Dallas College

Student Experience: Juan Carlos Garcia, CMA

“I was always interested in going into a medical field, and I really liked biology in high school. I was working construction, though, at a part-time job when I realized that I wanted to go ahead and go to school so that I could get a better job. 

“The best part of the Medical Assisting program at El Centro was the teachers. They are so knowledgeable about the subject because they have a lot of experience in the field. And they put you in situations in the classroom that are exactly what you’ll face at work. 

“I was already in the Medical Assisting program when I applied for my job; they wouldn’t have even interviewed me without the education and certification. I picked El Centro’s program because it is so well known, and it really helped my chance of getting a good job. 

“I would recommend this program to anyone considering a profession in a medical field. If you want a good job opportunity, get started in El Centro’s Medical Assisting program.” 

In his part-time job with Pediatric Pulmonary Specialists, Juan Garcia works in both the front and back office, verifying insurance, making appointments, checking in patients, taking vital signs, conducting breathing treatments for patients and doing “a little bit of everything.” He is pursuing an associate degree in nursing at El Centro and plans to graduate in December 2010.


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Zlatko Prijic, RRT

Pulmonary Rehab Coordinator Baylor University Medical Center
“I think I'd recommend El Centro to anybody, and I always do. If someone wants to go into respiratory or wants to learn more about respiratory, I point them in that direction.”
Respiratory Care Program
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Jose (Josey) George, RCIS, LMRT

Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist Baylor Garland Hospital
“My training and education at El Centro provided me with the knowledge and skills required to perform my job very well as an invasive cardiovascular specialist. The best part of my job is the satisfaction I gain at the end of each day, due to the fact that I’ve made a difference in my patients’ and their families’ lives by being a part of the lifesaving medical team.”
Invasive Cardiovascular Technology

Lupe Ortiz, RRT, NPS

Respiratory Care Practitioner Baylor University Medical Center
“I chose El Centro one, it was closer to home. It was a little more affordable than going to somewhere out of state or somewhere else. Just those two things were, were the main thing, the reason why I chose to go to El Centro. I think El Centro did an excellent job of preparing me for going into the workforce.”
Respiratory Care Program
Margaret Lembcke

Margaret Lembcke

Health Information Associate II, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas and Baylor Medical Center at Irving
“There’s not a thing I don’t use from the information I learned in the Medical Front Office program. The classes did a very good job of teaching skills that we’d really need. We were always learning from people who have worked in the field, not just learned information in a classroom.”
Medical Front Office
Juan Garcia
Juan Carlos Garcia, CMA
Certified Medical Assistant Pediatric Pulmonary Specialists
Medical Assisting
School of Health Sciences
Updated September 10, 2026