| Viewpoint from the Editor |

The season to relax and catch up

Jane Shuman, COT, COE, OCS, Co-Editor

Happy summer, at long last. I look forward to summer once the last leaf has fallen off the tree. If you are like me, this is a season that allows you to relax a little more, check off things on your to-do lists, and see friends you have been meaning to contact for months. Work doesn’t stop but seems to ease with physician vacations and longer daylight hours.

At work, employees can expect to receive feedback on their performance. It might be given during the annual review, in the form of three simple words (“good job today”), a gift card, or a call out during a staff meeting. It could also mean a visit to your boss’ office where suggestions for improved behavior or performance are offered as constructive criticism. In any case, we reinforce the positives and learn from our mistakes.

Valued feedback

Here at OP, we continue to be impressed by your feedback. In fact, one source of feedback, a recent third-party study, found that 91% of readers look at every page of Ophthalmic Professional, a very impressive statistic by any standard! We also value your suggestions and ideas for improvement. For example, a reader first proposed our regular “What Would You Do?” feature (page 22).

We enjoy reading “My Back Page” and learning about what interests you both inside and outside the practice. In this issue, Sondra Hoffman explains how she became a certified life coach and how coaching impacts her practice, where she is the chief executive officer.

Let me also extend a tremendous “thank you” to everyone who participated in our first OP survey; we appreciate that you cared enough to take the time to complete the survey. In this issue, we have compiled your responses to such survey questions as, “What is your biggest concern as a member of an ophthalmic team?” and, “Are salaries affected by your age or level of education?”

Catch up with us

While on vacation this summer, you can catch up on any issues you may have missed by visiting our online version at http://www.ophthalmicprofessional.com. While you are there, click the Article Feedback and Ideas button in the upper right-hand corner to share your opinion or submit your idea for a future issue.

But most of all, enjoy the season. Fall is right around the corner! OP

Ms. Shuman, president of Eyetechs, is a nationally recognized authority on clinical flow, scheduling, and technician education. Prior to founding Eyetechs, she worked for over 15 years as an ophthalmic technician and clinical manager.