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Company Name: Rev360

Company Description: Rev360 is the eye care software and business services company that serves practices centered on RevolutionEHR. Rev360 delivers the RevolutionEHR software platform and a growing suite of optional business services to RevolutionEHR users.

Author:  Kelly Kerksick, OD, Rev360 Director of Professional Relations

Along with the excitement of going into business for yourself, there’s often a bit of apprehension.  Sound guidance and tips from someone who’s already successfully traveled the journey of business start-up and ownership can be an invaluable resource.  In this brief article, I share my own experience to answer some of the most common questions asked by doctors just starting out in practice. I hope you find this information helpful and I wish you the best in your new endeavor!

1. How much space will I need?

I recommend starting with a smaller amount of space.  It doesn’t make sense to pay for a bunch of space that you aren’t using or haven’t grown into. I opted to start small with my practice (900 sq ft) and then, four years later, I bought a building that provided 3600 sq ft of space.  As a result of starting small, I was able to get out of the red faster and set aside some money.  My small nest egg quickly grew and gave me 20% cash to put down on my new building.

2.  Where should I open a new practice?

Open a practice in a community that you want to be a part of.  The second point of consideration should be whether or not there is a good business opportunity in the community.  If you can answer yes to both of those factors, you have a winner!

3.  What equipment do I need?

Start out with one or maybe two pieces of equipment such as a visual field analyzer and a retinal camera.  As the practice grows, it is wise to reinvest any profits back into the practice by purchasing more equipment.  Each year, consider adding one new instrument from profits.

4.  What, if any, insurance plans should I take?

Early on, it can be advantageous to take a large variety of insurance plans.  These plans, even if less desirable due to lower reimbursements, etc., can be very beneficial in growing the practice.  This is a great way to attract new patients to the practice and establish a rapport with them.  As you become busier, it makes sense to drop those lower paying plans.

5.  How do I get credentialed?

Credentialing can be tricky.  It can take months getting appropriately credentialed which is why I recommend outsourcing this.  My advice is to hire a company to do this piece for you that knows what questions to ask.

6.  How do I hire and train employees?

I always preferred to hire for attitude and train for skill rather than hire someone highly skilled that didn’t have a great personality.  Early in your practice, you will have the time to devote to training and teaching new employees how to do various tasks within the practice.  Some of my best employees were those who came to the table with no experience.  While it can be time consuming to train these kinds of individuals, you also have the ability to train them correctly.

7.  How do I market my new practice?

Get heavily involved in your community.  Volunteer and participate in local civic organizations.  This shows your commitment to the community and is a way that you can give back.  These opportunities always pay themselves off in dividends.  I found limited success with advertising.  My best marketing came from me.  Giving the community the opportunity to see my commitment to the community and its people was such an important part of my practice’s growth early on.

8.  How do I learn billing and coding?

Many times, the software within your electronic health record can assist you with billing and coding.  If it doesn’t, I would recommend that you attend classes to help to bring you up to speed.  Always remember, just because you get paid by the insurance company does not mean what you filed was correct.  I’ve seen too many practitioners code and bill incorrectly and while unintentional, it can be a very costly mistake as most insurance companies will demand recoupment of claims filed incorrectly.

9.  Should I start off with an EHR and Practice Management software program right away?

Absolutely!  One of the best advantages you have as a new start up practice is the ability to start from day 1 with an electronic health record system.  Often you can begin implementation and training while you are building out your practice so you are ready to go the first day you open your doors. Also, if chosen wisely, the system can also provide you with much more than just a way to schedule patients and document eye exams.  Often times, your EHR will serve as an indispensable employee.

10.  What advice do you have regarding choosing the best vendors for my new practice?

Choose a partner rather than a vendor.  Choose the company that wants to work with you and help your practice grow rather than choose a company solely on their product offering.  You want the whole package.

This blog is part of the ASCO corporate contributor blog series. For more information about the blog series, please contact Christine Armstrong, Director of Development at carmstrong@opted.org.

Interest in a health professions career such as optometry can spring from a variety of motivations, but a desire to help people is a common inspiration. Sight is such a precious human sense, the care optometrists provide is of immense value to the patients they serve. As shown in the international Barometer of Global Eye Health survey, most people would rather lose a limb or 10 years of their life than lose their vision. The care optometrists provide can be life-changing, and the following stories are just a few examples of how. The stories highlight some of the many different areas in which optometrists can specialize, the expertise available at private practices as well as in the eyecare centers of schools and colleges of optometry, and the dedication optometrists apply to delivering the solutions their patients need.

