PHIL ARROYO -- Working

HE IS

The guy who started off as the hospital dishwasher and ended up as the

supervisor of radiology

STARTING OUT

In August, Arroyo will celebrate 25 years as an employee of the

Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, a place where he

has become a fixture for the past quarter of a century.

After graduating from Marina High School in 1975, Arroyo began

attending Golden West College with plans to become a doctor. At the time,

Arroyo recalls that his chemistry lab partner was working as a dishwasher

at the hospital.

“I was a biology major planning to go to medical school, so my lab

partner, Stuart, thought it would be a great opportunity for me to be in

a hospital environment and see how things worked,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo applied and soon joined his friend behind the hospital sinks.

But it wasn’t all fun and intrigue according to Arroyo. He soon realized

he had entered an adult world.

“It was very professional,” he said.

CHANGING PATHS

For the next year, Arroyo continued to attend Golden West while

supporting himself by working at the hospital.

But he found himself increasingly beguiled by the world in which he

worked. So his next step was to look within the hospital for a position

in a field he wanted to be in.

After weighing various options, Arroyo applied for and was accepted in

the position of radiology transport assistant. His duties included

transferring patients from the nursing floors to radiology and back to

nursing floors.

Eventually, Arroyo decided he wanted to become a radiologic

technologist -- someone who performs exams for the radiologist to

interpret.

THE SUPER

Now with a definitive direction, Arroyo continued his education at

Orange Coast College. He continued to work at the hospital and eventually

earned his associate’s degree in radiologic technology.

Arroyo achieved his goal of becoming a radiologic technologist and

surpassed it. Arroyo, now 42, is a supervisor of radiology.

Arroyo is a man who loves what he does. He has been known to go beyond

the call of duty, once taking a patient’s two children to the beach so

they could try surfing for the first time

“I love my job because it’s exciting being under pressure,” he said.

“You get an incredible amount of satisfaction just completing a busy day,

and to top it all off, it often becomes all the more gratifying when a

patient thanks you for your hard work.”

PERSONAL LIFE

Arroyo has a 10-year-old son, Philip Jr., and is married to Diana,

whom he met at the hospital, where she worked as an intensive care unit

nurse.

-- Story by Torus Tammer; photo by xxxxx