viewpoint
Your Job in the Public Eye
Leverage your practice in the community
by offering unsurpassed (public) service.
FROM THE EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR, Jim Thomas
Your
practice is seen from at least three perspectives other than your own. Your staff,
your patients and the community each have their own unique views, which contribute
to the health of a practice. Examples include:
1. When employees
view the practice in a positive light, staff morale and productivity are high.
2.
Practices that distinguish themselves among patients earn referrals and patient
loyalty.
3.
The "public" value of a practice increases when it performs a community service,
such as free screening or educational seminar.
Going public
The community perspective
is valuable even if it lacks the direct practice impact associated with staff and
patient perspectives. A number of initiatives can improve your practice in the public's
eye.
One
of the most effective is charity. On a local level, even efforts that appear minimal
can generate significant rewards. When a practice sponsored a litter pick-up in
a local park, it received a number of benefits. First, it attracted new patients
and referrals. Next, it garnered publicity in the local media. But these both were
side effects. The practice owner commented on how good it felt to support the community. The act of
contributing to community improvements was enough, even if the practice didn't gain
additional patients.
The screening
door is open
Many practices
offer no-cost diagnostic screening and health assessments. These numbers will continue
to grow through programs such as the American Optometric Association's InfantSEE,
a public health program aimed at diagnosis of early vision problems (see "O.D. to
O.D." on page 4). Opportunities also exist in presenting seminars to the public
on any number of eye-related issues.
How
do you find the most effective options for community service? Volunteer organizers
recommend that you investigate your community's needs. As G. Donald Gale, Ph.D.,
notes, the pessimist sees the glass half-empty, the optimist sees it half-full,
the giving person starts to look for someone who might be thirsty.
Under new management
It's a pleasure
for me to announce that Michelle Boyles has accepted the position of managing editor
with Optometric Management. Michelle has five years experience working for optometry-related
publications. I'm confident that you'll see the results of her positive, can-do
attitude and her professionalism starting with the pages of this issue.
Optometric Management, Issue: July 2005