Nivia Fontanez is a licensed radiology technologist from the Bronx, New York, whose career reflects the importance of professional growth, dedication, and finding satisfaction in meaningful work.
Fontanez holds a bachelor’s degree in radiology, a New York State radiology technologist license, and a contrast injection license. Her professional experience includes X-ray imaging, CT scans, and bone density examinations. In 2025, she received a Best Technologist Award in recognition of her work.
One of the most significant periods of her career came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she worked on the front lines of healthcare. The experience exposed her to an unusually demanding environment and reinforced the importance of teamwork, attention to detail, and remaining flexible when circumstances change.
For Fontanez, professional success involves more than earning qualifications or becoming comfortable with technical procedures. She believes experience should encourage continued learning and a greater understanding of the responsibilities involved in patient care.
Her work across different imaging procedures has also taught her that familiarity does not eliminate the need for careful judgment. Every examination requires attention to established protocols and the patient’s individual circumstances.
Outside healthcare, Fontanez enjoys traveling, reading, and personal growth. She values interests that let her experience life beyond her professional responsibilities.
Her perspective on success is practical. It involves taking pride in her career, continuing to develop her skills, and making time for the experiences that matter to her personally.
How has your definition of success changed over the years?
When I was younger, I thought success was mostly about reaching a certain point in life. You finish your education, establish yourself in a career, and eventually feel like you’ve accomplished what you set out to do.
I see it differently now. I have a bachelor’s degree in radiology, a radiology technologist license, and a contrast injection license. I’m proud of those accomplishments because they represent work and commitment.
But I don’t think success means reaching a point where you have nothing left to learn. I’m still developing professionally, and there are still things I want to experience outside my career.
These days, I think success is being able to appreciate what you’ve accomplished without feeling like you have to stop growing.
What professional accomplishment means the most to you?
I take pride in working in radiology, especially because of the responsibilities involved.
I work with X-rays, CT scans, and bone density imaging. Each type of examination requires different knowledge, and you have to understand the procedures you’re performing.
Receiving a Best Technologist Award in 2025 meant a lot because recognition in your profession is always encouraging. You spend most of your working days focused on what needs to be done, not on whether someone is noticing your efforts.
It’s nice when that work is acknowledged, but I also know recognition doesn’t mean I can be less attentive to my responsibilities.
How did working through COVID-19 affect your perspective on success?
Working on the front lines during COVID-19 made me think differently about what it means to do your job well.
Healthcare was dealing with an extraordinary situation. There was uncertainty, changing guidance, and a lot of concern about safety.
During that period, success wasn’t necessarily about accomplishing something impressive. Sometimes it meant getting through a difficult workday while still meeting your responsibilities.
I also became more aware of how much healthcare depends on people working together. No department operates completely independently, and that becomes especially obvious when the entire system is under pressure.
I don’t think every difficult experience needs to become an inspirational story. Some things are simply hard. But that period gave me a greater appreciation for stability, teamwork, and the people who continue doing important work without much public attention.
What is something about your profession that people might not expect?
I think people sometimes assume that medical imaging becomes predictable once you’ve performed enough examinations.
You certainly become more comfortable with the equipment and procedures, but that doesn’t mean every situation is identical.
For example, two patients might arrive for the same type of X-ray, but one may have difficulty with positioning because of pain or limited mobility. You still need to follow the examination requirements while considering the person’s circumstances.
I find that part of the work interesting because experience doesn’t eliminate the need to think.
To me, success in a technical profession means knowing your responsibilities while staying aware that every situation deserves attention.
How do you stay motivated when your work becomes repetitive?
I don’t expect every workday to be exciting. Radiology has routine responsibilities, as most professions do.
What helps me stay interested is recognizing that I work across different types of imaging. CT scans, X-rays, and bone density examinations all involve different considerations.
I also try to remain open to learning. Technology changes, procedures develop, and sometimes you have to adjust a familiar way of working.
That can be frustrating. Nobody enjoys feeling like a beginner when they’re already experienced at something.
But I would rather keep learning than reach a point where I assume I already know everything.
What role does your personal life play in your definition of success?
A big one. I enjoy traveling, reading, and having time to myself.
I take my career seriously, but I don’t want healthcare to be the only thing that defines me.
Travel is particularly important because I enjoy experiencing places outside my usual routine. I don’t need every trip to be elaborate or filled with activities. Sometimes I just appreciate being somewhere different.
I’ve also learned that not every free moment needs to be productive. If I want to spend an afternoon reading or doing something simple, I don’t think I should have to justify it.
For me, having the freedom to enjoy those things is part of being successful.
What advice would you give someone who is still trying to figure out what success means to them?
I would tell them not to measure their life entirely against someone else’s accomplishments.
It’s easy to look at what other people are doing and feel like you should be further ahead. But you don’t always know what someone else has experienced or what they had to give up to get where they are.
I think it’s important to have goals, but it’s also worth asking whether those goals reflect what you actually want.
Success should include things that make your everyday life worthwhile, not just accomplishments that sound impressive when you explain them to someone else.
I’m proud of my career, and I want to continue growing in it. But I also want to enjoy my life outside work.
To me, being able to do both is a meaningful kind of success.