HTM On The Line with BRYANT HAWKINS SR.
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HTM On The Line with BRYANT HAWKINS SR.
Representation, Resilience And Real Talk
What happens when your career collides with your calling? In this power-packed episode of HTM On The Line, Bryant Hawkins Sr. sits down with HTM powerhouse Jose Zambrano, better known as “Jay-Z”, for a real, raw and unforgettable conversation.
From his early days fixing dialysis machines to mentoring the next generation of techs, Jose shares the defining moments that transformed a job into a lifelong mission. They talk about grief, grit and growth, about building real pipelines for underrepresented communities, and about how true success is defined not by what you do, but by how you make people feel.
Whether you’re a seasoned HTM professional or someone discovering this industry for the first time, this episode is your wake-up call. Get ready to be challenged, inspired and reconnected with your purpose.
Topics Covered:
- Why personal pain can unlock professional purpose
- HTM myths that need to die
- Mentorship that transcends titles
- Building representation and lasting impact
- The power of showing up with compassion
Listen in and remember: This work saves lives, and so can your voice.
Big thanks to our podcast partners: College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, A.M. BICKFORD, INC., UptimeServices, PM BIOMEDICAL, GMC Healthcare Solutions and Talent Exclusive. Your support keeps the HTM mission alive!
Want to support more stories like this? Visit ElevateHTM.com , this is just the beginning.
There are moments in life when you stop and realize that what you do isn't a job, it's a mission. Today, you're not just tuning into another episode. You're stepping into a conversation that could change how you see the work you do, the purpose you carry and the people you impact. Welcome to HTM On the Line. I'm your host, bryant Hawkins Sr, and today I'm joined by my man whose name carries weight in this field, but whose story carries even more Jose Sembrano, a technician turned mentor, a leader born from pain, perseverance and purpose. This isn't just about HTM. This is about heart, about hope, about holding the line with good friend of mine who needs no introduction, mr Jose Zambrano, affectionately known as Jay-Z. How you doing today, jose?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great.
Speaker 1:B Thank you for asking. I'm glad we finally can get together, man. It's been a long time coming. But let's see, I'm going to ask you some questions, man, and we just roll with it as we normally do. Just think of us sitting in the lobby at one of the shows talking, that's right, having a good time. So tell me this then. I mean, you're very, you're very strong in the HTM community. What moment made you say HTM is where I belong? Wow, too deep for you this early, not at all?
Speaker 2:Not at all. There's so many moments that it caused that definition. However, for sure, I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and I was actually working at the factory on the equipment, on the chemo dialysis machines. And back then I was just a young'un, right and pushing the boundaries, trying to do the best that I could, and I didn't realize what those machines did for people. And as a kid again, I was just. It was a job I needed to provide benefits and stability for my brand new family, and it was great. It was challenging and it was great, it was challenging. It was learning so much more. But when it hit personally, the person that took care of me when I was young a person I looked up to, a strong woman, was deteriorating because of diabetes. It was hard, it was really hard. And then when I was told that she was going to need dialysis, it hit me like a boulder. And that's when my job truly became a career and a mission to learn the therapy Because, as you know, you're learning the technical aspects of equipment. Learning the technical aspects of equipment, However, you don't see the patient side of it.
Speaker 2:Until something like that happens to you, until your kid goes into the ER until your kid is born in an OR room, when your kid, you know closely, cuts his foot off. And these are all instances. I'm not making these things up. These are things that happen when you become part of that patient world and you realize all of those things you are doing or had been doing make that world work. And you realize, as we all say right, we all go in to a room and you see all those stickers and how many people are in the background doing the work. Those are the things that happen to make you realize, and for me it was that defining moment of my grandmother, bless her soul, and that mission is still live and kicking today.
Speaker 1:Wow, man, that's amazing that I had something similar not the grandmother, but I worked in dialysis for eight years and watching those patients come in and get on those machines, that's what made me become more affirmed that this is what we should be doing. And it's life-saving work, because when you're on a dialysis machine it's tough. Some be on there suffering, some are on there, well it's just. It's a different world when you see it up up in front. But then you had an actual family member, so that made it even more real to you, that's right.
