Of the multitude of careers in the health care industry, optometry has one of the greatest outlooks with regards to future employment and need, largely due to the health care requirements of the aging population. Optometry has several different modes of practice to choose from, including private practice, commercial, hospital, and community health centers to name a few. To further investigate private practice optometry, I shadowed Dr. Stuart Anderson in Gladstone, Missouri. Dr. Anderson is a member of the first graduating class of the University of Missouri Saint Louis College of Optometry and has been practicing optometry for 32 years. He owns a successful private practice, Anderson and Nutt, and throughout his career, has established himself …show more content…
Anderson at his practice because he has created both a professional and personal lifestyle that I hope to accomplish for myself. Aside from optometry, Dr. Anderson is also a leader in the community, as he serves on the board of the Platte County Board of Services. His involvement and dedication to this board, which provides services to special needs adults in the community, represents his commitment to his family, as his oldest son is autistic. Dr. Anderson frequently brings up his children in conversation and is able to make time in his schedule to take the family on beautiful vacations throughout the year. As stated in Business Aspects of Optometry (2010), a vital part of future success is planning and goal setting (p. 18-19). In order to achieve the future you desire, you must plan for it and set specific goals; in order to set goals, you must know what you want. Though it can be defined in several different ways, put simply, “success is getting what you want,” (p. 19). Thus, I chose a suburban, private practice office to conduct my shadowing so that I would be able to better outline my goals and aspirations for my professional career. Demonstrated in the following paragraphs is the knowledge I gained regarding practice management in a private practice optometric …show more content…
Dr. Anderson was successfully able to see a large number of patients per day, largely in part due to the help of staff members. Technicians perform pretesting on patients (including visual acuity testing and Optos imaging) and then direct patients to seats in the hall. This patient flow opens more chairs in the waiting room/dispensary and ensures that patients are ready to be seen by the doctor at the time of their appointment. Unfortunately, these chairs are immediately outside of the exam room, which necessitates exam room doors be completely shut for privacy. Overall, this process was a creative way of increasing the number of exams per day without increasing the number of exam lanes needed. Additional practice management advice gained was Dr. Anderson’s opinion on instrument importance and productivity. New optometry graduates must prioritize purchases due to large amounts of student debt and limited funding. Interestingly, Dr. Anderson advocated that the Optos retinal imaging instrument was his favorite and most profitable instrument. He explained that this technology provides a wow factor for patients, while also cutting down on exam time. For non-medical, routine exams, the retinal imaging allows for a complete exam without dilation (an added bonus for patients as well!). Furthermore, the advanced technology allows for sustained viewing of the retina and provides an opportunity for
... me to understand the inner workings of the eye and techniques used to help people.
As a student who is both fascinated with science and desires a career that is dedicated to improving people’s lives, the profession of optometry is a natural fit for me. Wanting to learn more about the profession, I began shadowing several optometrists throughout my time in high school and college. I shadowed in various settings, including two retail chain stores, an ophthalmology office, and a private practice. My goal was to soak up everything about the experience, learning as much as I could from the optometrists as they interacted with patients and assessed their ocular health. I was amazed at how much I was able to learn just from observing other optometrists! One of the most memorable experiences I had while shadowing was when a patient came in with shingles, which the optometrist, Dr. Chelsey Clemens, confirmed was spreading onto her cornea. Dr. Clemens promptly prescribed an antibiotic gel to the patient. It was exciting to observe this patient receive this much-needed care from her
Okie, S. (2012, May 17). The Evolving Primary Care Physician. In The New England Journal of Medicine. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1014419556/fulltextPDF?accountid=13158
Nova Southeastern University is a renowned institution known for its excellent health professions programs. When considering a potential school of Optometry, I knew that Nova’s Optometry program was ideal and the best fit for me. I believe my personal values and goals align with those of Nova’s Optometry program. I believe the outstanding education and experience that I will gain as a student doctor, will aid me in becoming a skilled and knowledgeable Doctor of Optometry. With my integrity, honesty and diligence, I will help keep Nova College of Optometry’s flag of excellence flying high. The many student organizations which I could join at Nova Southeastern, will allow me to interact and work with other students that have similar aspirations to mine, I believe with these various opportunities, I can contribute to the institution, the community and demonstrate leadership skills throughout my years at Nova College of Optometry. The
For this task I thought long and hard about the types of vision and colour of eyes I wanted, the colours I would want is a little complex, I would have a completely blood red Iris while the border of the pupil having a touch of yellow starry rings, to give the looks of a soul that have been ravaged and in pain for centuries. I choose this for no particular reason other than personal preference.