Read Part 1 below, and stay tuned to this space for Part 2.

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One of several people at the local homeless shelter who agreed to a free eye exam, “Joe” didn’t really have any symptoms to report. He sat down with The Ohio State University College of Optometry faculty member Joan Nerderman, RN, OD, and a student extern who were at the shelter as part of the college’s ongoing community outreach program. He asked for a pair of sunglasses, explaining that he was a little sensitive to light, which wasn’t an uncommon request. He answered the questions he was asked, revealing that he was unemployed, abused alcohol, and had a “dispute” with his wife, who had kicked him out of the house where they had lived with their young daughter.

Given Joe’s lack of eyesight-related complaints, Dr. Nerderman figured all he might need would be a new pair of bifocals. His were clearly old and worn out. But, as the exam proceeded she noted that his vision wasn’t correcting to 20/20. To investigate why that might be, Dr. Nerderman ordered a test in which an instrument called a perimeter measures peripheral vision. The test revealed some loss of peripheral vision in both eyes. Knowing that the particular pattern of deficit the test was showing is associated with a pituitary tumor in the brain, Dr. Nerderman referred Joe to a neuro-ophthalmologist who confirmed it. Surgery was scheduled to remove the tumor. While it’s rare for pituitary tumors to metastasize, they can grow and expand into others parts of the brain.

Joe’s family came back together to support him during surgery, which was a success. Afterwards, assuming it was the tumor that had caused his previous undesirable and violent behavior, the family eagerly gave Joe a second chance. Dr. Nerderman thinks it’s unlikely that the tumor was affecting behavior because it was small and only located in the pituitary gland. “No matter,” she says, “let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say there’s a potential for that.”

After surgery, Joe regained full peripheral vision, which isn’t always the case with a pituitary tumor, Dr. Nerderman says. He also moved back in with his wife and daughter. He got a job and was no longer abusing alcohol. “Sometimes patients we see at the shelter haven’t had any medical care for a long time,” Dr. Nerderman points out. “Sadly, that means their problems have often advanced to the point where they’re not fixable. It wasn’t too late for Joe. He got everything back.”

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Not much, it seemed, was able to keep little “Tate” from being his bright and active 6-year-old self. Not Goldenhar syndrome, the rare condition that leads to underdeveloped structures like the nose, lips, soft palate, jaw and ears. And not Duane’s retraction syndrome or the palsy that make it difficult for him to close his right eye or move either eye outward normally. Despite all of this, with the help of cochlear implants for hearing, Tate was communicating well and going about his life. By the time he was 7, however, some vision-related issues began to threaten his well-being. His difficulty with eye movement as well as some farsightedness were making it difficult to see up close and holding him back in his ability to read. Tate needed glasses to correct the farsightedness, but he doesn’t have ears to hold them up.

Carolyn Carman, OD, clinical professor and director of the Center for Sight Enhancement at the University of Houston’s University Eye Institute, had just the solution. She prescribed Tate glasses and fit him with a specially adapted frame from Nebraska-based company Spokiz. The frame, first designed by Spokiz as a way to keep glasses from slipping off, is also a great fit for Tate’s special need. Rather than the typical arms, Tate’s glasses frame has one band that goes around the back of the head and another band that fits over the top of the head and connects to the lower band on each side. “He was excited to be able to pick the frame he wanted and has been happy to wear the glasses,” Dr. Carman says. “His personality is shining even brighter as he continues to learn, keep up with his classmates, and have fun.”

In addition to the specially designed glasses, Tate received vision rehabilitation therapy at the Center for Sight Enhancement. During his sessions he learned strategies for reading and using his eyes as effectively as possible and for keeping his right eye moist, comfortable and protected. “He’s now in third grade and doing very well,” Dr. Carman notes. “His improved vision with the adapted eyewear, dry eye therapy and vision rehabilitation therapy has made a big difference in allowing him to see better, do well in school, and be a happy student.” As for Dr. Carman, “Helping people like Tate see better never gets old,” she says. “I still look forward to clinic and feel blessed to have found a career that allows me to make a positive impact on the lives of people of all ages.”