Speaker 2:I had an office I'm sorry to interrupt, but we had an office in the Lake Elsinore clinic and my front door was literally, you know, right there to the front door coming in. So I, a lot of the patients, would just knock and say, hey, I'm just curious, what do you do here? I'm the supervisor of the, of the crew that keeps all these machines running. I say I oversee this county, that county, this county. I have a team of people that literally take care of all of the equipment for you guys. And then that newfound appreciation for what we did, uh, would kick in and they would ask you know, that same exact, um, curiosity Well, do you think I can get my grandson in here? And it brings that HTM uh discussion, you know, of what it takes to get there, Uh, but uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I built a lot of good relationships with a lot of patients and it's very tough, man, because that you find people and you lose people.
Speaker 2:That's the reality of that dialysis world. You know one minute they're there and another time they're not, and it's so tough to see so many patients literally lined up in chairs doing this treatment that if they don't do it, they pass. They graduate from earth. But it's a difficult therapy. You need it, but at the same time, I always equate it to running a marathon versus taking the walk. So if your kidneys are working properly, you're taking a walk for 48 hours. Now imagine taking that same distance and shortening it into four hours. Of course your body's going to feel it, but yeah, it's a very difficult therapy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now let's change shifts gears a little bit. Jay-z. You know we got our Jay-Z in the HTM industry. Jay-z and B-Hawk, there we go. So, jay-z, tell me this um, I saw this picture of you I think it was temecula in the expo that I loved and I actually used in the video. You was talking to a circle of guys y'all could have been talking about a baseball game or a dinner, I don't know. It looked like you was in a mentor mode. So I say that to ask you was there someone who believed in you early in your HTM journey? And if there is someone, who was it and how did that impact you?
Speaker 2:wow. The first one I can think of was, right away um, his name is norbert norbert sturzinger, and he was my production line uh director and I, as I told you, challenging the processes. Right, we can do this better. Hey, let's, let's change this up, I can get this done in half the time. And he was the first one to really take into me and he was like hey, there's a reason why we have these procedures. I need you to slow it down and if you really want to do something, we need to do this outside. Don't, don't challenge your, your direct supervisor or your manager. You know we can take some time. And so, uh, he was the first one to really guide me into doing things properly and, uh, no, do you have anybody else you want to add to that?
Speaker 2:Oh, most definitely, I mean it's let's do one more.
Speaker 1:We don't do 20 of them oh, totally.
Speaker 2:the next one would be Peter Ortega. He was my lead technician at Ontario Medical Center. He's the one that brought me into my current employer, he I actually did a service call for him on a water treatment system. It was just a power switch, not a big deal, but it was in an isolation room and you know, I told him, okay, if I don't do it today, I'm not coming back till. You know, maybe next week or whatever it was. And by the time he went and asked the charge nurse, I had already communicated with the room nurse, the dialysis nurse. I was already gowned up inside the room taking care of the switch and he was the one that said hey, you're coming, you're coming with me.
Speaker 1:There you go. Let's just do this right quick, jay-z, yep, name me by name. Give me all your names, man. Give them all a shout out right quick, all the ones you think that really put in you, that really gave you that belief that you can do this. You know, give some shout outs, you know, let them hear themselves being acknowledged. Sometimes we don't give flowers to people enough, so go and give them some flowers.
Speaker 2:Wow, so many people throughout. Of course, the current ones, right, the Jessica Barrows of the world that lead with that heart, some of the leaders that I have currently that just grind it out and don't recognize themselves, right, and Mr Tom Cagliaro, marlene Davis my gosh, my, my current senior, sean Donlan, craig Finley all of the ones that have just really cemented where I need to be and how I need to do it. Ray Dela Cruz my gosh. All my CMIA cohorts, my Lord they have been. You know, dan Adams congratulated me the other day and I'm thinking to myself my man, I'm just doing following your footsteps. You know, dan Adams congratulated me the other day and I'm thinking to myself my man, I'm just doing following your footsteps. You know everything.
