Before and After my Internship

My interest in Optometry was sparked by my first-hand experience of how clear vision remarkably changed my life for the better, but my hands-on internship at Eyecon is what gave me the confidence to see myself as a future Optometrist.

Before my internship, I was much more timid, but through countless hours of practice with pre-testing patients, conducting case histories, and answering questions through phone, I would say clear communication and connecting to patients are among my strengths. Once I was able to work up a patient to see the doctor through muscle memory, I really enjoyed making patients feel welcomed and getting to know them. Here I learned how important it is to learn about patients’ jobs and hobbies to fully address their visual needs. New cases and learning about patients’ lives has meant there has never been a dull day, since I was always learning something new. In addition to the life-long learning aspect and continual innovation in vision technology, I believe Optometry is a great fit for me because of how many people you are able to make a significant impact on. I love how fast the day goes when the schedule is full and there is always someone to help, and patients’ gratitude makes the challenges of the job worth it.

I believe my biggest challenge was learning how to address disgruntled patients. It is difficult for me to feel like someone is let down, but I realized that learning how to diffuse tension and work through conflict is an essential skill of any doctor. I do my best to pay attention and actively listen while I am in the office, and that really helped me learn from the experience of the team. I learned to ask questions to make the patient feel heard and ensure I understood the issue they wanted help with, and then follow up with clear explanations of what we can do and what is not possible. All of the team members at Eyecon have been so gracious as I have been learning and are exemplary examples of how to resolve disputes with respect and efficiency. I learned how it is essential to believe in the quality of your skills and products, and this internship has been such a valuable opportunity to learn the vocabulary of effectively working with people. I believe patience and staying calm are among my strengths, and being put in situations to figure out a solution have made me much more confident in working with patients to resolve issues and help them get the best vision care possible.

Another lesson I will take with me is how important it is to be intentional with learning from mistakes. It is very important to me to do my best and complete jobs correctly, so it was frustrating at first to make mistakes. However, I learned that I could reach out to my peers to see where I could improve and learn from their experience. For example, I would ask Russell about how he is able to pre-test faster to give the doctor more time, and would apply his advice for my next patients.For example, I would try to ask about their family history and medications in the small periods of downtime when the autorefractor was printing or when I was entering keratometry numbers. In order to take action to improve, I also learned to make lists of the things I tend to forget, and after checking my list before finding the doctor, I remembered to check if a patient’s previous glasses were progressives and to pull up retinal images much more consistently. I know that it will be my responsibility as a doctor to remember all of the details, so committing to processes to improve is something I am confident will help me constantly evolve.

This internship also illustrated multiple examples of the impact Optometrists are able to make. I knew in theory that Optometry was more than glasses and contacts, but watching first-hand when patients are diagnosed with a risk for glaucoma in their comprehensive exam or finding something peculiar in their retinal image brought to light how crucial Optometrists are in protecting vision. I love how Optometrists are able to care for the community and contribute to preventative healthcare to catch signs of disease before they are irreversible.

Furthermore, being part of the care team helped me realize just how important glasses and contacts are for children’s success in school, adult’s performance at their jobs, and their overall quality of life. For example, seeing a 10 year old patient who has never worn glasses come in for their first eye exam with a -3.00 prescription on the autorefractor made my heart go out to them, but it was so joyful knowing that we can provide what they need to help them see the world clearly for the first time. I can empathize with patients who feel like their vision is a challenge, and this makes me even more passionate about sharing that there are solutions to their vision-related problems.

In a similar vein, one example that I really was inspired by was when you saw a middle school aged child who was having compliance issues with wearing his glasses. I remember you said that "he will not be able to get a drivers license" when explaining to his parents how important it is that he wears his glasses consistently, and this really got their attention. Even though the clinic was super busy, you took the time to sit down with the parents and answer their questions, and ensure they understood the severity of the situation.

In total, I have significantly developed my interpersonal skills through this internship and the countless cases I have witnessed and been a part of has given me a strong conviction to pursue Optometry.