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For her first visit to the University Eye Center of the State University of New York College of Optometry (SUNY), “Jane” wasn’t able to come alone. She had to be accompanied by her daughter. She couldn’t be in the room with more than a few people at a time. The lights had to be off. “She was clearly extremely uncomfortable,” says Katherine Lai, OD, a resident and assistant clinical instructor at SUNY, who is part of the team that has been working with Jane. As Dr. Lai explains, Jane, a 56-year-old artist, had been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury after she took a disastrous fall down an open sidewalk grate and down some stairs while walking in the city. As part of her medical care, she was referred to SUNY for neuro-optometric rehabilitation. During her initial visits, Jane told the SUNY optometrists how she was struggling to do just about everything every day. Her problems included having trouble reading, feeling overwhelmed in crowded environments and feeling unsteady on her feet.

The symptoms Jane was experiencing are common among the patients who receive neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy at SUNY. In their sessions, patients work on stabilizing eye movements and ensuring the eyes are working together adequately. They also progress through therapy procedures designed to stabilize their visual vestibular system and enhance visual-motor coordination to make efficient eye movements.

When Jane was at SUNY this fall for a therapy session, she was feeling like a new person. “She never thought she would get to the place she is now,” Dr. Lai says. Jane can do just about anything she wants again. She can walk around on her own and no longer feels overwhelmed in crowded environments. She has gotten back into some art projects and is gaining confidence that soon she’ll be able to drive and resume painting the large murals in restaurants and on city walls that were her livelihood. “She’s so much happier and very, very thankful,” Dr. Lai says. “I see these types of cases every week, and often the patients are still symptomatic after having worked with vestibular therapy or occupational therapy. Practitioners in other fields sometimes don’t know that many symptoms are vision-related. What we do in neuro-optometric rehabilitation is unique and is even different than traditional vision therapy. For me, this is a case that really reinforces how appreciative patients are of how we can help them.”

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When people hear Jacob Green tell the story of his long, arduous journey of recovery from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), they feel inspired. Jacob, too, has drawn hope and optimism from his experience, in particular when he thinks about the optometrists and researchers who helped him get his life back. At the Eye Care Institute at Western University of Health Sciences, Valerie Quan, OD, FAAO, used her expertise in vision and neuroscience, along with persistence, to solve a problem Jacob had suffered with for a long time.

But let’s back up a bit. Jacob’s TBI occurred when he was a college freshman. Witnessing a man attacking two subway agents, he selflessly intervened. He tried to distract the assailant, who then hit Jacob repeatedly in the head. The resulting brain injury caused an overwhelming number of issues, including extreme sensitivity to noise and light, memory problems, vision impairment, spatial processing deficits, frequent vomiting and debilitating headaches.

Jacob first sought help at the Western University Eye Care Institute after two and a half years of full-time rehabilitation, all types of therapy with all types of professionals. After so much time and hard work, he was able to return to school, earn two degrees and hold down a job, part-time at first. With a longstanding interest in public service, eventually he became assistant city manager of Ontario, Calif. Unfortunately he was still suffering with up to five migraine headaches every week, which were caused by the fluorescent lighting in the office building. As he recounts when he shares his story, the pain was making it hard to work and to be an attentive father and husband, and “Every single night I was incapacitated. I was at the ER a lot.”

At the Eye Care Institute, one of the remedies Dr. Quan and Jacob tried were tinted lenses, which are a potential solution for the light sensitivity that was causing his migraines, but they didn’t help. Not willing to stop there, Dr. Quan kept an open mind about potential next steps. She knew that another researcher at the university, Chris Chase, PhD, FAAO, had an instrument called a colorimeter in his lab, and she had read an article about its use elsewhere in TBI. She enlisted Dr. Chase and another expert at the university, Chunming Liu, OD, MD, PhD, to help with Jacob’s case.

The team used the colorimeter to take Jacob through what’s called colored light preference testing. Working through the color spectrum, the instrument adjusts hue, saturation and brightness until the patient experiences comfortable vision. According to Dr. Quan, when Jacob’s preferences were mapped, “His relief was immediate and it was pretty amazing to watch.” But how to make this relief an everyday reality for Jacob? The color preferences would need to be incorporated precisely into lenses for a glasses frame, an uncommon capability. Dr. Quan searched and found a company in England that could get the job done with the required accuracy.

Interviewed for an article in the university’s View magazine, Jacob says: “These glasses have absolutely changed my life. They’ve allowed me to work in the office longer hours and more effectively, not having to use so much of my energy on just compensating through the pain. I can be a lot more present as a husband and father.” Jacob has moved on to a new job as the assistant city manager in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and he also works as a motivational speaker. He still feels that at the Eye Care Institute “I have this incredible team in my corner.”

