Clarification

We really appreciate all of the feedback we've received thus far. It always surprises me when my internet ramblings attract attention outside of my own.

This blog was started because I challenged an internet blowhard to outline for students how he became so successful. That challenge was not accepted. So I challenged myself. Furthermore Swell and I use blogs as a method of recording our life journey.

The internet is an interesting phenomena. It seems to allow those with little to no experience to claim expert status on any number of issues. I do not claim to be an expert on optometry. Private practice. Or anything else this blog will discuss. I am simply learning.

This blog will serve to outline the decisions we will have to make over the next year and how we came to make the decisions we did. I fully realize that what we decide may not be what is appropriate for others but I hope that I can instill hope in students that it is possible to pursue private practice. That it is possible to pursue other non-patient care interests with an optometric degree. That it is possible to use commercial practice to your advantage.

Its funny that I've only made four posts and I've already been "called out". I don't know if I'm a "major pro commercial flamer" or not. (Apparently someone has changed the meaning of the word flamer...) I do see commercial optometry as a viable mode of practice in today's optometry. I feel that we used this mode of practice to our benefit and will continue to do so. Please don't read that we hate those who choose to practice this way. We respect them as colleagues and hold no ill will toward them. It is simply time for us to face new challenges. There are many out there who, in their quest for acceptance or in an effort to hide inadequacies, will take every opportunity to yell and scream about how commercial practice is destroying our fine profession. They can continue to do that. I will not.

Commercial is not my concern.

My future patients are my concern.

Insurance is my concern.

Cash flow is my concern.

I'm tired of optometry. I've been tired of optometry since my second year of optometry school. Not because I dislike it just because I like something else more. I still have a passion for eye care but not at an individual patient level. The only way I can bring myself to stay in traditional optometry is to challenge myself with something new. Practice ownership.

This will be Swell's practice but I will play a role in it. We will be partners but she'll be the primary optometrist. I fully expect to be working commercial or, hopefully, public health work as my primary source of income.

We don't expect to remain anonymous. In the next week many of you will know our real names and our location. Our intent with pseudonyms is simply to prevent people from googling our given names and stumbling upon this blog. I will stand by every word I type but am always open to having my mind/opinion changed.

The picture associated with this blog is one of my favourite pictures of Swell and I. It is a tribute to my pseudo-anarchist punk youth and was taken on a very, very smelly train in Egypt. It pokes fun at the anonymity of this blog and is intended to represent the idea that our journey could be the journey of any recently graduated optometrist. We are nobody special. We just are.

I know I am long winded. Any paper I've ever submitted to anyone has been returned with the comment to cut not just words or sentences but pages. The internet gives me the freedom to ramble and I hope that within the ramblings you can gain some insight and enjoyment. I really hope that all y'all continue to visit and follow us. I've enabled anonymous comments now so if you don't want to put your name to your comments thats fine. No worries. I promise not to be offended. I welcome dialogue and know that I can learn from all of you.

Thanks again!