Paula Eatman

I say my success stems from the training that I got early in my career, training that I don't think a lot of companies really devote the amount of training that somebody should have when going into claims handling. That early foundation gave me the knowledge and skills I needed to excel in this field and handle the complex responsibilities that come with workers' compensation claims management.

The best career advice I've ever received is to leave it at the office and try not to take your work home with you. Your family has to come first - they are your priority. Even when days are hectic and there's so much going on, your family has to be first, and you know, it's gonna work itself out, no matter what. Not everything is so earth-shattering that you have to put everything on hold.

I would say educate yourself and always keep an open mind. The fact is that things do change on a regular basis, and no two things are the same. You do have gut feelings, but for the most part, you have to accept what's being told to you. If you don't have proof of something, then it's just somebody spreading gossip, so take things for face value. Keep yourself educated on the industry and the changes that are going through. Share your knowledge with each other - that's a big one. Talk to your colleagues and educate even your injured workers and your employers. It makes things a lot smoother when you are all on the same page.

One of the biggest challenges is EDI - electronic data interchange with the state. It continues to be a huge challenge. We're a small company, so we do everything in-house, and when that EDI doesn't get accepted from the beginning, it becomes challenging to get it corrected with the state in a timely manner. As for opportunities, there are a lot of them in this field. If you're looking to get into this career, you could come in as a trainee and work your way up. Really, the sky's the limit. You can become a risk manager or a claims manager. It's such a vast amount of knowledge that if claims isn't your thing but you find an interest in perhaps the legal side of it, you could move into doing paralegal work or continue education to become an attorney. There's just so many different avenues. If medical is more your thing and maybe not claims, you can work your way into working for a medical office or a billing company because you have the medical knowledge you've learned from this field. There are opportunities galore.

Honesty is most important to me - staying true to yourself and to your word. If you say you're gonna do something, you do it. You just approach everything in personal life and in professional life with the utmost honesty and respect for each person. These values guide how I interact with everyone, whether it's in my work with injured workers and employers or in my personal relationships.