Dallas College

Student Experience: Marcus Jackson Sr., RRT

“I was attracted to El Centro’s program because of its accessibility, affordability and affiliations with local hospitals. The best part of my experience was the relationships I developed with fellow students and the learning experiences provided at the local clinical affiliates. 

“My education has allowed me to support my family. If we were talking about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it would be one of the foundational experiences that have allowed me both to meet basic needs and to expand my passions in other areas of life such as ministry. 

“The most important thing I learned is that small beginnings don’t necessarily mean small endings. Methodist Health System (which operates three hospitals in the DFW metroplex) recently hired a new CEO, Steve Mansfield, who actually began his career in health care as a respiratory therapist. 

“I feel that it is a non-negotiable to get a college degree and not settle for less. Non-college-based programs do not necessarily give you the professional skills that are required to interact with physicians and other disciplines effectively and to eventually expand your career.” 

Marcus Jackson earned an Associate in Applied Sciences degree from Cedar Valley before earning an additional A.A.S. in Respiratory Care from El Centro. In 2005, he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in ministry and leadership from Dallas Christian College and earned a master’s degree in New Testament from Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tenn., in May 2009.  In his current position, he manages day-to-day operations of a full-service hospital respiratory care department that offers 24-hour inpatient and outpatient respiratory care. His responsibilities include recruiting, training, hiring staff, budgeting, planning and operation of the department as well as maintaining accreditation of the blood gas laboratories. He previously served as team leader of the NICU respiratory care department and the neonatal transport team of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. He was ordained to the preaching ministry of the Baptist Church in 2002.


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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
Marcus Jackson
Marcus Jackson Sr., RRT
Director of Respiratory Therapy Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
Respiratory Care Program
School of Health Sciences
Updated September 10, 2026