Tiffany Montoya
Tiffany Montoya is a dedicated Radiologic Technologist and Interventional Radiologic Technologist based in Texarkana, Texas. She has been an X-ray technologist since 2012, with over a decade of experience providing high-quality patient care at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System. Tiffany’s journey into radiology began years earlier, inspired by watching her sister work as an aide in a radiology department. After navigating major life transitions, including raising her young son, she pursued a career that allowed her to grow professionally and personally. With determination and support, she enrolled in the radiology program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2010 and quickly completed her foundational coursework. Since 2022, Tiffany has specialized in interventional radiology and vascular procedures, playing a pivotal role in developing her department from a small three-person team to a fully functioning unit of five. She has thrived in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, adapting to complex procedures alongside rotating locum radiologists. Tiffany and her team have built their expertise through hands-on problem-solving, research, and collaboration with physicians, allowing them to perform intricate procedures daily that were once unfamiliar. She takes particular pride in this growth and in the ability to provide exceptional patient care through teamwork and innovation. Complementing her clinical experience, Tiffany earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science and a Master of Science in Instructional Technology from Texas A&M University–Texarkana. These degrees reflect her forward-thinking approach and provide a pathway to education and training should she ever transition from hands-on radiology work. Currently, Tiffany continues to expand her professional credentials by preparing for her Vascular Interventional Registry exam. She remains committed to excellence, lifelong learning, and contributing meaningfully to the field of radiologic technology.
• Texas A&M University-Texarkana - BAAS
• Texas A&M University-Texarkana - MS, Educational/Instructional Technology
• ARRT (American Registry for Radiology Technologists)
• United Way
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my husband and children. They have been with me every step of the way. For every study group, late night test reviews and all my stressing out! Without them, their understanding and encouragement, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One day, before going to school, I was complaining to my husband about how unhappy I was with my lack of success in life. Instead of coddling me and tell me what I wanted to hear, he simply said, “So, what are you going to do about it?” That statement has gotten me through many late nights, early morning and pressed me to continue until I was satisfied with the results.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't stop. Even if you have to take one course at a time, or whatever it is that you are wanting to do. If you want to have a cleaning business, do one house at a time until you can get another house, and work your way through whatever it is that you're having to go through at that point. And if you have to stop for a little while, don't be afraid to pick that back up and continue on. Even if you have small children, it's okay to go to school when they're little. And honestly, it's probably easier to go to school when they're little and don't remember that you're in school. Just keep on pressing through, no matter what.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges of my field are really the patients, because dealing with the vascular and diabetic patients, some of them don't take care of themselves. You know, they know that they have this vascular disease, but continue to smoke. People know they're diabetic, and they still don't take care of themselves. They do what they want, they eat what they want, and end up on dialysis, and having to go get treatments three times a week. And they have to deal with getting multiple fistulas or grafts implanted. So it's just a long, hard road if you do not commit to taking care of yourself. Probably the most frustrating thing is seeing these patients and knowing that some of the time, it could be preventable. On the other hand, one of the most rewarding parts of my profession is in those vascular cases, you go into surgery, and you see that they have a blockage, maybe in their lower leg.Then you stent it, or balloon it in that area, and when you do the contrast dye through it again, and it's all opened up, and you know that blood flow has been restored to the bottom of their leg and foot. To me, that's instant gratification of seeing that and knowing, hey, we just fixed that. I would say the biggest opportunity in my field is the ability to train in a specialty. X-Ray techs have the opportunity to specialize in IR, Cath Lab, CT, MRI and US. Once you’re a tech, the possibilities of furthering your career is really up to you.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My family is most important to me. I know sometimes that I'm a hard worker and I do like to work. There are times that I do see myself putting work in front of other things. I have older kids, and some of the people I work with have younger kids, so I'll say, hey you can go, I'll stay. My kids aren't doing anything tonight. But when I get to spend a lot of time with them, I want to be with them and give all of my attention to them, because I know that there are times that I don't do that.