Speaker 2:When I was, when I came into CMA and I saw what they were doing and getting awards and speaking, and I was like I want to do that, what does it take? And I would literally ask and study and see what and guess what. You know, I just started checking things one by one. So so many people throughout that journey that have molded that path for me um, natter, and the same thing, uh, so many people within the CMI industry. That's what has expanded my narrow view. That was just at the, at the clinics and the hospitals so many people I honestly be I could sit here for a good 45 minutes.
Speaker 1:That's what I was about to say Let me, let me, let me, let me chime in there. That's right. Yeah, Now you mentioned about CMI cohorts and CMIA members and y'all have a huge CMIA movement out that way and y'all have a close eye on the industry and the inside and the growth. So let me just ask you this question. I know a lot of people say where do they see things going on in the next five to 10, what do you think HTM professionals must pay attention to in the next, let's just say, five years? What do you think we need to start paying attention to?
Speaker 2:We need to continue evolving, and what I mean by that is continue using the technology that's available. Using the technology that's available, our meetings. The way CMIA started was just a few people grabbing some drinks and a pizza and sitting down talking about work. And then it became official and they started making things happen and we just blew up from there to what it is today. However, it's very geographical. That's why we have so many chapters, right, but the same thing happens and every HTMA that you talk to, they could tell you the same things.
Speaker 2:I started and this is our group, and you get a nice clique of people that just are driving together and talking and we have a great crew, but then we move the meeting, you know, 10 miles north, and now people from down south don't want to come, or west east or another county. Hey, I want to try this over here. Yeah, let's go support you, and then you just lost half of the other uh geographics from that area. And that's the difficult part is trying to bring them all together. Um, that's where that CMIA connect really brings us all, because then at that point, all of us from the South, when it's up North, we go up north, or vice versa. They come down towards, typically, san Diego, and it's just a great time to be together, because not only you're learning, you're continuing that network. That's where the focus needs to be Go ahead.
Speaker 1:So that's where the CMI Connect comes from the name.
Speaker 2:That is correct.
Speaker 1:Okay, I was wondering how y'all came up with the name CMI Connect. Makes sense, though obviously Y'all have. What eight chapters now? Is it seven, eight?
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, I believe nine, because we took in, we're moving. Byron and Jason have made things happen. We added Coachella Valley. We just changed the Bay Area chapter the name because of the geographics.
Speaker 2:But, at the same token we've lost a couple the north chapter up in Northern Cal. Right, it dissolved because, same thing, they just couldn't get the geographics right. Couldn't get the geographics right. So that evolution happens organically, whether you want it or not, right, and you get people from certain hospital systems, organizations that really support it, and then they retire and maybe the next cohorts don't put in the same type of dedication. So then you get another group that steps in and says, okay, well, we're going to help out, but then they're not in the same city or area, so it changes.
Speaker 2:So evolution it's the same with business. Every business today has to evolve to their new challenges, their new challenges, areas that they go into. And htm is no different, right? Remember way back when, when we started right, we, we were, uh, doing even some component chip level repairs. Today, no way you change out the whole board. Right, so that evolution is live. And the same thing should be with htmas. So when we had covid, right, right, switch over to Zoom. Why not continue that? Allow our membership to take that in wherever they're at. That's why I love the virtual piece of it, but there's got to be some guidelines behind it for sure.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Now let me ask you this question about the HTM industry as a whole. Let me ask you this question about the HTM industry as a whole. What do?
Speaker 2:you think is a myth about HTM. You wish more people would stop believing. The typical one is gosh, I love what you do, you know how can I get in there. But they only see the the five minutes that we're up there taking care of something or pulling something that's not working and taking it downstairs. They think, oh, that's, that's beauty, right I? Instead of me sitting here taking care of patients or transporting patients or cleaning rooms, you name it I want to do what you do, because they enamor the fact that you're only there for a few minutes and then you walk away and then you come back and it's fixed.
