First Year Out: Optometric Employment and Career Planning

Introduction to Optometry as a Career

As the primary eye care profession, optometry provides a uniquely rewarding opportunity to improve the health and general well-being of persons afflicted with mild to severe eye conditions. In addition to helping people see and function more easily in the world, optometry is an attractive career path for students seeking to balance a challenging and rewarding career with an equally rewarding personal life, as it provides the time and the income required to pursue an array of extracurricular interests.

As with every successful career path, a career in optometry requires careful planning and specific goal setting in order to succeed. If, as the authors of Business Aspects of Optometry suggest, "success is getting what you want," then the first step to success is having a clear idea of what you want (Association of Practice Management Educators [APME], 19). Do you want to own your own practice, work for an established practice, work in an outpatient clinic setting, or possibly in an educational setting? If your goal is to own your own practice, do you want to work with associates or practice on your own? Conversely, if your goal is to work for an established practice, what practices appeal to you and why?

The Importance of Goal Setting

While goal setting is an important prerequisite for success, according to Harry Jones of Achieve Max Incorporated, fewer than five percent of people clearly define their goals, and fewer than one percent of those who do take the time to write them down. As a result, many students are out of school for at least four years — often married with at least one child — before they even begin to set goals. The vast majority of optometry graduates leave their first job within 18 months (APME, 19).

When you begin to think about goals, APME authors suggest considering three words you would like to see on your headstone. Common three-word epitaphs include:

While the three-word epitaph does not clearly define specific goals, it can help you determine the heart of what is most important to you, which in turn can inform your goals. Regarding specific goals, consider the following questions:

Asking these questions and others like them will help you clearly define your priorities and what is important to you in preparation for setting specific goals, which APME authors define as follows:

Defining and Testing Your Goals

Goals are future realities you commit to in the present. A goal may stem from a wish, a desire, a dream, a want, or a need. But a goal differs from all of these in that it is a planned commitment. To achieve it requires active effort in a positive direction. (APME, 20)

In order to distinguish a goal from a need or desire, apply the SMART test. Is your potential goal specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (APME, 21)? Can you write the goal down in easily understandable language, such as "I would like to own my own practice within five years," or "I would like to become an optometric associate at an existing practice within the first year of graduating"?

Conclusion: Stepping Deliberately Toward Your Future

In order to express your goals and values to another, you must first clearly define them for yourself. Whether you begin with a three-word epitaph or simply a list of what you would like to accomplish in life, it is imperative that you break those goals down into manageable sub-goals, as the achievement of every major life goal depends upon the achievement of preliminary steps. In other words, while it is important to look ahead and keep the big picture in mind, it is equally important to look at the ground underfoot and deliberately step in a direction that brings you closer to your goals.