This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Mentors, networking help new grads establish careers in private practice
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Pursuing a career in private optometric practice immediately following graduation requires decision-making, research and networking. Some recent graduates told Primary Care Optometry News that once they decided private practice would be the best scenario for them, finding a mentor proved to be an invaluable resource.
Joshua Ziebell, OD, a graduate of Southern College of Optometry who now practices in a primary care practice setting in Charlotte, N.C., first went into a Veterans Affairs Medical Center residency after graduation in 2002. “After completing my residency, I stayed in touch with my mentors and clinical instructors,” he said. “I have never called an optometrist who was not willing to help out in some way or give me a name and number of someone who might know more. Never hesitate to make a few phone calls.”
Selecting a practice
These new practitioners reported that location ranks high on the priority list when choosing a practice. They also felt strongly about the type of practice, how busy the practice is, its reputation, how much autonomy the practice would offer and how well the practice’s expectations matched their own.
“One of the most important aspects of choosing a practice is definitely location — not the location of the practice itself, but the city and the area of the country in relation to family and friends,” Dr. Ziebell said. He also looked for a practice that would allow him to do a little bit of everything from keratoconus fits, to glaucoma, to retinal evaluations, to low vision.
Jody LeMarr, OD, who practices in Mexia, Texas, with American Optometric Association President Wesley E. Pittman, OD, looked for a practice in a small town for similar reasons. “One of the reasons I chose to be in a small town was so I could see a variety of patients,” she said. Dr. LeMarr graduated from Northeastern State University College of Optometry, Tahlequah, Okla.
Jeffry Gerson, OD, a graduate of Indiana University who practices in a retina specialty ophthalmology office in Kansas City, Mo., said it was important for him to find a practice that was well established with a large volume of patients. “I wanted to find a practice that was already busy, so that I would be busy, too” he said.
Ryan Parker, OD, who joined a private practitioner in Guthrie, Okla., where they will open the Oklahoma Sports Performance Center, said that his first priority was to work in a primary care optometry practice, with location being the second most important factor. Dr. Parker graduated from Northeastern State University College of Optometry in Tahlequah, Okla., and is a new member of the Primary Care Optometry News Editorial Board.
Networking, making contacts
Start establishing contacts before you graduate, these young clinicians advised. “You can’t wait until the last few weeks of your fourth year to begin. You need to start looking early,” said Dr. Parker, who is now working in an office that he worked in before attending optometry school. “Because I worked for optometrists before graduation, I had a lot of different people to talk to and to ask questions of,” he said.
In addition to keeping up with mentors and clinical instructors throughout graduation, Dr. Gerson also sent out letters and made phone calls to both people he knew and didn’t know. “I called people who were not looking for associates just to seek advice and to see if they knew anyone who was looking,” Dr. Gerson said.
Dr. Gerson and Dr. Parker also recommended talking to contact lens and pharmaceutical representatives. “They are a good resource,” Dr. Gerson said. “They have a pretty good knowledge of some practices and how busy they may or may not be.”
Dr. Parker talked to drug company representatives who visited the school. “They seemed to know practice opportunities from all over. They are a great source of information,” Dr. Parker said.
Another way to make contacts is to be involved with the American Optometric Student Association, Dr. LeMarr suggested.
This type of involvement provided opportunities for networking, especially at conventions, added Dr. Parker, who is also immediate past president of the student association.
Resources available
The American Optometric Association offers various practice management resources. The AOA’s Optometry’s Career Center is a national, online career matching service for the optometric community. More than 1,200 career opportunity providers and seekers have registered since the program’s launch in September 2003. Find more information on Optometry’s Career Center at www.optometryscareercenter.org.
The AOA is also holding a 1-day education program for new practitioners at its annual meeting in 2005. The program will present a panel of speakers, each of whom will speak briefly about debt management, negotiation tips for associates, contracts, corporate leases, obtaining financing, billing and coding, setting up an optical dispensary, technology in practice, networking and compartmentalizing one’s practice. Then, new practitioners will have the opportunity to join the speakers at various tables to ask questions in smaller groups.
Advice for new graduates
Primary Care Optometry News asked practitioners what advice they would give to upcoming graduates.
“My advice to new graduates is to choose what they want to do and not to settle on a practice with which they will not be happy,” Dr. LeMarr said.
Dr. Ziebell suggested getting business cards. “You will be recognized as a recent graduate,” he said, “but having a card with some contact information will help.”
“Finding one or two key allies or mentors to be able to talk with is important,” Dr. Gerson advised. “It doesn’t have to be a future employer, but someone who can guide you,” he said.
“During initial conversations, it is also important to discuss whether you are ultimately interested in some sort of ownership,” Dr. Gerson added. “For some people, it happens after a year, and for others, it happens after 2, 3 or 4 years. But if the practice is wanting one thing and the new graduate is wanting something different, then the long-term viability may not be there. So, I think it is important to create a long-term relationship and not just a 1- or 2-year situation.”
Expect a change of environment from a school setting to private practice, advised Dr. Parker. “There is a whole host of different challenges. It has been very enjoyable for me,” he said. “It is a lot more fast-paced. You really have to be on top of your game day in and day out.”
For Your Information:
- Joshua Ziebell, OD, can be reached at University Eye Associates, PA, 8316-E Medical Plaza Drive, Charlotte, NC 28262; (704) 547-1551; fax: (704) 548-8017; e-mail: jziebell2000@yahoo.com.
- Jody LeMarr, OD, can be reached at Mexia Vision Services, PO Box 590, Mexia, TX 76667; (254) 562-3883; fax: (254) 562-2341; e-mail: jodyod@hotmail.com.
- Jeffry Gerson, OD, can be reached at Mid-America Retina Consultants, 4321 Washington St., Ste. 5000, Kansas City, MO 64111; (816) 756-5900; fax: (816) 756-5457; e-mail: jgerson@hotmail.com.
- Ryan Parker, OD, can be reached at Guthrie Vision Source, 110 East Harrison, Guthrie, OK 73044; (405) 282-4396; fax: (405) 282-7033; e-mail: sportseyeguy@sbcglobal.net.