Dallas College

Student Experience: LaToya Payton, B.S., RCIS, LMRT

“The best part of the program to me was the clinical rotations and all of the hands-on expertise that the preceptors shared with us at the hospitals. There’s just a wealth of information to learn in this career. It’s one thing to learn things in a classroom and another to know how to present your skills in the real world. 

“This job satisfies my need for an adrenaline rush. We get really sick people in here who can die at any time, and in a matter of minutes or hours, we may have saved their lives. That is absolutely the best part of the job. 

“To succeed in this line of work, you really need to be able to be flexible and adaptable to change. The world of medicine is always changing with new technologies and procedures; something new and better is always coming out. You’ll be required to learn more all of the time and to change with the business.” 

LaToya Payton is a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist (RCIS) and limited medical radiologic technologist (LMRT). She earned an associate degree in Invasive Cardiovascular Technology from El Centro as well as a bachelor’s degree in public health from Kaplan University, began teaching as an adjunct faculty member in the program in 2003 and assumed the position of program coordinator in Spring 2017. She was hired for her position at Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital before graduation after completing a clinical rotation.


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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
LaToya Payton
LaToya Payton, B.S., RCIS, LMRT
Catheterization Lab Specialist Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital Program Coordinator and Faculty, Invasive Cardiovascular Technology, El Centro
Invasive Cardiovascular Technology
School of Health Sciences
Updated September 10, 2026