Smorr18 said:
Hi everyone,
for all those who have gotten out of optometry school, which setting do you like working in the best? Thanks!
I've practiced in several settings and each has its pros and cons. It really depends on what you are looking for when you get out. The following represents my experience at various locations and is not meant to be representative of what you might experience.
Hospital based (ophthalmology training hospital): Pros - Great learning experience when you work with the faculty ophthalmologists. Allows you to follow surgical referrals through the whole process.
Cons - You are always going to be an employee. Ophthalmologists may not respect you as much as they do the MD's in the hospital.
Commercial (Pearle Vision Express): Pros - Easy money. In my location we never had to deal with insurance. Rarely saw disease. Didn't have employee headaches.
Cons - Rarely saw disease. I became very bored spinning dials all day. Patients were less loyal to me than they were a coupon for a less expensive exam.
Group OD/OMD practice: Pros - Nice medical setting. Large staff so I had very little responsibility for day to day operations. Excellent benefits. I was treated the same as the medical ophthalmologist on staff.
Cons - Hard to negotiate a buy-in. I felt like I would always be an employee.
Private Practice: Pros - Nice medical setting. I am my own boss. Excellent benefits. If I don't like the way something is done, I can change it.
Cons - Everything falls on me. If money gets tight, I don't get paid (luckily this has never happened). If I can't find a fill-in doc, I lose money when I go on vacation.
I am sure everyone will have different opinions on the best mode of practice. For me, I think private is the best. I enjoy owning a practice and all that it entails, but each person has to find the right modality for them.
