There Is Another Way: A Career Guide For New Optometrists (The Fine Art of Patient Management)

A young OD came up to me at a meeting. She was just a couple years out of school — smart, energetic, well-trained. And she was thinking about leaving practice.

She told me her work didn't feel like she thought it would. She had a decent income but the student loans were enormous. She felt stuck and didn't know what to do.

There Is Another Way is a career guide for her and many other young OD's who want more, and have worked hard to deserve more. So after 38 years of private practice (nearly 100 years combined with my father), I have written down in plain language, with real numbers, what you didn't learn in school.

It is presented around a single idea: that optometry can be practiced as the medical profession it actually is — and that doing so is not only more fulfilling, but more financially sound than the usual path many graduates follow.

Inside, you'll find:

• The honest math of optometry school debt — and the costly mistake most new graduates make repaying
• 3 revenue streams which can add $225,000 to $275,000 a year to a properly positioned practice
• 5-year filters to evaluate any position before you sign
• The 4 real pathways to practice ownership — and which one fits what kind of doctor
• A personal ROI model comparing corporate, associate/partnership, and ownership paths
• 5-year action plan, with 12 worksheets to make it your own

This is not a get-rich-quick book. It is a get-clear book — written for OD students, residents, new graduates, and early-career doctors who want to practice true primary medical eye care and build a career they're proud of.

Autonomy. Medical Authority. Freedom.

There is another way. This book is your map.

John R. Martinelli, OD, MD, FAAO, has been in private practice and medical eye care for 38 years. He went to optometry school in his 20's and back to school - medical school - in his 50's. Founder of Ophthalmic Physician, he writes and teaches about practicing medical eye care integrating systemic medicine, private practice, and the career path most students are never shown. This is his fifth book.