From Spain To Mackenzie Hospital: The Journey Of Patricia

Many students at Anderson are on the path to a successful career and their stories are often untold. Patricia is one of them. We met in the lobby at the downtown campus and I could see how nervous she was, especially after knowing that she was going to be filmed. We went to the laboratory and her face lighted up at the view of this familiar environment. Patricia moved from Spain to Canada hoping for more career opportunities. Back home, she was a registered nurse and technician so choosing the MLAT Program was logical to her. Coming to a new country is not easy especially when you need to speak a different language. During the interview, she was hesitating a little so I told her to take her time and to not be nervous as it was just the two of us.

Patricia chose Anderson College because of the fully equipped laboratory and I couldn’t help but see a smile on her face when remembering the practicum days. These were her favorite! She loved practicing phlebotomy on her classmates as well as handling the lab equipment. Starting over was not easy but Patricia could always count on her teachers. They not only helped her develop her communication skills but also taught her everything she needed to work in a laboratory. The last step for Patricia was to complete her placement and she really wanted to do it at Mackenzie Hospital. “I knew that in Canada it’s a little bit complicated to get in a hospital for a placement”, she said, “but thanks to the school, I had the opportunity to do my placement there.”

Patricia was nervous at first but felt more comfortable after she realized that her patients had “good veins”. She was very excited to process samples and to perform blood separation. For Patricia, the placement was a real learning experience as it was her first contact with the Canadian work environment. She added: “One thing I learned is how to work quickly and effectively without stress.” Her placement is now over and her face saddened after saying how much she misses it. Then, she smiled and said: “I feel like I can be successful in a hospital because of all that I learned in the school and hospital.” Our interview was now over and she looked relieved. I said goodbye to Patricia, leaving her to her head full of dreams and with the ambition to grow as a Technologist one day.

Learn more about the course or contact us to meet directly with our Admissions team!

Interview by Diane Paget