Optometrists are overtrained???

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No I wont "tone it down a little bit". I will continue to freely speak my mind as I see fit. I have also said I dont see myself as any better than corporate ODs. My point was that these wally ODs are not good for the future of our profession. Period. While PGE may ask what you feel to be great questions, she is up for a real awakening from her crayon world of paper clouds. As a first year student, you would think that PGE would be more interested in learning from others that have been doing it for a while rather than speaking as though she has some kind of clue.

Posner

With all due respect...

You have no idea who I am or what I believe. I like that because I disagree with you I am automatically living in a "crayon world of paper clouds". I wouldn't be on this forum, or ODWire, or POP if I wasn't actively seeking the advice of those wiser than me and have been doing this far longer than I have. I spent the year prior to optometry school working with one of the most brilliant ODs I'll probably ever know. He took the time (between running his five offices)to speak with me at length about the profession, and how to be successful in it. You also have no idea that I have every intention of going into private practice, and that I share many of the same feelings as you do about corporate optometry in general. Where you and I differ is that I am able to "love the sinner, hate the sin" so to speak. I disagree with the tactics of alienating corporate optometrists by calling them prostitutes and ******. That isn't going to make them come to private practice any quicker... certainly if it means they'll one day act like you.
 
nothing illustrates my points better than this.

I'm just pushing buttons, man. I pretty much agree with you guys but kindness goes a long way. 😉

By the way I did quit my job so I won't be doing $39 exams after Dec. 16. Are you proud of me?
 
I'm just pushing buttons, man. I pretty much agree with you guys but kindness goes a long way. 😉

By the way I did quit my job so I won't be doing $39 exams after Dec. 16. Are you proud of me?

LOL….. Good for you! Now, if I remember correctly you will be moving on to your own practice with your better half. Congrds and best wishes… 👍
 
Geez,
After seeing this maybe I should become anti-corporate...
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drgregory,

Call me crazy, but it appears that "hatred of corporate optometry" undertones are present in all of your posts. (They're subtle... you gotta look for 'em.😉 ) From what I gather, one of the bigger reasons you hate them is that professional fees in these locations are not set appropriately (correct me if I'm wrong). You specifically mention that "its one thing to list your fee but to actually charge it without exceptions is another." So, you feel that these doctors are devaluing (sp?) our profession. How does this hatred of accepting less than one's worth relate to low ball vision plans? It doesn't matter how high you set your fees, if Vision-Plans-R-Us only pays X dollars (and that's less than your set fee) aren't you doing the same thing? The difference being... the corporate optometrist is upfront about it?

Call me "naive" or "green"... but it seems like unless an optometrist has a strictly cash-paying patient base, or exclusively accepts medical insurances that pay well, he/she would ALWAYS be accepting less than their set fees, meaning the only difference between a private practice doctor (who accepts all the low ball vision plans) and a corporate doctor is... location? (Patients per day and owning your dispensary not withstanding)
 
LOL….. Good for you! Now, if I remember correctly you will be moving on to your own practice with your better half. Congrds and best wishes… 👍

Small detour before opening our practice but we should be up and running in a year. Thanks.
 
I'm just pushing buttons, man. I pretty much agree with you guys but kindness goes a long way. 😉

By the way I did quit my job so I won't be doing $39 exams after Dec. 16. Are you proud of me?

I am delighted at this news. I certainly wish you well in private practice. I believe that you may some day harbor similar ill will towards those that would attempt to take away from your chosen profession by giving their services away.

I encourage you to heed some of the cautions Ben spoke of in regards to joining every available plan. Your first inclination will be to fill your schedule as quickly as possible. While this is certainly a natural desire, be sure to keep your eye on the bottom line. YOu might be surprised to learn what you really earn on some of those low ball patients. Work smarter not harder. Good luck.

Posner
 
With all due respect...

