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Rule of three: Simple rules for the premium surgeon to succeed
Taking a step back and focusing on the big picture can help the premium surgeon personally and professionally.
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As a premium refractive and refractive cataract surgeon, I sometimes forget the big picture as our lives at times become too complicated from a personal and/or work level. At these times, I reflect on three simple rules in life: If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it; if you do not ask, the answer will always be no; and if you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place. Typically, the “rule of three” reflects the idea that everything comes in threes. Recently I received news of two tragic family illnesses and deaths, fearing a third on the near horizon, but I keep pushing forward with this other set of three rules, both in life and the workplace.
1. If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it.
When you step back for just a moment, it makes you wonder what you have missed out on by not trying and how many things you could have accomplished. In retrospect, I am happy about booking one of my spouse’s and my bucket list trips 1.5 years ago for attending the festivities surrounding and attending the Kentucky Derby this May, the day we met and the day I returned from major back surgery — all great days in my life. From a work perspective, I am never too old nor too young to strive for more education both as a premium surgeon and as a key opinion leader myself. At least once a year, I attend one of my colleague’s practices to learn more on surgical techniques and pearls and office ergonomics and efficiencies to bring back to my own Jacksoneye. Learning from colleagues such as Chuck Williamson on using the Diamatrix pupil expander to simultaneously support the anterior capsule 360° to seeing how Rob Weinstock utilizes the new IntelliAxis-L (Lensar) streamline technique to better align toric IOLs intraoperatively to observing Amar Agarwal use his pupil suturing technique for chronic angle-closure patients at the time of cataract surgery, all make me a better surgeon today, and allow me to say I have no excuses for not getting better outcomes for my patients.
2. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no.
In a world where we live half-empty, we are already preconditioned to expect all answers to be negative in response. Unbelievably, if you just ask for more yeses because you ask more, and it may feel uncomfortable at first, that is a good sign suggesting you are growing as a premium surgeon. It is simple: If you believe in an advanced technology, then just present it to a patient in the lane and you will see a higher conversion rate result. It always comes down to the surgeon presenting the option or the option will never happen, be it advanced toric, multifocal, extended depth of focus and/or accommodating IOL technology, or small incision lenticule extraction (Zeiss) for patients with low myopia and known dry eye, or the conversion to femtosecond laser assisted-cataract surgery with advantages of streamlining astigmatic correction via arcuate incisions or improved capsular markings to align toric IOLs. If you, as the premium surgeon, never ask the patient to consider these technologies, the remainder of your supporting cast will never have a chance to close on these conversions.
3. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.
Looking at the big picture seems easy, but the most important process to premium outcomes and delivering the highest care possible to our patients is to remember it is the small steps that will get you there. The goal is daily, weekly and monthly progress, and you, as the premium surgeon leader, must be willing to move no matter the circumstances. I remember back in the mid-1990s when we started LASIK and mastered the first-generation microkeratome, one of my technicians wondered why we had to go through the learning pains of the next-generation microkeratome; I now ask her about using that first-generation microkeratome in this age of all-laser LASIK technology. Point proven. A premium surgeon is never in a comfort zone unless he or she shows progression to attain the highest level of patient outcomes as possible. There are so many examples I can look to over my 30 years in ophthalmology, including better eye drop formulations coming to market such as nano-delivery of artificial tears (Systane Complete, Novartis), nano-delivery of topical steroids (Kala), nano-delivery of topical cyclosporine (Sun Pharma), novel delivery methods of intraocular steroids (Dexycu, Icon Bioscience), potential iontophoresis of steroids (EyeGate Pharmaceuticals) and punctal plug delivery of steroids (Ocular Therapeutix), to name just a few. Improving on in-office diagnostics such as the Pentacam HR and Pentacam AXL (Oculus), Galilei (Ziemer), OPD III (Marco/Nidek) and HD Analyzer (Visiometrics) provides invaluable information needed for optimal outcomes in both the refractive and refractive cataract patient.
In the end, the rule of three applies to our everyday existence in life, in relationships, in industry and in the workplace environment, and we owe it to our patients and significant others. Be it tragedy or success, I can look back and be happy I have been driven to follow the rule of three no matter the situation. I look forward to seeing all of my friends and colleagues at the upcoming American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting in Washington and hope we can all continue to follow the rule of three.
- For more information:
- Mitchell A. Jackson, MD, can be reached at Jacksoneye, 300 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite L, Lake Villa, IL 60046; email: mjlaserdoc@msn.com.
Disclosure: Jackson reports he is a consultant for Lensar, Sun Pharma, Kala, Ocular Therapeutix, Marco, Oculus, Visiometrics and Carl Zeiss Meditec.