👩🏻‍⚕️ My Advice For New Docs

So by now a lot of you newly-minted ODs have probably already seen patients and are well into your first month of practice. Or if you were extra prepared, you knew to take the summer off and are just starting now lol.

That would be my first piece of advice, start working in September!

I started working shortly after I got my license. It was fine and I don’t necessarily regret it but I do wish someone actually told me:
GIVE YOURSELF JUST ONE MORE SUMMER lol.

Anywho I’ve been practicing for four years now but I still clearly remember my first days as Dr. Raymondi. I was nervous because there was no one superivising me, the buck stopped with me! But of course as with anything we all quickly adapt and learn.

I reminded myself that by that point I’ve already seen hundreds of patients, I had the knowledge and that the patients coming in were already trusting me to care for them so as long as I did care for them everything was going to be great. And it was.

I recommend carrying your Wills Eye and to continue having a clinic notebook to write down interesting findings and cases to look up later.

Text/e-mail your friends, now colleagues, from Optometry school and former supervisors. They know exactly what you’re going through and are there to help.

If you want to know how a patient is doing, just give them a call before their follow-up, they would really appreciate it.

And remember that this first job isn’t going to be your last. If things aren’t the perfect fit thats ok because other opportunities will present themselves and you’ll learn what it is that you want from your career.

And have fun! You earned it. After being in school for 20+ years it’s all a cause for celebration and a chance to really pursue your own interests and hobbies that you haven’t had time to fully engage with because you were in school. Live it up!

I’ll be doing some tips for students too later in the week.
What questions/tips do you have?