Tiffany Montoya

First, I would like to thank God for bringing me through all of my schooling and job success. He continues to bless myself and my family everyday.

Second, 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! Without them, their understanding and encouragement, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

Last, my friends and family who have helped with babysitting, picking kids up or doing whatever was necessary to keep our lives going smoothly.

One day, before enrolling into college, I was complaining to my husband about how unhappy I was with my lack of success in my personal life. Instead of coddling me and telling 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.

I would say, DO NOT STOP. Even if you have to take one course at a time, or train when you can, no matter what it is you are reaching for, do not give up. 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 the process that you are having to deal with at that point. And, if you have to stop for a little while, do not be afraid to pick that back up and continue on, pausing is not a failure. Even if you have small children, it is alright to go to school or work long hours when they are little. Honestly, I believe it is easier to achieve your goals when they are smaller and will not remember that you are not there all the time. I know the “mom guilt” will be there, but keep reaching for those goals!

The challenges of my field are really the patients, mainly the vascular and diabetic patients. Some do not take care of themselves like they know they need to. Realizing this vascular disease they have is serious, but their choice to smoke wins every time. People know they are diabetic, and still they do not take proper care of their bodies. Doing what they want, eating what they want will ultimately have the result of being on dialysis. Dialysis is a treatment that purifies the blood which takes up to 4 hours each session for three days per week, basically taking over their life. Most patients’ worst issue is having to tackle surgery after surgery for multiple fistulas or grafts implanted just to get the life saving treatments that are needed. Consequently, it can be a long, hard road if someone does not commit to taking care of themselves. Probably the most frustrating challenge of my job, is seeing these patients and knowing that often these stipulations could have been prevented.

On the other hand, one of the most rewarding parts of my profession is in vascular cases. You go into surgery and see that there is a blockage in their lower leg. After performing interventions, the imaging shows that the vessel has opened up and that blood flow has been restored to the bottom of their leg and foot, meaning that at that time, the patient gets to keep their limb. To me, that's instant gratification, knowing you are apart of a team that just brought hope to a grim situation.

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, US and Mammography. Once you are a tech, the possibilities of furthering your career is really up to you.

I value a person who is willing to work hard. Do not misunderstand, I like to have downtime when we can, but when it is time to work, let us all pitch in and get it accomplished. Having a good work ethic has helped me to succeed in all aspects of my life; work, education, family, so I believe it is one of the most important qualities one can have.

My family is most important to me; however, I know I'm a hard worker and I do like to work extra. For example, there have been many times that I put my career in front of my family since my children are older and self sufficient. Others that I work with have younger children so I'll volunteer to stay late if needed. Doing this will sometimes make me feel like a bad mother and wife, but on the other hand when I get a vacation or time off, I enjoy time with my family! I think it makes our time together even more meaningful and I strive to give them my undivided attention.