Aoa

[bournehall]

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Did you read in a recent journal about the AOA's comments on some of optometry's problems? The President of the AOA says in a public forum there may be a "perceived" lack of opportunities/oversupply of OD's. Well, folks if the leader of optometry's gunship is this freakin stupid with his head in the sand (along with I. Bennet) then we probably don't stand a chance of improving things. If ever an organization is totally inept it is the AOA. I can not believe they have the audacity to expect someone to join that club and send money. I am announcing my run for the Presidency of the AOA and would solicit any and all support...first order of business is to close the programs in OK, S. Florida and St. Louis. Second order would be to decrease enrollment at the rest of the schools by 20 percent across the board. Third order would be to buy political support to sue insurance companies and force them to pay OD's for services they are credentialled to provide. I look forward to leading this profession as we board the last train to the coast.

 

[iowaeyes]

Did you read in a recent journal about the AOA's comments on some of optometry's problems?

Can you provide a link or information so I could read this article?

Thanks!

 

[blazenmadison]

Did you read in a recent journal about the AOA's comments on some of optometry's problems? The President of the AOA says in a public forum there may be a "perceived" lack of opportunities/oversupply of OD's. Well, folks if the leader of optometry's gunship is this freakin stupid with his head in the sand (along with I. Bennet) then we probably don't stand a chance of improving things. If ever an organization is totally inept it is the AOA. I can not believe they have the audacity to expect someone to join that club and send money. I am announcing my run for the Presidency of the AOA and would solicit any and all support...first order of business is to close the programs in OK, S. Florida and St. Louis. Second order would be to decrease enrollment at the rest of the schools by 20 percent across the board. Third order would be to buy political support to sue insurance companies and force them to pay OD's for services they are credentialled to provide. I look forward to leading this profession as we board the last train to the coast.

You have my vote! Also please stop the schools in Arizona and Texas from opening up too!

Basically he said the senior docs are not dying fast enough so they can transfer their practices to the young ODs.

I did read the AOA economy survey of net income.
Solo Practice: Mean Income: 116,620, Median 106,000
Partnership (3-5): Mean income: 194,478, Median 156,000 (slightly high...)
Optical Chain Lease: Mean Income: 130,600, Median: 110,000
'other': Mean Income: 181,000, Median: 181,000 (other means drug dealing??)
Employed by OMD: Mean: 128,480, Median: 125,000

 

[Opii]

I did read the AOA economy survey of net income.
Solo Practice: Mean Income: 116,620, Median 106,000
Partnership (3-5): Mean income: 194,478, Median 156,000 (slightly high...)
Optical Chain Lease: Mean Income: 130,600, Median: 110,000
'other': Mean Income: 181,000, Median: 181,000 (other means drug dealing??)
Employed by OMD: Mean: 128,480, Median: 125,000

Where does the AOA get these BS numbers?

 

[jenrodgers32]

I would certainly pay my $800 annual membership fee if you were in charge. Also I would cut ICO class by more than 20%. There were around 160 in my class at graduation...a little excessive. I love the income reports as well, a little on the high side maybe??!! If you students out there think you are going to get these kind of offers out of school...think again; unless you have that dream practice of yours lined up and patients to fill the book that have medical eye issues that you can bill for (that is if the insurance company will recongnize you as a provider) and that need glasses.

As to the oversupply of O.D.s; I love what the OMD I work for told me about his college, an OMD in the Annapolis area. He said this supposed OD friendly OMD said that in his practice he just hires ODs and burns them out doing refractions because he knows there will be 20 more to take their place when they finally had enough. Gotta love that one....
Needless to say, be careful what postion you sign up for.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

...first order of business is to close the programs in OK, S. Florida and St. Louis.

Dr. Bournehall,

I agree with the need to close schools immediately. How did you decide which schools you would close? And what legal reason or action do you need/take to close the schools? In other words, how can you force a business to close? Maybe we can look back at the dentistry model, and find out how they closed their schools.

 

[4Eyes]

Maybe cut down on class sizes before eliminating existing schools? 🙁

 

[qwopty99]

i wouldn't close public optometry schools associated with universities first, i'd try to (drastically) reduce the number of students graduating from some of the private colleges (NEWENCO, PCO, ICO).

research and small classes typically characterize the university-based OD programs, whereas high tuitions, over-enrollment, and buy-your-degree-here characterizes the private colleges.

 

[blazenmadison]

Where does the AOA get these BS numbers?

I've talked to most of my classmates about oversupply and none of them believe it is true (of course they are not on this website/odwire). Most of them have worked in very successful practices where the doctors take home the numbers AOA posted. So who's wrong?

What if we cut enrollment at schools and end up with a critical shortage of eyecare professionals. Techs and opticians will have a good excuse for refraction privileges. Heck, OMDs and opticians might even squeeze optometrists out all together since we are underrepresented.
The government predicted there would be an oversupply of nurses in the mid 90s and began closing some schools- oops? Maybe if more optometrists start defaulting on their loans we can persuade the AOA to do something.

 

[alferec]

You have my vote! Also please stop the schools in Arizona and Texas from opening up too!

Basically he said the senior docs are not dying fast enough so they can transfer their practices to the young ODs.

I did read the AOA economy survey of net income.
Solo Practice: Mean Income: 116,620, Median 106,000
Partnership (3-5): Mean income: 194,478, Median 156,000 (slightly high...)
Optical Chain Lease: Mean Income: 130,600, Median: 110,000
'other': Mean Income: 181,000, Median: 181,000 (other means drug dealing??)
Employed by OMD: Mean: 128,480, Median: 125,000

Would somebody provide the source of where you found out about the new schools in Arizona and Texas? I only heard about the new school opening up on California...

 

[Ben Chudner]

I've talked to most of my classmates about oversupply and none of them believe it is true (of course they are not on this website/odwire). Most of them have worked in very successful practices where the doctors take home the numbers AOA posted. So who's wrong?

I have no idea if the AOA numbers are correct, but I can tell you that no one other than my wife and my accountant has any idea how much money I take home from my practice. Unless your classmates are actually looking at W-2's or seeing the doctors' paychecks, they have no clue about what they take home.

 

[Ben Chudner]

Would somebody provide the source of where you found out about the new schools in Arizona and Texas? I only heard about the new school opening up on California...

Art Epstein mentioned them in one of his Review of Optometry Online editorials.

 

[bournehall]

I listed the schools because they were opened since my being in Optometry and there was absolutely no need for the schools to begin with.

Dr. Bournehall,

I agree with the need to close schools immediately. How did you decide which schools you would close? And what legal reason or action do you need/take to close the schools? In other words, how can you force a business to close? Maybe we can look back at the dentistry model, and find out how they closed their schools.

 

[POJO]

The two new schools to opena after Western University is the Midwestern University and Wingate University optometry schools. Midwestern is affiliated with the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and Wingate is a small private university.

 

[rpames]

The two new schools to opena after Western University is the Midwestern University and Wingate University optometry schools. Midwestern is affiliated with the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and Wingate is a small private university.

Are they really going to open another OD school in Chicago?

 

[POJO]

Are they really going to open another OD school in Chicago?

No, CCOM will open the optometry school in AZ.