April 18, 2018
Optometrists from independent and corporate settings, as well as in industry, academia and hospitals share the sometimes unexpected turns their careers have taken, as well as the pros and cons of their setting. Key points: Be broad-minded about where optometry can take you, make clinical and business learning a continuous process and recognize when a great opportunity arises. Highlights from an OD-panel at the recent Seventh Annual Career Symposium at SUNY College of Optometry.
Think About Career Goals |
Explore Different Modalities & Keep Learning |
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DYNAMIC SCHEDULE. A hospital-based job will keep you moving throughout the day, rather than in one exam room, and will be all medical eyecare. TOTAL AUTONOMY. Independent practice owners have responsibility for making all business decisions, and reap all the rewards, too. FOCUS ON JUST BEING DOCTOR. Corporate optometry gives you the option of being an employed doctor, focusing total attention on doctoring, rather than business management. GIVE BACK TO PROFESSION. Academia allows for leadership skills and collegiality in which you gain the rewards of nurturing budding doctors. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY. Industry-based jobs allow the OD to be on the forefront of developments in the optical industry, including the pioneering of new products like contact lenses.
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DO RESIDENCY. A residency can prepare you for the mode you are most interested in, such as an ocular disease residency for a hospital-based OD, or a research residency for an OD working in industry. CONSIDER PREFERRED WORK LIFE. Think about whether you want to work a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, or whether you want a position with greater flexibility. KEEP OPEN MIND. Don’t rush to decide which modality is right for you. Explore all the modalities as a student, and don’t be afraid to change your mind.
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