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Many optometrists positively influence lives beyond the walls of their own practices. Naureen M. Haroon, OD, FAAO, an assistant professor at Midwestern University Chicago College of Optometry, has been instrumental in helping a group of people halfway around the world. Last year, while she was visiting a rural town in the Kashmir valley of India, a peaceful political protest turned deadly when local police and military forces indiscriminately fired pellet guns into the crowd. The incident was one of many during a 2016-2017 period of unrest in the area. Hundreds of people who survived had injuries that resulted in loss of vision in one or both eyes. Dr. Haroon, feeling compelled to help, returned to the United States and began to figure out how. She identified a nonprofit organization that does work in India and submitted a proposal for assistance. The organization accepted the proposal, and Project Noor (Noor means light in Arabic) was born.

Through Project Noor, 21 people who had lost vision in both eyes were identified. (They have what’s known as low vision: a decrease in sight caused by injury or disease that isn’t correctable with glasses, contact lenses, medication or surgery.) Dr. Haroon went back to India to be part of a workshop that provided low vision devices and care for the group. (Low vision care teaches patients how to use adaptive strategies and devices to make the most of their remaining vision in order to function successfully in daily life.) Patients were supplied with low vision devices and other tools such as talking calculators. They learned how to use features on their cell phones designed to aid in vision impairment by magnifying the screen, reading what’s on the screen, etc. “In this rural area, people don’t know about low vision care. They basically thought their lives were over because of their vision loss,” Dr. Haroon says. Project Noor organized and funded a second workshop as well.

The workshops were important steps toward the patients’ ability to lead productive lives despite their vision loss, and Project Noor will continue to help them. A project manager is available to provide ongoing communication with them. In addition, home visits were conducted with each of the 21 patients using a questionnaire created by Dr. Haroon to determine what kinds of struggles they are facing, including behavioral and financial, due to their vision loss. Personalized training programs can then be initiated to help them achieve goals. As Dr. Haroon explains, “Many of the patients are teens so they want to go back to school. Others want to return to work.” The hope for the future is to identify more people with low vision (from any cause, not just pellet-gun injuries) and provide assessments, assistance and training for them as well. According to Dr. Haroon, “The long-term support provided through Project Noor sets it apart from many other charitable programs in the region.”

Company Name: Rev360

Company Description: Rev360 is the eye care software and business services company that serves practices centered on RevolutionEHR. Rev360 delivers the RevolutionEHR software platform and a growing suite of optional business services to RevolutionEHR users.

Author:  Dr. Amber G. Dunn, O.D

Opening a practice cold or buying a practice is a very challenging, yet rewarding adventure. There are many ways to go about this business opportunity, however you must have two key elements to succeed: a good mentor and an excellent support system. With these two things, along with the proper research and drive, you WILL succeed.

Why open a new practice? I decided to open my own practice for the freedom to choose how and when I spend time with my husband and children. When you work for someone else, you are at the mercy of their schedule. I enjoy taking my younger son to gymnastics once a week and volunteering at my older son’s school a few times a month. Sure, this means I might need to work on things from home or work a few late hours, but to me, that’s worth being present for my family. Opening a practice cold requires determination that is often fueled by personal, family or community goals that go beyond being a professional.

Start with a Business Plan. Do you want to open cold or do you want to purchase an existing practice? Whichever you choose, the first, and most crucial task is putting together a well thought out business plan. A business plan outline is the foundation for everything you are going to do. For starters, a business plan is necessary to secure the financing you will need to start cold OR purchase an existing practice. If you put together an excellent business plan, the rest will fall into place.

Do Your Homework. A business plan starts with a lot of research. Have you heard the term: “work smarter, not harder”? This is very important to consider when writing your business plan. There is an endless supply of resources that can make your job easier. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing “easy” about writing a business plan. I made my share of mistakes as I wrote my business plan, but I have learned from those mistakes and hope you can do that as well. For instance, utilizing businesses or associations that are meant to help, will take a lot of stress off your shoulders!

A few of the resources I used were The Small Business Administration of Oregon, Risk Management Association and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Optometrist. I was also able to meet with someone face to face to help me find additional resources.

Following are the key components of a business plan. Remember this is not a comprehensive list, but something to get you started.

Location. Do you have a specific place in mind? Do you know where the need is? Or do you want to open a place because you already live there?

Consulting group. There are several that can even help you with writing your business plan. I didn’t start with one, but I am glad I ended up engaging one because it was very beneficial.

