My name is Christian Gardner and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native. I am a senior in the rad tech program at FranU. Currently, I work at a local restaurant while I am in school. I have been in the industry since I was fourteen and a chef for twenty plus years. I have an 11-year-old son that starts junior high this year.
I chose to switch careers for many different reasons. I always thought X-ray was interesting. Working as a chef I would get no holidays, weekends, or much free time to spend with my son at all. Being a sole parent, this was becoming a problem. Working in the kitchen is a rough job. I saw a documentary about how X-ray was used to help a family determine how their son was murdered stemming from child abuse. I started researching and discovered how important X-ray is when it comes to medical diagnostics. I was hooked. Without X-rays we would be unable to diagnose a variety of medical conditions and injuries.
When I graduate, I really just want to take my career as far as I can. I want to learn as much as possible. CT, MRI, and radiation therapy would be on the top of the list. While I’m in school I’m just taking everything day by day. Learning X-ray is challenging all by itself.
Check out Off the Record’s interview with Christian from FranU below: