :)
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