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BLOG: Taking a broader view
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April is a transition month. As a long-term resident of the Northeast, the changes that take place around me in April are astounding. The grass turns from a dull greyish brown to a vivid green. The trees turn from lifeless skeletons to vibrant rich tentacles of color and fragrance. The days are longer and warmer and people are outside walking, biking and getting ready for summer.
This year April has been the month of Vision Expo East. This means springtime in the “Big Apple.” I spent a large chunk of my time this year in the exhibit hall with my youngest optometrist son. It is interesting to me to see how the next generation views our profession. As a “digital generational” optometrist, he takes the Internet and instant communication for granted. This seems to create an entirely different way to communicate with patients and other health care providers. The context of this communication at the expo was largely based on marketing ophthalmic products and influencing purchase decisions, but to me it represents a better way to convey our image and our health care message.
April is also a good time to review your professional life and consider your future. Fortuitously, it is also the month that contains National Public Health Week (April 4-10) and presents a perfect time to consider your future as a health care professional. This year the theme “Healthiest Nation 2030” reflects the broad recognition that America is the sickest nation in the civilized world in spite of spending 17.5% of our gross domestic product on health care. The new campaign this year is taking the message of health and wellness directly to the people. Perhaps there is a gradual recognition that we cannot solve our health care crisis by throwing more money at it.
For those of us in optometry, April is a great month to think about our profession and our practices. We tend to have an extremely narrow view of our profession. This is a natural tendency given that most people come to us to focus their vision and see more clearly. After all, look at the meaning of our name, “one who measures the optics of the eye.” But this is just our foundation and our history. If we were just about refractions, we could easily be replaced by a machine. We evolved into a primary health care profession in the 1970s.
So today it is time to look beyond the lenses and the focus beyond the eye and vision, beyond vital signs and systemic health, and examine your role in translating America to Healthiest Nation 2030. I urge you to think about your role in our health care system and consider the influence that you can have on your patients and fellow health care providers. Think about moving past comanagement and onto collaboration. Take a page from my son’s book and assume that you will have instant, real-time communication with the other members of the health care team that cares for each patient you see. Your intimate knowledge of their vision, health and life from your annual visits with your patients is critical data for overall health and wellness.
Join the campaign for Healthiest Nation 2030. Take the pledge and join Generation Public Health!