Graduate Spotlight – Rey PJ Celiz – Diagnostic Medical Sonography

 

Tell us more about yourself, your background and what brought you to CBD College.

My name is Rey PJ Celiz and I am one of the most recent graduates from the DMS program at CBD College. I am an RVT as well as an RDMS both in Abdomen and OB/GYN. I sat and passed both Abdomen and OB/GYN registries sixty days before I completed my externship, and became an RVT a week before our graduation last month. I have always wanted to be in the healthcare industry since I was kid but I didn’t know which specific field I wanted to be in. So when a friend of mine, who works as a Rad Tech at Kaiser Permanente, told me about sonography, I researched it and was fascinated by its wide scope – abdomen, small parts, obstetrics and gynecology, vascular, echo, MSK, etc. I decided to go to CBD College because it is the only CAAHEP-accredited school in Los Angeles which is very important when deciding to get into the field of sonography.

 

What were the most useful classes you took?  The  most fun?

All of the major classes which include Ultrasound Physics, Abdominal and Small Parts, OB/GYN and Vascular Sonography as well as patient care classes were very useful. I really enjoyed both Abdomen and Vascular classes because my instructors were great. They made learning enjoyable and easy to understand which is crucial for someone like me who does not have prior experience in the medical field.

 

Tell us about the clinical portion of your experience.

I did my clinical externship at Adventist Health White Memorial which is a teaching hospital and a level II trauma center near Downtown Los Angeles. Lionel, who is the lead sonographer at White, believes that the best way for students to learn is by performing the exams like an actual ultrasound tech – from reviewing the patient’s clinical history to setting up the room, interacting with the patient, performing the exam and writing the preliminary report. In fact, I was scanning and performing exams on my own on my first week. At White, I have learned and performed various ultrasound-related diagnostic procedures which include abdominal, obstetrics and gynecology, small parts, MSK, fetal head and vascular studies as well as ultrasound-guided exams for all patients ranging from ER, inpatient, outpatient, ICU, labor and delivery, pediatrics, acute and sub-acute units. I am blessed to have learned all of these from the amazing sonographers, whom I consider my mentors, at White Memorial.

 

Tell us about your current job/opportunities.

I was recently hired as an Ultrasound Technologist at a 369-bed hospital in South LA. I thank Alex, our program director, and Debi and Patty, sonographers at White, for letting me practice before coming in for my panel and scanning interviews. I will be starting later this month and I am very excited for this opportunity where I can apply all the knowledge and techniques I have learned from both school and my externship site and further develop my skills as a registered sonographer.

 

How did CBD College prepare you for your current career?

CBD helped me by being CAAHEP-accredited. This means that it went through and passed a rigorous process to assess the program’s quality of education and compliance to industry standards. These assessments are conducted on an ongoing basis and CBD has consistently met the standards, which assures that its students are prepared and become successful as they enter their chosen health care field. This, along with the excellent instructors at CBD and my extensive clinical training at White, have surely prepared me for my new job.

 

If I choose CBD College as a student, what advice do you have for my time here?

My advice is to study hard and take advantage of all the services CBD has to offer. When the going gets tough, always go back to the reason why you entered your respective program in the first place. With the right intentions, everything will go smoothly and accordingly. Also, become registered in at least one specialty as soon as you can while continuously honing your scanning skills. This will not only look good on your resume but it will also help you stand out from other new grads, which will help you land that first job. Good luck!