Dr. Foroutan (second from left as you are looking at photo) with MyEyeDr. colleagues at a recent event. She says that the ability to collaborate as a team with other ODs is one of the greatest advantages of being a part of MyEyeDr.
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By Parisa Foroutan, OD
July 26, 2023
The right partner can offer greater resources for patient care. It also can help an optometrist accelerate their career by expanding opportunities to collaborate with peers. Here is how I found MyEyeDr., a partner that has allowed me to lead with peers to build better care for patients and their communities.
Having a Partner that Shares Your Values
I joined MyEyeDr. in January of 2020. I was looking for a different mode of practice, but I had never heard of MyEyeDr. However, I decided to sign on with MyEyeDr. and give it a chance. I quickly saw what a wise decision I had made.
The pandemic was a tough time for many businesses. We were fortunate that MyEyeDr. put our employees’ safety at the forefront of every decision we made and took care of us financially during that time. That said a lot to me about the company and made me confident in the decision I had made to stay. Eventually, we were able to slowly return to clinic, and while some of our processes changed, my autonomy in patient care never did.
MyEyeDr. values providing accessible, quality and comprehensive eyecare to help patients live their best lives. This aligned with my core values and how I wanted to serve my community, so I was happy I chose to continue my journey with MyEyeDr.
The Benefits of Having Many Mentors & Mentees
I came from a close group of practice owners who were invested in my growth, and who mentored me at the start of my career. I deeply valued this and the impact it had on me as a practitioner. I was intrigued that by joining MyEyeDr., I would be interconnected with even more doctors, expand my network, and be exposed to other opportunities within the organization.
As MyEyeDr. grew throughout the Texas market, the need for a Market Clinical Manager became available. I applied for the position and in my interview with Scott Allison, OD, Vice-President of Professional Services, I not only gained more knowledge about what the position entailed, but we also connected on our passion around servant leadership. Understanding the goals of the company made me excited to be part of the future growth of the organization and the impact I could have along with other leaders who shared my vision.
In my role as Market Clinical Manager, I get to know many of my peers on a deep level, learn best practices they’ve acquired along the way, and I’m able to not only implement those approaches with my own patients, but also share what I have learned with other doctors.
For example, scleral lens fittings and myopia management may not be something all ODs feel comfortable with because it takes practice. But someone else within the MyEyeDr. family could be strong in that area of expertise, and by connecting our knowledge, we can grow our practices to serve our patients holistically.
Preparing the Next Generation
I’m proudly mentoring a few students within my community who are interested in optometry. They have been coming to my clinic for shadowing opportunities, and we engage in conversations about their future and all the possibilities ahead of them. Since MyEyeDr. has several externship sites and infinite resources available, I encourage them to consider joining this leading organization in the industry as they weigh their options for their future.
I am also a big advocate for empowering women to seek and fiercely take on new challenges. Whether that is in optometry, in leadership, or other areas of expertise, what I hope for is to be an example that through leading with compassion, you can have a meaningful impact on your patients, your community and those around you.
Strength in Diversity
We truly have the best, most diverse group of peers. Everyone brings so much value by sharing their perspective. Consulting together helps us look at every angle before we find a solution that is ultimately best for our patients. My peers have challenged me to think outside the box, they have supported my ideas and helped bring my vision to fruition and have been a source of guidance in navigating situations outside my comfort zone. I’ve grown both personally and professionally with them on my team.
Before my promotion to leadership, I noticed that leadership at MyEyeDr. always traveled in teams. Now I understand why. Nothing is ever done alone. We embrace different perspectives and styles of leadership. We are encouraged to work together as a team to strategize and collaborate on everything. If I don’t know the answer to something, or am unsure about my approach, there is always someone on the team who does know and is willing to help.
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Working together as One Team all starts with being open to new ideas and perspectives. We invest in the development of one another by always providing honest, constructive feedback. We always communicate after every visit or project we work on together and discuss what we did well and what we could do better going forward.
A continuous growth mindset is at the heart of MyEyeDr.’s One Team culture, and I am very proud to be leading alongside this team.
Parisa Foroutan, OD, is Market Clinical Manager at MyEyeDr. She practices in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. To contact her: parisa.foroutan@myeyedr.com
