Many students and new optometrists dream about one day being in a practice they can call home. They dream about an associateship that leads to an invitation to become a partner. Although many dream the dream, poor choices throughout the associateship may keep that dream from becoming reality. Whether we like it or not, we are always being interviewed. Patients informally interview us as we interact in public, and optometry practice owners are interviewing us as potential partners.
Here are seven mistakes to avoid if you want to be offered a partnership.
1.Not taking initiative to grow the practice – Sitting in your office watching the schedule on your computer and hoping patients will magically be dropping in will not impress the owners. Associates who are actively working to grow the practice by being involved online and in the community are the ones who will be sitting at the table with the owners signing a purchase agreement.
2.Only being at the office when patients are scheduled – Being a doctor has many advantages, one of which is a very nice income. However, nothing comes easy. Expecting to show up at the office late and leave early because your schedule is light will result in you having multiple opportunities to practice in multiple locations. No one will want to keep you in their practice very long, especially if they are looking for a partner.
3.Trying to change things too fast – All the great ideas about optometry practice are in your head when you graduate optometry school. Don’t let all these ideas escape at once. Pace yourself. Many practices will be less than anxious to jump on board with all the ideas you learned in a classroom. This doesn’t mean you don’t have great ideas, such as a major practice website upgrade, it just means that the practice staff and doctors will not care about how much you know until they know how much you care.
4.Blurring the line between doctor and friend with staff – As an owner I see this happen whether it is new staff or a new doctor. Many employees want to have an in-road to management, and if they can get close to one of the doctors they feel their opinions will carry more weight. Not all staff are like this, but be leery of being one of the staff instead of one of the doctors.
5.Being a know-it-all (hubris) – Check your pride at the door because it is not wanted here. We are all constantly learning and making mistakes. The inability to acknowledge those mistakes and learn from them is a mark of an arrogant doctor. Nobody wants to work with or for an arrogant doctor. If you can’t get over yourself then please start your own practice because any partner willing to take you on is asking for trouble.
6.Only doing what your associate agreement outlines – Think of your associate agreement as the bare minimum of expectations. Ask the doctor who may be your potential partner for detailed job expectations and an overview of what he or she expects from you to be successful. If you want to be partner this communicates that you are interested in being the best and are working hard to continue to improve yourself.
7.Not meeting with employing doctor regularly to gauge performance and see if your are meeting expectations – Proactively ask the potential partner doctor to meet with you to go over everything from clinical care to staff management. Be prepared to communicate with the doctor about clinical cases and if he or she would manage them differently. Be prepared to walk through your job expectations and discuss how your growth has been since you first started. Do not be afraid to communicate that you are interested in a partnership and you want to earn the respect of the owners and prove you are the right person for the position.
No one ever said that being a successful owner/optometrist was easy. We like to look at the fruits of others’ labor and believe that the fruit comes without any planting, watering and pruning. If you are committed to becoming a partner in an optometry practice then be intentional about avoiding the common mistakes that associates make.