Speaker 2:They don't see the behind-the-scenes pictures of all of that. Right, they have no idea that you have parts downstairs, that you have to connect it to a computer to download logs, to reset it, to do the actual repair. They don't see that. They only see the few minutes of you coming in and then coming back. So that is the biggest myth that we need to dispel. So be upfront about your work. Tell them what you did. Show them that it's not magic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was exactly what I was going to say. A lot of times they may see you come up there fast, especially if it's an IV pump. You're coming up there with a replacement, so you know, but they don't understand when you take that other one back to the shop. That's right. It's a process to troubleshoot that thing. Now you mentioned technology earlier about using that with the CMRA. Now how do you see the HTM industry evolving as far as well? Actually, with AI right now and automation going on, how do you see that evolving within the industry as far as growth?
Speaker 2:It's already happening. Yes, sir, the AI is already being used for predictive maintenance. The big companies, right, the Philips, ges, they already have all that massive data. So when you can put all that data into a system, have it analyzed for you and predict, hey, here are your patterns, here's your usage patterns and here's what's going to break next at this time, that is true preventive maintenance.
Speaker 2:And we lack that in a lot of equipment because it's so microprocessor control and therefore they only tell you, well, check this, check that, and that's your maintenance. Well, that's not true preventive. You're just checking that. It's still within limits, but we lack some of that preventive, true preventive maintenance. You knowing, coming from the dialysis world, those are true PMs man, you are rebuilding, you are replacing, you are calibrating, because those things drift, those things break, not like some of this microprocessor control stuff that has so many function checks within those first 45 seconds to a minute, yes, and it self-diagnoses itself. So we we've grown into this field where a lot of these checks are just that, verification checks, but they're not true preventive.
Speaker 2:So when you can get AI to give you that, hey, that knob is going to go out, um, around this time, and if you can catch it before then. That's that's true, and that you can scale that to everything. Right, because, as you know, like you said, infusion pumps right, what's the what's the biggest thing that breaks on infusion pumps? And that's wherever they're being touched, right, whatever button gets pressed the most, guess what? That's what's going to break. Right, if that door gets open 10 times a day, that's what's going to break. So, getting that predictive maintenance analysis to be done by AI, that's gold. So, when you have a massive database with all that already in there, you already have it. All you got to do is bring in AI to analyze your data. It'll spit out all kinds of things for you.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Now how long have you been in the industry now?
Speaker 2:You're going to date me here, man. You're going to date me here. We're all dated. If you count, oh gosh. If you count, oh gosh. 94 is when I finished my electronics technology certificate from Solano community out there in Fairfield. So yeah, it's going to be all right, let's call it. Let's call it 95. So let's call it an even 30. 30 years, 30 plus years.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh man, congrats. But okay, in those 30 years I was sitting here for my next question. That's why I asked that In those 30 years there's no doubt you've mentored tons of people. Now we may have some young kids listening to us right now. What's one lesson you always try to pass down to someone you mentor? One lesson Don't go through. I mean you got a hundred of them, but what's that one lesson you would always try to pass down?
Speaker 2:Wow, the one lesson would be and I'm going to I'm going to go back in and talk about a quote that I that has really impacted my life from Maya Angelou, I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel, and that is the lesson that I try to teach people all the time. When you are a technician and you leave that clinical person upset, you did something wrong you need to realize that they also have a huge challenge behind them. They're trying to be compassionate to someone else's loved one and that challenge that infusion pump, that defibrillator, that sequential machine did not work and they're upset because they were trying to take care of that patient. You need to have that same compassion. You need to show them that you care, that you're going to take care of their problem when you leave them feeling protected and that you're going to repair that and whatever else they need.
