Her Story
About Lidia
Lidia Silva serves as a clinical data abstractor for the trauma department, a role she has held for six years within a healthcare company where she has worked for 15 years total. In this position, she works from home reviewing medical records to abstract trauma-related diagnoses such as fractures and brain bleeds, along with comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension, submitting data to support hospital trauma certifications. She holds a certificate in medical billing and coding from a trade school and a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration from the University of Phoenix. Silva began her career in entry-level roles as a patient sitter and then in transport before advancing through the organization. She attributes her professional growth to a willingness to challenge herself and credits supportive managers for recognizing her capabilities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lidia
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success definitely comes from being an immigrant and seeing how hard it was for my mom to bring us over here and set me up for a better life. I've always wanted to be as successful as I can to repay that in some way, and to be an inspiration to other people. The biggest compliment is my niece starting school for medical billing and coding because she sees that I chose a good career path.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to not be afraid to challenge yourself. Working for corporations isn't easy and there are a lot of challenges, but anytime I've been overwhelmed or scared, I've been able to handle it when I got to it. I've learned to trust myself a lot more because my manager saw capability in me that I didn't see in myself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do some research on the career you're interested in before spending a lot of money on education. Talk to people in those fields if you can, try to get an entry-level position to see if it's something you're interested in. I could have gone to law school but found my passion in the medical field through hands-on work instead.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is building up experience, which isn't something that can happen overnight. You think you'll get your degree and shoot up the ranks quickly, but it takes a lot of work and time. I started as a patient sitter then transport and have worked my way up, but getting to administration still takes more time and dedication.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Continuing to learn and grow is very important to me. I always want to continue improving. Being flexible is key in healthcare because things happen, so remaining flexible and being a team player by helping different teams or picking up extra hours is essential.
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