You have no idea who I am or what I believe. I like that because I disagree with you I am automatically living in a "crayon world of paper clouds". I wouldn't be on this forum, or ODWire, or POP if I wasn't actively seeking the advice of those wiser than me and have been doing this far longer than I have. I spent the year prior to optometry school working with one of the most brilliant ODs I'll probably ever know. He took the time (between running his five offices)to speak with me at length about the profession, and how to be successful in it. You also have no idea that I have every intention of going into private practice, and that I share many of the same feelings as you do about corporate optometry in general. Where you and I differ is that I am able to "love the sinner, hate the sin" so to speak. I disagree with the tactics of alienating corporate optometrists by calling them prostitutes and ******. That isn't going to make them come to private practice any quicker... certainly if it means they'll one day act like you.

I just noticed the Charlie Brown picture and accompanying jabberwocky...quite amusing😀 I can only hope that some day when you are in private practice you will take the affronts of corporate ODs more seriously. Whether you choose to "love the sinner" or not, in the end it will drag down the profession you will have worked so hard for.

Posner
 
May we all drink deep from the vast well of knowlegde of posner. He and he alone is right. May he live up to the namesake of the high intraoculor pressure crisis....or maybe he should just drop the "n" from his name. (I too like to push buttons) Is this fun or WHAT?
 
May we all drink deep from the vast well of knowlegde of posner. He and he alone is right. May he live up to the namesake of the high intraoculor pressure crisis....or maybe he should just drop the "n" from his name. (I too like to push buttons) Is this fun or WHAT?

Mike-
Your attempts at humor fall quite short. I never said I was the smartest OD around(in fact if you read some of my other posts, you will see that I regularly learn from other ODs and professionals). I cant help it if you have a small penis complex because of your doc in the box status, maybe things will take a turn for the better for you in the future.

The time will come when the pimple faced 23 year old Walmart district manager will pull your lease on the ******o-Mart practice you have, and you will remember those of us that forewarned you. AS long as you think you are in the drivers seat, just keep on trucking. We are not going to see eye to eye on this one(in large part because I suspect your physical size is not much larger than your dwarf-like self confidence) so I will let it go.

Posner
 
Mike-
Your attempts at humor fall quite short. I never said I was the smartest OD around(in fact if you read some of my other posts, you will see that I regularly learn from other ODs and professionals). I cant help it if you have a small penis complex because of your doc in the box status, maybe things will take a turn for the better for you in the future.

The time will come when the pimple faced 23 year old Walmart district manager will pull your lease on the ******o-Mart practice you have, and you will remember those of us that forewarned you. AS long as you think you are in the drivers seat, just keep on trucking. We are not going to see eye to eye on this one(in large part because I suspect your physical size is not much larger than your dwarf-like self confidence) so I will let it go.

Posner

dear north korea (mike) and japan (posner),
we (the rest of the forum ODs) as the UN would like to make sure our conversations return to more "stable" arguements. none-the-less, one can easily see my stance on the background issue here (corporate optometry being the fall of optometry around the world) in my analogy.
 
Penis envy...that's great. Has this come down to a cock fight? Don't make me get freaky ninja style and do the "quart of blood" technique on you.
 
dear north korea (mike) and japan (posner),
we (the rest of the forum ODs) as the UN would like to make sure our conversations return to more "stable" arguements. none-the-less, one can easily see my stance on the background issue here (corporate optometry being the fall of optometry around the world) in my analogy.

I swear..I have no nukes.
 
Look...here's the REAL truth. In 10 to 20 years...all medicine will be socialized and this topic will be moot. Grab the vasoline and get ready.
 
dear north korea (mike) and japan (posner),
we (the rest of the forum ODs) as the UN would like to make sure our conversations return to more "stable" arguements. none-the-less, one can easily see my stance on the background issue here (corporate optometry being the fall of optometry around the world) in my analogy.


Thanks for the olive branch. Perhaps I should make a return to a more constructive discussion on my hatred toward corporate OD sell-outs.
 
Look...here's the REAL truth. In 10 to 20 years...all medicine will be socialized and this topic will be moot. Grab the vasoline and get ready.


Im not so sure about this. American are too impatient to embrace socialized medicine like the system in Canada. They want what they want and they dont want to wait weeks to months for thier care. I do think our national system is flawed, but I wonder if something like the system currently used by those in Oregon may not be a distant possibility. Time will tell.