Speaker 2:Oh, can I get you to look at this keyboard, can I? You know what? I don't have a keyboard, but I'm going to put in that ticket for you. Give me one second. Let me go back to the other station and do that for you. Here you go, here's your ticket number and you put that sticker right on there so that they know that you've taken care of something else for them. When you call engineering and you say, hey, that temperature in room icu 21 needs to come down a couple notches. When you go above and beyond what's expected and you make them feel that you are part of the solution, not part of the problem that changes lives, man, and goes beyond walls, those are things that you learn that aren't part of the technical curriculum anywhere else. So those are the things you learn right on the job.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's spot on, man. You would think everyone would know that. But that is number one. That's a great lesson. Now you're in the bowman shop. We're going to play a little role. You're in the bowman shop right now and they tell you you're about to get some interns. So what advice would you give to this 19-year into your shop for the very first time, first day there?
Speaker 2:Wow, at 19,. You know the world, you, you own it, it's yours. The, the, the. The old guys don't want to do the work, so I'm here to show them up. I was that kid and I was that one that had to be talked to and said slow down. Even earlier somebody would have told me you know, talk with your ears, listen first. You don't know it, you think you do right, but talk with your ears, man. Let the ears bring everything in, and once you do that, then you can analyze what needs to be done. If you don't listen, you're not going to do the right things, and if you continue pushing your agenda instead of what needs to happen, you're going to go off on your own tangent and you're not going to hit the mark. So, as a 19-year-old, the first thing I do is always the same Sit them down, tell me a little bit about yourself. I want to know what your interests are. I want to know where your head is at and try to guide them in their own way, because everybody's different.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Now you're a sharp guy man. You're just spitting this stuff out like it's tattooed on your arm or something. How do you keep yourself so sharp, jay-z? What do you do? I mean books, people, habits. How do you keep yourself so sharp in this industry? It's been people habits. How do you keep yourself so sharp in this industry? It's been 30 plus years. How do you keep yourself sharp?
Speaker 2:My wife will tell you that I that I rob my family time all the time, which is very true, and I love her to death, and. But the reality is I'm immersed. But the reality is I'm immersed. First of all, I've learned that I've had to take care of myself better. So I now, in the morning, definitely have started a stationary bike routine, and that gets my juices flowing. But I stay involved, right, whether it's reading a manual, a technical manual, user's manual, I try to keep up with everything that's going on, and then I expand that. That helps me with work. But I expand that. That helps me with work. But I expand that into my mind. Yes, I love reading Brene Brown. Oh, my gosh man, you talk about vulnerability as a leader. You have to have it. I have been on the journey for school for six, almost seven years, which I'm finally getting to the end of, and congrats, thank you. So much. It's been that's. That's another way to talk about that one for another half hour.
Speaker 2:But in the CMIA, right, the people that I work with, i't. They don't work for me, I work for them. That is that to me. That is my definition of being a leader. The manager is just a title man, it's it's. You don't have to have a title to be a leader. So if you're a technician, in in your, in your shop and you've got the ability to lead, it comes out. When it's a flag day, you go buy that bag of US flags and you hand them out Again. You bring that people side to work. That's it, man. That's what it's about when you are inspired and you turn around and you give that back. That's what CMIA is about. Right, you're teaching the next generation all of these passions that you have, that you've been taught and now you're passing them down to somebody else. Been taught and now you're passing them down to somebody else.
Speaker 1:That's what it's about. It's deeply noted. I mean, you sent me a picture of one of your own Captain Gone pictures and I noticed a lot of cultural things on some of the um, that's right. What's the word? The stole? So, as someone with a unique cultural perspective, what does representation in HTM mean to you?
Speaker 2:Bro, you're just putting on all the strings. Today, man, I I have you seen the made in China stickers and on on so many things that we wear today, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes.
Speaker 2:Well, I was made in Mexico, my father's from Guatemala and went to Mexico, met my mom and, lo and behold, they got married, had a rough time. Brother and I were born down there, and when we were close to 10 years old we came to the United States, san Francisco, california. Boy, what a wake up call, man, wow. So my cultural journey started with all of that, you know, learning what I thought was a great life in Mexico. And then coming to the US, and Thriller was huge. Right, mj, wow, and got to learn that. And what's this music about? And heck, even what we now know as the LGBTQ plus community, right, was huge in San Francisco. And that was to me, was like my gosh, there's a whole world completely different than what I knew. Heck, my first basketball man, we, the boys and girls club down there in San Francisco, you know, we, we just couldn't get enough. And we, we used to play on a, on a no parking sign. Right, that was our hoop when they were closed. And that kid man, that kid that just had that passion for life and wanted to ride bikes like other kids. As an immigrant man, you don't have much, you know. You just do what you can and you're living with family until your folks can better their life.