Mission Statement/Company Goals. This is the foundation of your practice. Spend a lot of time on this and ask many people to look at it.

Equipment. TEST EQUIPMENT AT MEETINGS. Don’t just go off of what someone else told you. Equipment is expensive and something you will have for many years. Consider refurbished equipment too, as long as it is from a reputable company.

Establish an LLC. You need to make sure your company name is not already in use. I would also recommend searching on various search engines to see what other things come up.

Malpractice Insurance. The American Optometric Association offers a great deal on Malpractice insurance as a member benefit.

Establish a website. There are companies that specialize in optometry practice websites or you can look into other companies also.

Doctor groups. There are many to choose from.

Attorney, Accountant, Banker/Merchant Service Group and Insurance Agent. You need all of this expertise for your business plan and you need to start building relationships with these professionals early. They will be the ones giving their professional expertise and making sure you succeed.

Professional advisory board. This is something that will not only help you in your professional life, but it can also help you in your personal life. It’s best to include a wide variety of individuals and perspectives. My Professional Advisory board consists of a chemical engineer, a safety engineer, a medical doctor, an optometrist, a rancher, a stay at home mom, a kindergarten teacher and a real estate agent.

Logo. There are a ton of companies out there that can design a logo for you, or you can certainly do it by yourself. I used crowdSpring to come up with my logo and am very happy with the results.

Supplemental Income. You must show the bank how you are going to make money. This is not as important if you are taking over an existing practice, but when opening cold, the bank needs to know how you are going to make money while the practice grows.

Now that you have a starting point to the business plan components, where do you go from here? Once you find a location and are given the lease agreement, you must negotiate it. This is where your attorney comes into play. A landlord is going to write the lease in terms that are best for THEM- you need to ensure that it is also best for you.

Once you move into the space, spend time making it your own. Post on social media the changes you are making or ask people in the community to come help. People really love doing that! And speaking of community-become a part of it! Join your local Lions Club, volunteer at retirement homes or schools, host lectures in the office while you are working on building it. These are great ways to “give back” while at the same time marketing yourself and your business.

AHH- what about credentialing??? This is such a difficult and time-consuming task that you can actually hire a company to do it for you. Just remember the more you do yourself, the more money you save and the more knowledgeable you are about how your business runs. One huge mistake I made was not doing this soon enough. Being faculty at Pacific, I was already credentialed with nearly every medical plan and health panel so I assumed it would be easy. Turns out, it’s not about the provider themselves being credentialed, it’s about the location. So there are even some panels I am STILL not a provider for at my private practice but am with the University.

Beyond the business plan, there are a few other elements to consider that are an important part of this journey. Finding the proper EHR is critical. Use trade shows and meetings to your advantage so you can check them out in the exhibit hall. You also need to spend a lot of time finding dependable employees to represent your business. Your staff will be the first contact that is made with your patients.

By no means is this a complete narrative of opening a practice. Opening a practice can sometimes seem like a maze that never ends, but if you have your eye on the prize, with determination, you WILL make it! Remind yourself daily that many have done it before you (like me!) and if you give more that 100%, you can do it too! Make mistakes and learn from them. Never settle, and always strive for ways to be better.

This blog is part of the ASCO corporate contributor blog series. For more information about the blog series, please contact Christine Armstrong, Director of Development at carmstrong@opted.org.

If this isn’t your first time reading ASCO’s Eye on Optometry blog, you know about the variety and versatility a career in optometry has to offer. The list of potential positions and practice settings is quite long. In just one of the possible settings, academia, which is the focus of this post, a future optometrist has multiple roles to aspire to. For example, faculty members at schools and colleges of optometry include basic science and clinical science professors or instructors. Optometrists teaching in any of these positions may also conduct research or supervise optometry students or residents as they see patients as part of their Doctor of Optometry degree program or residency. Some optometrists work part-time as clinical faculty members while working in another practice setting outside academia. Optometrists may also teach in departments of ophthalmology at medical schools or work with departments of ophthalmology in a hospital setting. In addition, some U.S. Veterans Health Administration hospitals are affiliated with academic institutions, which allows optometrists who are employed there to maintain faculty appointments. Leadership roles, which are often part of a school, college or university administration, are also available to optometrists in academia. Types of positions in this category include Dean of Students, Director of Admissions, Vice President for Student, Alumni and College Development, Vice President for Research, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Director of Internship Programs.

