Lily Cedeño’s Journey Back to Healthcare at American National University
This interview was conducted in Spanish and translated by Kary Alicea.
For Lily Cedeño, healthcare has always been more than a career. Originally from Ecuador, Lily is a dermatologist by profession and spent years building her life and career before moving to the United States. Although circumstances prevented her from continuing her previous career in the same way, she never lost her desire to work in healthcare or her passion for helping patients. “I missed helping and serving and figuring out what’s next with a patient,” Lily says. “That kind of interaction.”
Wanting to find a way back into healthcare while continuing to work, Lily began researching programs that would give her the flexibility she needed. She discovered American National University and found that the online schedule could fit around her work responsibilities. Just as importantly, she learned that the Medical Assistant Associate program was offered in Spanish.
“I wanted something that would be flexible for me, because I’m working and I needed time to be able to organize myself,” she explains. “It worked around my work schedule. It offered me the opportunity to integrate myself back into the healthcare field.”
For Lily, being able to complete her education in Spanish was another important part of her decision. While she is comfortable communicating in English, she wanted to make sure she could fully understand the material as she prepared to return to healthcare. “That was another favorable point, this program being in Spanish,” she says.
Since beginning the program, Lily has found that her education is helping her build on the healthcare knowledge she already had while also learning how to navigate the healthcare environment in the United States. She has gained confidence in making decisions, interacting with patients and helping them feel comfortable as a medical assistant—their first point of contact in many healthcare settings. “The most important thing is being able to keep going, to keep learning,” Lily says. “There’s always something more that will add to your knowledge.”
Her education has also challenged her in unexpected ways. Having previously attended a traditional, in-person university, Lily describes herself as “old school.” Learning to navigate computers, online coursework, PowerPoint, Microsoft programs and Excel was initially one of her biggest challenges. “My biggest challenge, I think, was adapting to the system, to the digital system,” she says. Rather than allowing that challenge to discourage her, Lily used it as another opportunity to grow. She learned how to organize her time, manage her coursework and balance school with her responsibilities outside the classroom. Working during the day and attending classes at night requires discipline, she says, but creating a schedule helps her stay on track. “You have to set a schedule, organize your time, so you don’t get overwhelmed,” Lily explains.
Throughout that process, Lily has found support from her professors, classmates and the university staff. She appreciates that her professors are responsive when she has questions and that she has developed relationships with classmates who have continued with her from term to term. Despite studying online, Lily says she has still been able to build a sense of community. The university’s library, professors and other resources have also helped her continue learning beyond her classes. Her dedication to her education and her classmates has not gone unnoticed. Lily was nominated as a Term Trailblazer, an honor she credits in part to Professor Rosas, whom she describes as both serious about her subject and empathetic toward her students. “She is patient. It’s great being educated by her,” Lily says.
As she continues toward completing her Medical Assistant Associate program, Lily sees her education as an important step toward returning to the workforce in a healthcare role in the United States. She knows that adapting to a new professional environment takes work, but she sees everything she is learning at American National University as preparation for that next chapter.
“For me, it’s a continuation,” Lily says. “For me, it’s about reintegrating into the workforce, within a system that’s different from what I was used to.”
Her advice to students is simple: don’t give up on what you want. “Don’t abandon your project, don’t stop your process,” she says. “Everything can be organized with a positive attitude, by being responsible and organized.” For Lily, the motivation comes from her continued vocation for service and her desire to help others. She believes that anyone can continue working toward their goals with the right attitude, organization and determination. “The worst thing that can happen is that time keeps passing, but you’re doing something for yourself,” she says. “So, don’t abandon your motivation.”
When asked to describe her experience at American National University in one phrase, Lily chooses three words: “maturing, responsibility, and service.”