Speaker 2:Today, fast forward these 30 years. The HCM life has transformed in so many ways. My kids have no idea what I went through and I don't put it on them, you know, because that's not theirs. I appreciate my parents being immigrants and coming in and changing our life, because that is truly what happened. It was for us, it wasn't for them because they had good lives down there.
Speaker 2:But today the HCM world did the same thing for me. I have you name it, bro. You know, between vehicles, homes, states that I've worked in. The htm life gave me all of that. So it is possible. Uh, you start out as a technician, brand new, and you're like, oh, I can barely scrape things by. Yeah, you're right, but prove yourself. You know, get in, get in there, get in there wholeheartedly. You will make it. They'll pay for your school if you need to Do it, just to go in 110%. This will change your life, the life around the people, the lives of the people around you, the lives of the people around you and eventually, your, your offspring, your kids. It'll give them a way better life than you had.
Speaker 1:Well said, man. Now about to get a little deeper. How can HTM, in your opinion, do better at building pipelines for underrepresented youths, inner city youths and professionals, in your opinion, yeah, getting the word out there is essential.
Speaker 2:That's where that elevate HTM just is another string. Right that that, that that that rings strong. You have to get out there. When there's a career day at any of the schools, it doesn't matter if it's a elementary school or or a college day, a college career fair you got to get in there, just go in there. Had this talk with Danielle many years back and said know your audience, right, that's where do you think the spark from her HTM presentations came from? Because that is it right, you present the same thing, but you're going to deliver the message differently to a young kid versus a college student. You're going to tell them the same things, but you're going to give it and deliver the message more appropriately to each age bracket.
Speaker 2:Getting in there is key. It doesn't matter what it is. You could be inspiring somebody. That again, you're just talking or being you. You're getting your eye exam and they learn that you're finishing school or doing something like that, and you're inspiring somebody else. Same thing with HTM, right, I was at a graduation and what do you do? Oh, you know what? I should really talk to my grandson about that. Yes, you're right, you should, if they've got that analytical brain and they like working with the hands. Htm is perfect. You bring both sides of it. You challenge the, the, the mind and the physical aspect at the same time. That's what young people want to hear and see and do. So, when they can be inspired that they can do what you're doing. Uh, that's gold man, that's, that's, that's platinum.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, cause, like you said, man, um, when you came to the States you was unaware of all the great things going on. And honestly, you see that, because I mean numbers are facts, I mean HTM is 90% white and it's not a race issue, it's an exposure issue. So those pipelines, as you mentioned, has to be made. I mean it's. When I talk to kids, it's amazing how I mean not even kids, adults, right, literally do not know what we do. Right, it's mind boggling, honestly, because I guess we're around it all the time. So our families do, but the population out there doesn't have a clue. But the population out there doesn't have a clue. And so it's like, and it's not just a race as far as I mean, no matter who you talk to, they don't know, but we just are underrepresented in our areas because they don't have.
Speaker 1:We used to grow up with police officers, firemen, doctor, nurse. You know that was the only one they told us we can do. That's right, you know. But now we have options and I think it's going to continue to grow as people as yourself continue to do what you do. It's going to, it's going to continue to get better because it has no choice, that's right.
Speaker 1:Now I'm going to ask you this question, jay Z, jose Sombrano. When someone says that, 10 years from now in the HTM industry, what do you hope they're saying? When they say, jose Sombrano, what you hope follows after that.
