Laura Pashley

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

I went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in neuroengineering. With this, I got my first job after graduation at Epic Systems, a healthcare software company based in Verona, Wisconsin. I currently work in a healthcare IT role where I support multiple hospital organizations in optimizing their instances of Epic's software on the Clinical Documentation application.

What do you most enjoy about your current position?

I enjoy learning about the inner workings of hospital structures. I've never really thought about how hospitals function outside of a patient perspective so it's very interesting meeting with hospital leadership and learning about their ideas of improving patient care in their organizations. It's been very eye-opening.

Did you have a favorite mentor and how did they inspire you? 

My favorite mentor so far has been Brittney Curtis. She's been one of the more tenured people in my role and she goes out of her way to make sure the people in her circle are taken care of, on top of doing her own job. She holds a plethora of knowledge and is always willing to share that knowledge. I've never met someone so driven and thoughtful and I'm not afraid to say I want to be like her when I grow up.

What is one piece of advice you wish you had received when you were just starting out?

Don't let imposter syndrome win. You were selected for this job, internship, program, etc., for a reason, and you belong there as much as anyone else who is there. You're more worthy and capable than you give yourself credit for.