Jordan Cadiz
Respiratory Therapist
Baylor University Medical Center
Dallas, TX USA
“Even if you’re afraid, do it anyway.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationJordan Cadiz
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I grew up in Florida and initially started my career in aerospace.
I took a brief stint in California, where I earned a certificate in patisserie and baking—while baking is my passion, I quickly realized that I didn’t enjoy it as a profession.
I moved back to Florida and continued working in aerospace.
When I moved to Texas, I didn’t find many aerospace opportunities, so I worked odd jobs while trying to figure out where I should take my career path.
I eventually got a job in an emergency room as a patient access representative—I found working in healthcare very fulfilling and decided I wanted to continue to pursue a career in that setting.
I was deciding between nursing and respiratory therapy and ultimately went with respiratory therapy because I wanted to be more specialized and work with a small subsection of the human body.
I earned my associate degree in respiratory care therapy from Midland College and worked as a respiratory therapy intern.
After graduating, I got a job as a respiratory therapist at Baylor University Medical Center.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Certification/License
Patisserie & Baking
Le Cordon Bleu
Patisserie & Baking
Le Cordon Bleu
Associate's Degree
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist
Midland College
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist
Midland College
Career
Respiratory Therapist
I help patients with respiratory concerns in a hospital setting.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Medicine
Science
Helping People
Day to Day
I work three 12-hour shifts through the week. I start the day with a department meeting, where I learn any hospital updates. Then I get my assignments. I really enjoy being assigned to the ICU. There, I'll have patients on ventilators doing breathing treatments in order to graduate to the floor. I have freedom to manage my time but I'll have specific tasks that need to get done in those time periods. For example, I may have a patient who needs to be checked every four hours for a specific need.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Try to find shadowing opportunities but don't just consider hospitals. Hospitals are great but you can also find shadowing opportunities in respiratory therapy through things like sleep studies and outpatient programs. There's a lot of variety that people don't consider because they're only focused on the hospital.