Speaker 2:I want to, in the same way that I feel that I'm giving back on the HTM side, I want to give back on this educational journey that I've been on. So I would love to turn this into Jose Zambrano was my educator, jose Zambrano was my educator, jose Zambrano was my teacher. And if I can combine these two worlds right the teaching and HTM together and continue to do both of those passions of mine Because I love teaching somebody else what I know from the technical perspective, right and if I can now become the true instructor and bring that HTM passion as well as the TM passion as well as the the teaching aspect of it, I would love that I would be in my uh and not casket Cause in my urn. I would be smiling from year to year because I know that I not just inspired them, but now I'll also taught them to do what they, what they can do, to to really elevate themselves.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause he could see that. That's amazing. You said that because that's needed too. I'll guarantee you, if you took a poll of instructors, how many of them look like you. So we need people. We need so many different layers of things to get this industry in the way we want it to be. We need somebody to get them to the classroom. Then we need somebody to, once they get to the classroom. We need somebody there in the classroom that can also be the inspiration to them. Exactly right.
Speaker 2:Every time that answer comes in right. When people ask how do I get in? It's a tough one. It's not an easy answer. You don't just apply and you get in. It's a tough one. It's not an easy answer. You don't just apply and you get in. No, you have to build those things in, you have to work at those things and that's schooling right, because you can go to a certificate program, but that's not going to get you into a hospital, direct hospital job, and a lot of kids get disappointed. I tell that to the Miraacosta students that come out by the way. Shout out to Dr Smootman, because he is truly just an inspiration as well, and when I, when I talk to his students, that's the first thing I say don't give up on this dream. You are being taught by excellent mentors here.
Speaker 2:However, when you're going to come to my hospital, this is not going to be your first job. So if you apply, you're not even going to make it to me. My talent acquisition will screen you out because you don't have the minimum qualifications. You're going to have to do some work. This work at this organization. They want you to elevate and even though we have close to minimal qualifications, that's still not enough. I go through this every day, man. My applicants excuse me, sorry, my applicants come in with minimum 10, 15, 20 years experience. They've already done the work somewhere else. So do you think a certificate program graduate with no experience has a chance? No, man, and that's such a hard truth because you know you want to inspire them to do more, but the reality is you got to do more work before I can, even before your application even gets to me. You've got to put in so much more and I don't. I'm not trying to discourage them, but I'm trying to give them the reality.
Speaker 1:Now, that's an interesting topic there, right? That may be a topic for another podcast, because it's amazing how like to get into your hospital that's required. Now you have some hospitals, maybe I guess East Coast, south North, who does apprentice programs, right?
Speaker 1:Who does certificate programs. I mean, I guess it's wherever the need is and that's right. That's, once again, as you mentioned, geographic. It depends, you know. But if you want to live in the area, you gotta, you gotta be flexible. If you want to live in seattle, washington, the cost of living is a little harder than it is to live in new orleans. So I guess it just that's. That's a good topic for a conversation. I have to get you and smooth on here together, man, yeah, but um, great answer. But next question I want to ask you this because I'll try to stick to a hard time, but I knew I wasn't gonna stick to it with you, but anyway, what? What keeps you fired up, man? It's been 30 plus years. What keeps you fired up about HTM? Because you be at all the shows, you part of CMIA, you furthering education. What keeps you fired up?
Speaker 2:wow, the aha moment, right when you see that that light bulb spark in somebody else, when you see that, when you're the match and they already have the gas going and you just ignited that flame for somebody else. That's what does it for me, and I know you can say the same thing. It's it's about building that next one. And, um, when you see somebody else, I have, uh, another gentleman his name is Juan Madrigal over there in, uh, in the VA in Buffalo, new York, and uh, he, he, he tells me all the time, jose, I learned so much from you on the West Coast, and now I'm doing myself here and I tell him I was like, hey, man, it's always been within you, it's always been there, it's you. You finally accepted who you are in your own mission and now you're elevating to where you could have always been.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir. Now this question here, last one, but I want you to almost how would you define I want you to maybe take this in, because it's, I guess, like a two part how would you define success in the HTM industry? And, I guess, how has your definition changed? Like, say, for instance, when you came into the industry, you might have had one way in which you thought, if I can just do this, I'll consider it a great career. But now you probably have a different definition for that Right. So how?
