Dallas College

Student Experience: Melanie Lofgren

“I went to El Centro for a few college classes but had no direction. I had always been interested in the medical field and just saw Medical Assisting on the Dallas College website. As soon as I started the program, I absolutely loved it. I loved everything about being in a medical profession — especially taking care of patients — so much that I figured becoming an LVN was the next big step. 

“Honestly, my whole year of Medical Assisting was such a fabulous experience. I’d like to especially thank all of my instructors, especially adjunct faculty member Diana Drury. 

“I would recommend this program in a New York minute. Medical assisting is a great occupation, whether you're looking to become proficient in this field or use it as a steppingstone to move on to other health care specialties. You learn a lot about the medical field: patient care, the professional side — it’s just a fundamental place to begin your career. Plus, there are great jobs waiting out there. It’s very rewarding to know that you’re helping people with their health. The most important thing I learned at El Centro is that education is the key to everything.

“My education gave me a leg up on getting into LVN school. In medical assisting, I had already learned a lot of nursing terminology, anatomy and physiology and regulations and laws. I feel I totally have an advantage because I had already learned so much of the material.”

Melanie Lofgren earned a Medical Assisting certificate at El Centro in 2003 and began looking for an LVN program closer to home when she moved to Frisco. She graduated from Grayson County Community College’s LVN program in August 2007 and is now pursuing a degree there to become a registered nurse (RN). She also works full time as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) in a private home health care setting.


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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
Melanie Lofgren
Melanie Lofgren
LVN in private home health care, Nursing student
Medical Assisting
School of Health Sciences
Updated September 10, 2026