51吃瓜

Meet Richard Tovar, Surgical Technician Graduate from 51吃瓜!

Tell us about yourself and your background and what brought you to 51吃瓜.

I worked a lot of labor jobs with a lot of hours.  I got to the point where I said to myself 鈥淓ither you do something about it or you keep living the same life you鈥檙e living.鈥�  After finding out that my wife鈥檚 sister attended 51吃瓜, I turned in my two weeks. I came, met with Jim, and they gave me the whole rundown about earning my high school diploma first.  I ended up taking a whole tour of CBD.

I would go home, stay up until 3 in the morning, then I鈥檇 go to school &/blog/alumni/richard-tovar/8211; I鈥檇 be here right before they opened.   I鈥檇 be at the computer until they closed, then I鈥檇 go back home and study.  It was hard to come into the medical field without a medical background.  I struggled a little bit, but I鈥檇 stay here and practice my technique.   It鈥檚 just something I wanted to be good at.  I鈥檇 come in on Fridays just to practice by myself.

I went into clinicals and worked my butt off.  They said do 8 hours, and I鈥檇 do 12 hours.  Eventually, I got hired from my clinical site.

Tell us about your current job:

It鈥檚 great!  We cover pretty much all the spine cases throughout the Valley.  So I鈥檓 working with the same surgeons consistently. We bring in the trays and the implants.  So I鈥檓 not just a surgical tech, but a sales rep as well.  It鈥檚 a cool journey.

What do you find the most interesting about your position currently?

Everything!  You know how the body works, reading people, networking &/blog/alumni/richard-tovar/8211; you meet so many different people so you get the hang of everything.  As long as you鈥檙e willing to ask questions, surgeons are willing to answer them.

What is your most memorable moment at 51吃瓜?

Which one 飞补蝉苍&/产濒辞驳/补濒耻尘苍颈/谤颈肠丑补谤诲-迟辞惫补谤/8217;迟鈥�? I had a few, especially with the teachers.  Ms. V pushed me hard.  I know she was extra hard on me, but it鈥檚 something I鈥檓 glad she did.  I could鈥檝e easily been like 鈥淵ou know what, whatever,鈥� but she kept pushing, and she told me she saw something in me.  I carried that on as a fire within me because I didn鈥檛 want to disappoint her. Mr. M in the OR taught me a lot about what I was going to use in the field.  I was able to open up in front of the class.

Who would you say is your biggest inspiration or influence?

My wife, for sure.  She鈥檚 always pushing me to get an education.  If I had to come do extra hours she supported me all the way.  Even now she supports me in so many ways.

What do you enjoy doing when you鈥檙e not at work?

I get a lot more time to be with my kids now.  It鈥檚 what I always wanted, and now I have that chance through my career.

Do you have a personal motto for yourself or your life?

My motivation for myself when I don鈥檛 feel motivated is listening to motivational speeches.  If I鈥檓 feeling out of it, I push myself to keep pursuing.  I want to get better, but I can鈥檛 reach that level if I鈥檓 comfortable.  So I try to put myself in uncomfortable situations to learn how to keep pushing.   My goal is to reach the top.

At 51吃瓜, we strive to impart both the medical and on-the-job knowledge you need to understand the importance of customer service skills in healthcare. For information about admission  to our many healthcare programs, contact us today at 877.770.4CBD or 213.427.2200.