If You’re Interested in an Academic Optometry Career, Completing a Residency is a Smart Move

Most academic institutions require optometrists to have a minimum number of years of experience (often five years) or to have completed a residency or earned a master’s or doctoral degree in addition to the optometry degree in order to qualify for a faculty position. Completing a residency can also be a preview of academia that can help you decide whether an academic career is right for you. During residency, new ODs have opportunities to lecture as well as oversee students in clinics and labs. “I can’t emphasize this enough: Students who want to pursue an academic career should do a residency,” says Robert Chun, OD, FAAO, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Chun continues, “If you’re going to recognize a drive and excitement for all of the factors associated with working in an academic institution, the best way to experience this is through a residency.”

It was during her residency that Vinita Allee Henry, OD, FAAO, Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Operations at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry, realized how much she enjoys working in clinic and labs with students. “I discovered I had a passion for the variety of academia, be it teaching, research, writing, speaking or patient care,” she says. Dr. Henry, a co-author of several contact lens-related books, has also held several administrative/leadership roles, including her current one, which she credits to having “some natural leadership characteristics and organizational skills, which made me a good fit.” Dr. Chun had a similar experience, realizing during his low vision residency and research fellowship (with the Pangere Center for Inherited Retinal Diseases) that he wanted to pursue a career in academia. As he explains, “I liked the fact that I could take advantage of all the resources of an academic institution, such as high-quality imaging tools, research funding and the opportunity to collaborate with other experts. In addition, I was very excited by the idea of producing research that could potentially change the way care was delivered in my field. Ultimately, it was the variety of opportunities available and the potential to directly impact the lives of my patients that convinced me to continue on the academic path.”

Do You Picture Yourself in the Field of Optometric Education?

While residency is a time when a career in academic optometry begins to appeal to many future faculty members, others take different routes to the same endpoint. As a seventh-grader, Iris R. Cabello, OD, Assistant Professor and Dean of Students at Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry, began tutoring another girl in English and knew right away that she loved teaching. In college, she was known to organize tutoring sessions for some of the classes she was taking. When she finished optometry school, she entered private practice, but also served as a part-time clinical faculty member. She changed course when she realized she would rather spend all of her time teaching optometry. “I felt it was extremely rewarding for me to be able to practice my profession but at the same time see students develop into professionals knowing that somehow I contributed to that,” she says. Subsequently, prior to stepping into her current position as Dean for Student Affairs, Dr. Cabello was offered the position of Director of Patient Care. “I accepted because I thought it would be a great opportunity to try to make improvements and be part of positive change,” she says.

How will you know if you’re cut out to be an academic optometrist? Drs. Cabello and Henry suggest it may help to ask yourself:

Do I see myself as a teacher?

Do others see me as someone who can help them understand concepts or lead tutoring sessions? Do people seek me out for help?

Have I demonstrated in the past a desire to teach even if it was in undergraduate school or another field?

Have I done anything similar to teaching in the past, such as tutoring other students or helping them in a lab, and how did I feel about it?

Do I have the patience to explain a subject or concept more than once?

Am I emotionally intelligent? (Do I even know what that is?)

Do I want to provide patient care only on my own, or would I like to see patients with student interns?

Set Yourself Up for Success

If your goal is to land a job in academia, Dr. Chun recommends that you “Start forming a circle of mentors who will support your personal and professional goals. Keep in touch with them. Pick their brains for advice and guidance. They have been through most of the same challenges you will face.” It’s also important, he notes, with regard to the many academic career options, to “Find the right fit based on how you want to practice, and find the institution where your values align well with the culture of the institution.”

Dr. Henry agrees about the importance of mentors, and suggests students in pursuit of an academic optometric career should ensure they have a good reputation with faculty members who are teaching them and any others they encounter, as they are ideal sources for letters of recommendation during the job search. Once you’re hired, she advocates being willing to put in additional effort to establish yourself. “Be active in optometric organizations such as the AAO and AOA as well as educational groups,” she says. “Take advantage of programs for new faculty development that may be offered through optometric organizations or your university, which allows you to learn new skills and network. Be eager to take on new roles that may be difficult at first, but that you can accomplish and will aid in making you a valued team member. Share your ideas with your new faculty colleagues, and ask them what you can do to have an active role.”

To continue to make an impact in her position, Dr. Cabello always keeps two things in mind. “One, be empathetic and respect your students. Never forget your own struggles, long nights, occasional frustrations and sweaty palms while you were studying,” she says. And, two, speaking like a true academic optometrist, she adds, “Never stop learning.”