Written by Manpreet Sahota (1st year)
The CAOS Mentorship program provided the privilege and opportunity to connect with Dr. Jason Pearce from Signal Hill Eye Care in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Pearce has extensive experience in optometric practice and advocacy as the Past-President of the Alberta Association of Optometrists.
I was fortunate to receive a full tour of the clinic and was thoroughly impressed with the wide variety of pre-testing tools available to identify eye pathologies and characterize any visual abnormalities. Some of my favourites include the retinal tomography and meibography instruments. Additionally, I learned about special equipment that the clinic uses to edge lenses in-house, so that patients do not have to wait for a long period of time for a lens change.
Following the tour, I had a chance to chat with Dr. Pearce about his clinical practice. Since the clinic has ODs with diverse backgrounds, Dr. Pearce enjoys collaborating with his colleagues to provide care in several aspects of eye care beyond visual correction. I thought this collaborative aspect of Signal Hill Eye Care was unique because I often observed ODs working in isolation during my pre-optometry shadowing experiences. Dr. Pearce mentioned that this way of providing care allows all the ODs to be involved in a wider scope of practice.
We also discussed how an optometry student should decide if pursuing a residency is the right option for them. Dr. Pearce recommends pursuing a residency if an optometry graduate would like to focus on a specific area/field in optometry rather than exploring general interests, since the latter can be explored in regular practice. Dr. Pearce suggests that one of the best ways to determine if residency is right for you is to network during optometry events and talk to current residents to gain insight into their experiences.
Since I plan to practice in Alberta post-graduation, I asked Dr. Pearce about the prospects of work in the province. Many have pointed out that Alberta, especially Calgary, is becoming quite saturated with optometrists. I asked Dr. Pearce if this means that I will be unable to work in the province post-graduation. Dr. Pearce said that the job market in Calgary is quite variable and to not be discouraged by those comments about saturation. One of the best ways to navigate a saturated job market is to start networking early-on and stay up to date on current job postings. In other words, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish your goals and provide eye care in the way that you would like to as an optometry graduate.
I would like to extend a special thank you to the CAOS Mentorship Program and Dr. Jason Pearce for this wonderful experience. I look forward to staying in touch with Dr. Pearce’s clinic in the near future for potential summer intern opportunities and networking.
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