Speaker 2:would you go about defining success in this industry when you first came in, to how you defined it?
Speaker 2:Now, success is built upon culture and you learn your culture from, first of all, your family or your, your caretakers, and they set those definitions for you at a young age. And if education is it and you didn't hit that mark, like me, I mean again, I wrote on that certificate, not even an associate. I wrote on that for 20 plus years and I had a good career at it. But when I got stopped from becoming a leader because I didn't have the other degrees, that irked me. That's when I was like well, you're defining my success because I don't have a degree and I didn't like that at all. So it became a challenge and today now I've got three degrees right the associates, bachelors and now the masters Awesome, and success is what you make it out to be. If you want to get out there and make a difference, you're going to define what success is. If your parents tell you success is having two kids, a home and a career, you're going to go for that.
Speaker 2:With HTM. What is it? What is your drive? What is it that you want out of it? And sometimes you have to look at the people that have done it for many years. Look at that. Is it the letters behind their names, Is it the certifications, the degrees? Or is it that fact that they're speaking up? They're speaking their truth, Like Mr Bensing right, who just announced his retirement.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And look at how many people he's inspired. He challenges the status quo, the iconoclast. And you hear him speaking. You're like, wow, I wish I was that brave. And you talk to him. He's like I'm not brave, I'm a chicken, but you hear him speak and it inspires you to do that, to challenge the status quo. Don't let success be defined by others. Define your own success, find your own path and start working towards it, piece by piece that's great.
Speaker 1:now I want you to always ask this question at the end of my podcast. It's a two-fold question. I want you to talk to the young ladies in the industry, give them some encouragement, give them some advice. Just sum up what you would talk to If you're sitting in a room full of young female H&M professionals not young, just female H&M professionals what advice would you give them? Or what advice would you give them, or what encouragement would you give them?
Speaker 2:Do not let your fire be extinguished by how brash many of your male counterparts can be. Don't let that extinguish your flame, your passion. Be your true self. Realize that you're going to need that thick skin. Realize that you're going to need that thick skin that, hopefully, your siblings and family members have built into you Because, as a female, you're going to need it. You're going to need that in our industry. You're not going to allow people to penetrate that thick skin. Continue your path. Be the brave person you are. Speak up. Don't let your voice be tamed by other people's definition of what a technician should be. Bring in your whole self and don't let them extinguish your flame.
Speaker 1:Great great advice. Now, this next group I mean it's going to be this is the underrepresented group the young kids from Mexico, young African-Americans from the South. I mean all of the underrepresented. You know, what advice would you give to those that's in the industry now, probably the 10%, yeah, what advice would you give them?
Speaker 2:This industry will give you everything you need. It'll give you everything you want, but you have to work hard at it. You're also going to be misunderstood. You're also going to be misunderstood. You're also going to be labeled. However, realize that there is a vast potential for you. This industry will allow you to climb as high as you want. You just have to want it bad enough. You can turn around and see people of color, people of all shades and shapes and sizes in our industry. Find the ones that give you that right, that give you that spark, and find their secret sauce. Talk to them and then they'll help you. They'll help you build that path for you. So don't give up. Continue working hard. It can be done.
Speaker 1:Oh man, I appreciate you, so don't give up. Continue working hard. It can be done. Oh man, I appreciate you. Zay Jay-Z man, you dropped some knowledge on us today. I appreciate you, man, and anytime you want to come back on my show, you're more than welcome. Dude, thank you for taking some time with me.
Speaker 1:It was my pleasure B with me it was my pleasure B Jose reminded us today that success isn't just measured in uptime, but in the lives we touch, the voices we elevate and the futures we help unlock. This episode wasn't about equipment, it was about impact. If you're in this field, you're not invisible, you are essential. And if you ever forget that, hit play on this again. Htm is changing and with leaders like Jose, we're not just keeping up, we're building the future. Until next time, stay focused, stay faithful and never forget. We are unseen but unstoppable. I'm B Hawk. This is HTM Online. Keep elevating.
