Senior ophthalmologists have a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge that can be incredibly beneficial to all young ophthalmologists. Communication between these groups is vital.
To foster this dialogue, YO Info has launched an ongoing conversation between YOs and SOs. In the first part of this series, members of the Academy’s Senior Ophthalmologist Committee discussed what they would have done differently early in their careers. This month, they give suggestions about what they want to see from newly recruited doctors as they enter the practice.
Come see us
The time between meeting for an interview and arriving for your first day of work at the practice can be a long period of time. Be sure to contact all of your senior colleagues early on and tell them you are there and eager to go to work.
Always be ethical
Maintaining ethical behavior is paramount for any practicing ophthalmologist. Similarly, be sure that you are conservative in your treatment of patients.
Work hard
Always go beyond what is asked of you and show that you are willing to do more than your share.
Be a good citizen of the group
Younger doctors joining a practice should know they will be judged on two issues: how good a doctor you are in terms of ethics and abilities, and how good a group citizen they are.
Being a good citizen means you are pleasant to their colleagues. You will follow the will of the group on issues, even if you may have voted against those issues in the last meeting. You will do their share of the administrative work that comes their way. You will not spread poison about colleagues or staff, and you will treat staff respectfully. You will not be a loner.
Don’t go it alone
Young ophthalmologists who are starting out in a group practice should never hesitate to consult with senior colleagues on difficult cases. Not only will you learn from such discussions, but you will also discover what a pleasure it is to have these interactions with colleagues.
Earn it and pay it forward
Exercise gratitude. Remember and act on the realization you have a lot for which to be grateful. Your parents made sacrifices so that you could enjoy many benefits, including an excellent education. You learned a lot in medical school from teachers who believed in academics and who also believed in you. They could have chosen an easier and more lucrative life. But they saw value in empowering you by passing on their knowledge and insights. The same can be said about your mentors in residency and fellowship.
The high standard of care you now have stems from their dedication as well as the thousands of unseen investigators who labored to develop new devices, new medications and new knowledge of how diseases affect vision and the eye. In addition, every paper you read and will continue to read took a great deal of time and effort to prepare. They allow you to accomplish more for your patients.
You are about to enter an established practice. Your associates have spent their lives fine-tuning things so that now you can optimize your patient care. You’ll begin by inheriting the fruit of their labors.
Exploit it and enjoy it. But do good by it, and by remembering how many people contributed to your present success, you should be inspired to pass it on in two important ways: Help your patients, and help the next young doctor that comes along.