Dr. Foster (back row, center) with the students who visited his practice during Vision Source Next’s Practice Crawl. Dr. Foster says his interactions with these optometry students give him hope for the future of the profession.
A glimpse into the future of the profession.
By Shane Foster, OD, FAAO
April 24, 2024
The associates we hire can help us surge as a practice. They can expand availability of appointments and improve patient care, sometimes bringing new expertise into our office.
Here is what I learned last fall when I participated in the Vision Source Next Practice Crawl for optometry students, which gave these soon-to-be ODs a glimpse of work life in a variety of practices, including my own.
Keeping Independent Optometry Strong
As a practice owner, I have a vested interest in keeping independent optometry as strong as possible, and one of the best ways to do that is to ensure there is a large pool of new graduates who are interested in pursuing private practice.
Spending time with students and young optometrists to discuss the benefits of private practice is an investment in the future success of my practice, and those of my private practice colleagues.
It is crucial to be a mentor to students and young ODs to help them navigate the profession and find success. Over the years, a dozen or more pre-optometry students shadowed me or worked in my practice, which allowed them to better understand the profession.
The New Generation of ODs Have a Great Work Ethic
The next generation of optometrists appear to be dedicated and very hard-working. They are excited to get out in the “real world” and start their careers. Employment in our industry has become more competitive over the last several years. So, the new graduates know they are in high demand!
Young associates have many opportunities. They are evaluating and ranking their options as much as their potential employers are, if not more so.
Now, more than ever, private practice owners need to really market their associate openings to ensure they reach and attract the most qualified candidates.
Always on the Lookout for Promising Associates in a Rural Setting
I employ four associate optometrists across my three practices. My first two practices are in rural settings, where the supply of providers is scarce.
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Most new graduates prefer to stay closer to urban centers and are not yet interested in “settling down” in a smaller, rural town, despite the cheaper cost of living and other benefits of a small, tight-knit community.
Associates Looking for the Right Practice Modality
Since Vision Source hosted the practice crawl, there were definitely questions about what Vision Source membership can offer for private practices. Many optometry students are so inundated with information in school that they do not get a chance to fully understand what OD alliances, such as Vision Source, are.
I was able to share with the students that Vision Source practices are fully independently owned and operated, and that Vision Source does not have ownership in the practice. The great thing about Vision Source is that each doctor retains the autonomy to make all decisions about their own practice – what EHR to use, what vendors to utilize and what products to prescribe.
Most of the students were interested in a primary care optometry setting, but also highly interested in modern optometric surgical procedures like removal of lid lesions and laser surgery.
We discussed the pending legislation in the Ohio legislature that would permit Ohio optometrists to perform these procedures and what they could do to help get the bill passed.
Many of the students had already written letters to legislators, and others were planning upcoming letter-writing parties to encourage their classmates to participate.
It was incredible to see a group of students so actively engaged with legislation affecting their profession, even at this early stage of their career. That kind of participation will be necessary to get this scope modernization passed, as well as any other initiatives that may come in the future.
Additionally, we were able to talk about the process of finding practice opportunities and how to navigate an acquisition versus a cold-start practice and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
When I participated in the Vision Source Next practice crawl, I had just acquired my downtown Columbus practice three days before. I joked with the students that I didn’t even know yet where things were kept in the new office!
The new acquisition was a great story to tell because it showed the students that it is never too late (or too early) to pursue a new endeavor.
Shane Foster, OD, FAAO is the owner of Capitol Eyes in Columbus, Ohio, and Athens Eye Care in Athens, Ohio, which was named one of CooperVision’s Best Practices. He is Past President of the Ohio Optometric Association and current President of the Ohio Optometric Foundation, which works to expand access to pediatric eye care for the children of Ohio. To contact Dr. Foster: shanefosterod@gmail.com
