I've finished my eight years of university and optometric training, and I will soon be a licensed optometrist. I find the field very interesting and I liked working with patients during my internships. However, I really struggle with many aspects of executive functioning (poor multi-tasking, poor time management, slow processing speed, difficulty summarizing and picking out key pieces of information, struggle with organizational tasks), so doing a timely eye exam is always a challenge. I am also terrified of making serious mistakes with regard to a patient's eye health. Forming relationships with staff and operating in a busy clinical environment is very draining for me. These stressors have generated enough anxiety that I am finding it difficult to apply to jobs. I am not confident in my abilities and I'm scared to practice without having a clinical supervisor to rely on for advice (even though I've successfully passed all the required testing and certification).
Aside from working part-time, and maybe in a smaller (less hectic) office, I'm not sure what else I could do to make working as an optometrist more accessible/manageable. The longer I wait to look for work, the more I loose confidence in my clinical skills because I am not practicing what I've learned. I would love to hear from other medical professionals who have been able to successfully work in their field of study. Any advice you could offer would be very much appreciated - thanks in advance!
17 Jun 2012, 11:32 pm
