You won't become wildly successful as an optometrist unless you are plugged in to what goes on in the real world of optometry.
Do you want all the perks of being an optometrist - the great practice, good money and network of great colleagues? If you want all of that, you must know more about the politics, industry and healthcare reform surrounding optometry.
It's all about being able to "talk the talk" in this profession. I find that new grads get into conversations with industry professionals and then wonder why the conversation goes dead after 30 seconds. Usually this happens because the new grad has zero knowledge of the current events of optometry.
Personally, I stay plugged in
Paying attention to what goes on in the profession has enabled me to...
- get an amazing private practice position with Dr. Eric White in beautiful San Diego
- act as a new graduate optometric consultant
- do interviews with optometry news companies like Optometry Times (which you should tune in to for great optometry news)
- have connections with some of the smartest individuals in the profession (Dr. Dul, Dr. Soden, Dr. Karpecki, Dr. Hom, Dr. Heath, Dr. Gerber, Dr. Lech, Evan Kestenbaum, Dr. Baressi etc.)
- have the opportunity to participate in paid journalism, consulting and start-up company opportunities
- the list goes on
My point is this: Since I stay up to date with optometry, I am able to have higher level conversations with the individuals who "call the shots" in optometry. So, if you want to get your name out there, you better know where optometry has come from and where it is going.
How to stay up to date with real world optometry
My number one piece of advice is to be involved in your state and local optometric association. This will undoubtedly keep you in the loop with changes in the profession.
One of the next best things is a Podcast called The Power Hour - optometry's ONLY live talk radio show. This is a live online radio show hosted by Dr. Gary Gerber, who is arguably one of the best optometric consultants in the profession. I listen to the show quite often and have found that it keeps me up to date with a ton of current issues. I listen from my car on a weekly basis and have gained a wealth of information about practice-building events in optometry, political viewpoints, and clinical topics.
My favorite shows were
- HIPAA - are you prepared?
- How to collect $3,000 - $6,000 per patient with VT: An interview with renowned optometrist - Barry Tannen O.D.
- Interviews with the presidents of EyeMed, VSP and Luxottica.
- Can optometry exist without vision plans?
- Gary shares his secrets for selling second pairs of glasses to 30% of your patients - with NO discounting!
- Oh, and of course, my favorite show was the 5/1/13 show when I was the guest! We talked about advice to optometry students and more.
Show details
- When to Listen - Every Wednesday night at 9:00 PM ET (for live shows) -or- you can download the free podcast at any time
- How to Listen During the Show - To listen to the Power Hour dial 646-716-8746 or click here during a live show
- How to Listen on Your Computer - Click here to listen on iTunes
- How to Listen on Your iPhone - Open the App Store > Download "Podcasts" (pink icon) > Search - Power Hour > Click the show you want to listen to
Next Show
4/9/14 - this Wednesday!
Jim Greenwood, Vision Source President and CEO joins the show. A healthcare industry veteran, Jim discusses what OD's should be doing to market and position themselves in the face of the upcoming healthcare reform tidal wave. He'll also talk about current challenges like online refractions, internet eyeglasses and increasing penetration of third party plans into practices. Jim has a wealth of great information so make sure to tune in to this show and call in with questions.
This is going to be an amazing show - EVERYONE should tune in because the topic of healthcare reform is super hot right now. I personally talked with Jim on the phone the other day and he had some insightful stuff to share.
