Forging ahead in the MLS Program

By Elizabeth Atneosen • October 18, 2018

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It’s been a few months since the start of our time here at Mayo Clinic. As the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) class of 2019, we’ve already learned quite a bit. From our first days of Quality Control and Microbiology to wrapping up Hematology I and wading in the midst of Clinical Chemistry I, we are certainly kept busy. The time in the lab always seems far shorter than the long hours put in at home or in the library, bent over notes and laptops studying.

It is, however, incredibly rewarding to hold up a thick binder at the end of the week, knowing you’ve learned everything within it.

Of course, being able to look down the microscope at bacterium or a blood sample and start to put together a puzzle of what disease or condition a person may have is awesome. I love that I am in a place where what I’m learning has a direct practical and physical application.

Helping people and patients—even though we aren’t quite on the front lines—is ultimately the goal of all this practice and learning. It’s why all of us are here, and we can’t wait for the opportunities ahead.

While here, I am also getting to know Rochester and the people here. I enjoy my classmates and their “nerdy” science jokes that are made between CBC counts. I have a real appreciation now for a good science joke.

So, I think I will end with one: What do you call a tooth in a glass of water? A one molar solution.

I’ll be here all week.

Elizabeth Atneosen

Elizabeth Atneosen is a recent college graduate of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. She is now pursuing certification in Medical Laboratory Science at Mayo Clinic. Elizabeth is originally from Woodbury Minnesota, and she loves learning new things, reading, and spending time outdoors hiking, kayaking, and swimming.