Stories: David Guadiz, RT(R)

“I just really wanted a career change after working as an electrical engineer for 15 years and being stuck in a cubicle for 12 hours a day. I wanted a stable job with more flexible hours, something hands-on and with more interaction with people.

“The best thing about the Radiologic Sciences program was the combination of both textbook and hands-on education. It really got me prepared for being a tech — in my graduating class, we all did well in clinicals and passed the registry.

“All of the students developed close relationships with each other and our faculty. The personal attention and pride that faculty members Christi Carter and Valerie Martin took in us was incredible; they really wanted us to succeed.

“I use the skills I learned in this program every day on the job, as far as X-ray technology goes — although I did have to learn CT on the job. I would recommend this program to anyone looking for a career in the medical field — it’s a stable job that pays well, and the days go by really fast because you do such a variety of things. There are so many different career paths you can take in this field.”

David Guadiz works weekdays at Lake Pointe Imaging Center in Rowlett and weekends at Baylor Medical Center-Frisco, doing CT scans of all parts of the body as well as X-ray and bone density tests.

An electrical engineer before changing careers, he had earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Iowa State University before earning an associate degree in Radiologic Sciences in December 2005.

Valentina Guzmán César

Pre-Med Student

“There have been moments in my life when I saw how much of a difference one person can make simply by showing up. ... Those experiences drew me toward emergency medicine.”

General Studies

Oanh Kim Nguyen, MLT(ASCP)

Medical Laboratory Technician Methodist Medical Center of Dallas

“My first experience at community college was taking ESL classes at Richland and Brookhaven, which were close to where I lived. Then when I started exploring what kind of program I wanted to take for a career change, I saw Medical Laboratory Technology and transferred to El Centro ... I always tell people who are thinking about community college to think about Medical Laboratory Technology, and I tell them about my personal experience with the program. It’s a stable job, in a quiet environment with a lot less stress than many other medically related fields, and the people are very friendly and professional. I really love my job.”

English as a Second Language (ESL and ESOL), Medical Laboratory Technology

Dolores (Dee) Schueler, BSN, LVN, RN, CRNI

Director of Nurses USBioservices

“Our instructors had high expectations and saw our potential. They let us know that it wasn’t going to be easy, but it wasn’t going to be insurmountable either.”

Nursing