Determined and Prepared
Breaking into the field of clinical laboratory science isn’t easy. With competitive training programs, rigorous coursework and high expectations, many aspiring students find themselves asking how to stand out and how to persist.
For Amber Aranda, the journey required resilience, strategy and a clear sense of purpose. It all began in high school when she learned about the clinical laboratory scientist (CLS) career, at which point she “fell in love and never looked back,” Amber enthuses. The drive carried her through a biology bachelor’s degree and straight into phlebotomy work at Quest Diagnostics, El Camino Health and then Washington Hospital Health Care System.
That real-world exposure confirmed what she already suspected: This was the career she wanted to pursue. Still, like many motivated clinical lab scientists, Amber faced a major hurdle: Getting into a CLS training program.
“I was struggling due to how competitive in nature the whole process is,” she says. Today, Amber is a proud graduate of UCSF Health’s CLS program and working as a CLS at Sutter Health—all thanks to our Clinical Laboratory Scientist Preparatory Program.
“I wanted to boost my résumé and get myself prepared to take on the full CLS program with as much knowledge as I could beforehand,” Amber reflects.
It’s great that there is so much versatility in being a CLS that we can go virtually anywhere and find a good job.
Building a Competitive Edge
“I believed that having the UC Berkeley name attached to the rest of my résumé would make me look better to the schools and programs I was applying to,” she says.
But her experience with us offered much more than just a recognizable name. “The courses were all very well organized and had some great instructors,” she recalls. “Whenever I had any questions, they would always answer quickly and knowledgeably, which helped a lot.”
Amber also found a sense of belonging among her peers: “Most of my classmates and I shared the same goals, which made me feel like I did belong there alongside them.
“The online courses had great structure and the expectations were clear, which made them very easy to follow and complete,” she continues. “It was during COVID, so having this option was very nice and gave me peace of mind that I could still further my academic career despite everything going on.”
Amber’s competitive-edge course plan included:
Quantitative Analysis: Applications in Clinical Chemistry
The courses I took prepared me for my CLS program. I feel like I came in already with the baseline of knowledge I needed to succeed.
Turning Preparation Into Opportunity
Amber’s hard work paid off when she was accepted into her UCSF CLS training program.
“They saw something in me and chose me for their program, and I will forever be grateful,” she says. “UCSF has such a unique program: We traveled between four different campuses so we got to see everything we possibly could before being released into the working world.”
Even more importantly, she entered the program with confidence. “The courses I took prepared me for my CLS program,” Amber adds. “I feel like I came in already with the baseline of knowledge I needed to succeed.”
Today, Amber is building her career in clinical laboratory science, with experience spanning multiple specialties.
“I just started a position at Sutter Memorial Medical Center in Modesto working in microbiology and hematology,” she says.
“It’s great that there is so much versatility in being a CLS that we can go virtually anywhere and find a good job,” she adds. “I moved to the valley earlier this year and I found a new job relatively quickly. It just goes to show how our career is in demand.”
For Amber, becoming a clinical lab scientist wasn’t just a professional achievement; it was deeply personal.
“Growing up as a first-generation student with a Latino background, my parents emphasized the importance of going to school and getting an education,” she shares. “I was able to make my parents proud of the daughter they raised, as well as reach my dream career, which was so amazing to accomplish.”
Amber is candid about the challenges of pursuing a CLS career, but she’s equally clear about what it takes to succeed.
“Try to study as hard as you can to get your best grades as possible; the competition is fierce,” she advises.
She also emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience: “I worked as a phlebotomist for years before becoming a CLS and that definitely made my résumé look better.”
But her most important advice is about mindset.
“The best piece of advice I could give though is to not give up!”