I also plan on having my own practice back in my hometown of Mission, Texas. I believe this will allow me to serve my community and help mentor young students who have an interest in optometry. In addition, sports are a huge deal to me so I plan to be involved in some form of sports vision research. I would also love to be affiliated with local schools or even the local NBA developmental team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as their team doctor. This also goes with my mentality to never stop learning, so I plan to attend trainings or conferences for advances in optometry. In the end my ultimate career goal is to continually strive to be the best optometrist I can
My first exposure in using healthcare equipment for patient care was during my training as an optometric technician. I see patients for screenings before their exam and perform automated refraction, retina photography, and visual field testing. These tests, although preliminary, require the proper positioning of the patient and efficient communication to give directions. I strive to create a safe and friendly atmosphere for the patients while gathering sufficient information about their history and test results. I pay great attention to details, both in what the patient tells me and what I see on the photos. While I am not diagnosing the patient as an optometric tech, my organization and diligence to details will be beneficial as a sonographer.
Advanced practice roles will only become increasingly utilized and in great need in the coming years as legislators have brought vast change to U.S. healthcare. The number of newly insured individuals combined with the expanding elderly population is already bringing the number of patients seen in emergency departments and outpatient facilities higher than ever before. As more individuals and families gain access to healthcare, this explosion in patient numbers in the coming years will have a great impact on the clinicians themselves. There will be increasing focus on managing care and cost-efficiency as these previously uninsured patients have gone without medical care for such a long time and will need vast amounts of high-acuity and specialized care.
An optometrist's job is usually to perform different tests and exams on a patient. The exams can reveal what could be wrong with someone’s eyes and the tests can usually tell the doctor the patient’s prescription. From that point the doctor can decide what kind of glasses they would need, either single vision, which are only for people who have a difficult time seeing further away, reading glasses, or bifocals that can help someone see up close and further away (Dickerhoof). Aside from performing exams, Optometrists can diagnose diseases in the eye, such as a cataract, perform minor procedures, provide treatments for things such as vision therapy or low vision rehab, and provide preoperative and postoperative care. Many of them counsel patients
As an accomplished Senior Administrative Assistant and Office Manager with over five years of support and leadership experience including medical office, human resources, health and wellness; I hold myself to a high standard of professionalism, accuracy and efficiency. My proven success in developing rapport with internal and external stakeholders demonstrates my proactive, collaborative and enthusiastic personality; as well as my strong communication, organizational, research and problem solving skills. As your reliable Office Manager my goal would be to actively represent your interests at all times, independently demonstrate sound judgement, and go above and beyond to contribute to the long term success of the business, clinicians, team
Weinrauch, P., & Lutz, M. (2014). Access to digital radiology imaging and the impact on specialists in private practice. ANZ Journal Of Surgery, 84(1-2), 98. doi:10.1111/ans.12457
Years after becoming a regular pediatric patient to my own optometrist, I began to reflect on these childhood recollections and seek an interest in the health care field. With lack of exposure to other medical professions, I was uncertain of which career pathway would best suit my interests. Still, nothing compared to the “perfect fit” feeling of optometry. My decision to declare myself a pre-optometry major became inevitable when my academic endeavors and societal interests aligned. Being an only child and lacking company from children my age, I became focused on academic success as an adolescent. I began to notice that as children progress in school, they face increasing demands for visual abilities. If something as simple as a routine eye exam could improve their education, I would like to ensure that this is given the attention it
There are many factors affect the quality of fluoroscopic image as fluoroscopy system is much more complex compare to common radiography system. The factors included are contrast, resolution, distortion and quantum mottle.
This increase in specialized care reflects the overarching trend of increased efficiency in the health care system. Narrowing the scope of focus when diagnosing or performing a procedure allows the spe...
When planning for our future it is important to have clear goals in mind and to understand the steps that need to be taken to achieve those goals. My long-term goal is to run my own counseling center and employee at least one other person. Some Skills I already possess that will allow me to succeed with this plan are my ability to relate to people and be consistent in following the steps needed, even though it will be a long and tedious process.