Posner
 
Look...here's the REAL truth. In 10 to 20 years...all medicine will be socialized and this topic will be moot. Grab the vasoline and get ready.

That is actually something to think about. With places like superstores starting quick clinics, etc. could this be the way things are going?
 
ENOUGH !!

Everyone get back in your corners before I have to close this thread.

Remember folks, we ALL went to the same schools. If we start turning on each other instead of respecting each others educations our profession is as good as dead.

Don't fault the people who can't make ends meet as a part-time associate to someone who's not paying them well... and has 120k in student loans.

Don't fault people who are HAPPY with how they practice... and are great examples for younger students to follow.

This corporate VS private practice conversation is OVER NOW .. or I'm closing this thread.

Play nice kids... you can all diagnose CSME no matter where you practice and no matter how much you charge for it.
 
ok...lets all pick in Chris now!! Florida sucks! (he he...j/k...I sure miss my old home)
 
Im not so sure about this. American are too impatient to embrace socialized medicine like the system in Canada. They want what they want and they dont want to wait weeks to months for thier care. I do think our national system is flawed, but I wonder if something like the system currently used by those in Oregon may not be a distant possibility. Time will tell.

Posner

I've had a lot of discussions with my brother-in-law (plastic surgeon) and my best friend (orthopedic surgeon) and they both think it will happen. I'm kinda with them...esp if Hillary gets elected (shudder). It will get fast tracked then.
 
btw..I'm just bored and posner is an easy target 'cuz hes always in here. I LOVE YOU MAN!
 
Florida's great... but 93 in October should be illegal 😱 I can still ban you.. even if you WERE my TA 😛

Can you be bought?
 
ENOUGH !!

Everyone get back in your corners before I have to close this thread.

Remember folks, we ALL went to the same schools. If we start turning on each other instead of respecting each others educations our profession is as good as dead.

Don't fault the people who can't make ends meet as a part-time associate to someone who's not paying them well... and has 120k in student loans.

Don't fault people who are HAPPY with how they practice... and are great examples for younger students to follow.

This corporate VS private practice conversation is OVER NOW .. or I'm closing this thread.

Play nice kids... you can all diagnose CSME no matter where you practice and no matter how much you charge for it.
what is CSME? I don't have a walmart pamplet on that..hmmm..let me look around a little..I'll get back with you.
 
That is actually something to think about. With places like superstores starting quick clinics, etc. could this be the way things are going?

yes...optometry isn't the only one. Minor care clinics and dentistry is comming to a walmart near you.
 
Thanks for the olive branch. Perhaps I should make a return to a more constructive discussion on my hatred toward corporate OD sell-outs.

btw..I'm currently building a private practice...walmart really does suck...but they paid for 2 houses (one now a rental, 2 cars and a big dent in my student loan..so not all that bad) OK CHRIS!!!! NOW I'll stop. 😛
 
a lot of systemic diseases appear in the eye. if someone comes to you for glasses but they have other symptoms that are attributable to serious medical condition, you as a health practioner need to recognize those medical signs and refer them to a physician. i dont think its enough to only know about the eyes if youre an optometrist. there are too many diseases that manifest in the eyes and failing to notice a condition can have serious consequences. no one can be overtrained in anything.
 
I've had a lot of discussions with my brother-in-law (plastic surgeon) and my best friend (orthopedic surgeon) and they both think it will happen. I'm kinda with them...esp if Hillary gets elected (shudder). It will get fast tracked then.


I think it is unlikely we will have any form of "single-payer" medical care in the next 20 years, no matter how wonderful this idea may be. The American medical care system is steeped in capitalism. If it does come, it will certainly will be in the form of a 2 tier system. Those that can afford it will pay out of pocket for specialists (in cash without any hope of reimbursement) and those that will be part of the system. The hold on the medical community is so great from insurance plans, claims processor and reactionary politicians that we must be realistic about this. In other words, I am not sure why there is an arguement about when it won't change in our life time.
 
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