For books, my personal favorite is Irving Bennett's "Optometric Practice Managment". It is a little old, a 2002 book, but it at least has some innovative thinking in there. I DO NOT recommend the newer 2009 AMPE book in optometry, as they are in my opinion a little bit of a shill for VSP and dismiss medical reimbursement as a viable cash flow model. (All of my experience says otherwise)
That will get you started at least....I also recently read Entrepreneur Press's new 2010 book, "Start Your Own Business" 5th Edition. For me, a lot of people will use and understand basic optometric practice. By that, I mean how to increase efficiencies, suppliers, how and who to hire, etc. What will separate you out, even to someone who is hiring you as a part of their private practice, is innovative thinking.
Case in point: I was new doc searching about 18 months ago, and had 30 or more interviews or meets with potential doctors. One of them happened to be a new grad, had been out for 8 months, and was as confident a guy as you could ever meet. I was very impressed by his clinical experience (had spent time at Walter Reed seeing 40 pt's a day in rotation time), and he just had "it". Anyway, I gave him a 2 week trial in the practice, see how he works with the pt's and staff, etc. After week one, he comes into my office with a plan.
He says, "I was going through the computer and made a list of the zip codes of all of our patients. I made a print out for you." He then proceeds to hand me a color coded county map of where most of our patients are coming from. No idea how much time that must've taken. "I think that we should pull some money away from advertising over here, and put it instead further north. Also, I did an analysis on our recall, and I think the mailings are a waste of money. We can spend half that amount in labor making personal phone calls, and drop the referrals that are not returning patients."
This is the kind of thing they definitely DO NOT teach in op school. Now he runs almost all day to day operations of the new location (1 of 3), and does the accounting work himself, much more cheaply and effectively than a hired gun....and this from a guy that is 29. He will likely be the major holder of that place within a few years.
So, my point is that it is what you read about, the ideas you bring, that will impress a new boss. I can get a doctor any time. Educate yourself into being an innovator, that person that sees the stuff your boss doesn't, and you become unexpendable, and wealthy!
My advice is to read up, take the private job if you can, and blow them away.