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Job of the week

A Visit with AOA President Dori Carlson

November 17, 2011 10:00 AM

By Andrew Karp, Group Editor, Lenses and Technology


NEW YORK—Many top executives say they want to “hit the ground running” when taking on a new job. But Dori Carlson, OD the recently elected president of the American Optometric Association, seems to have taken the phrase literally.

After assuming her new role in June, Carlson—the first woman to head to head the AOA—embarked on the latest leg of her “20/20 Tour.” The ambitious trek, begun while she was AOA president-elect, involves visiting with students and faculty at all 19 schools and colleges of optometry in the U.S., as well as at Optometry’s Meeting within a 20-month period.

Yet Carlson has still made time to lead an AOA delegation to Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of children’s eye exams with Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Plus, she regularly sees patients at her North Dakota optometric practice and devotes time to her two young sons.

Despite her crammed schedule, Carlson seemed energetic and enthusiastic on a recent visit to VM’s offices. An articulate spokesperson for optometry, she responded thoughtfully to questions about AOA’s current initiatives. Carlson was particularly excited about her school tour and opportunity to meet with and learn from the students she encounters.

“I’ve already visited 13 schools in the past year, and will visit the three or four more in early 2012,” Carlson told VM. She said has found the tour interesting on many levels.

“I thought I would be teaching them, but it has ended up that they’re teaching me. It’s been a great lesson in group dynamics.”

One important lesson Carlson is learning is how to communicate more effectively with today’s students who rely heavily on texting and social media. She recalled attending a lecture where the instructors were taking questions. Given the choice of raising a hand or texting their questions to the instructors, nearly every student opted to text.

“They didn’t want to ask these questions in front of the group, but texting allowed them to feel more comfortable. And as a result, their questions were quite honest and specific. It was really eye opening,” said Carlson.

Similarly, Carlson recognizes the need for AOA to use the internet and social media to communicate with students about the benefits of AOA membership. “They are all on Facebook,” she observed.

Carlson believes AOA could facilitate the students’ transition from membership in the American Optometric Student Association to full AOA membership by registering them through the AOA’s website rather than by mail. She cited an instance in which a student failed to mail in her registration for six months following her graduation because she didn’t have a postage stamp.

Encouraging students to full AOA membership has become a priority for Carlson and the AOA leadership, since many students fail to make the transitions in a timely way, if at all. The issue is especially concerning given the greying of AOA’s membership.

“Forty percent of AOA members will be of retirement age in about 10 years,” she noted. “Will they all retire? It’s unclear, but the AOA membership needs to stay strong.”


To encourage recent graduates to join the organization, Carlson proposes an ascending dues scale, with full dues not being required until five years after graduation. She also wants to shorten the time required for graduates to move from student to state affiliation from 18 months to six months.

Carlson said the optometric schools produce about 1,700 new graduates each year. Many students tell her they are worried that the profession is becoming too crowded and are apprehensive about their job prospects. Her response: “By 2015, the largest demographic of people will be over 65, the Baby Boomers. What do they need? Help with glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetes.” Carlson also points out that there will be an increasing need for pediatric optometrists, since 11 million children will soon be covered by vision care plans who were not covered before.

Although many students dream of starting an independent practice, Carlson said the average student comes out of optometry school with $200,000 of debt. This debt, plus the desire to achieve a “work/life balance,” prompts some graduates to consider careers in corporate optometry. To ease the financial burden, Carlson encourages students to lobby for optometry’s inclusion in the National Health Service Corps, which lets primary care providers pay off student loans while serving in communities with limited access to health care. She also counsels students to consider locating their practice in a rural area that is underserved, as she has done, rather than trying to establish themselves in a city.

As she continues her 20/20 tour, Carlson often finds students seeking her out for motivational advice as well as career advice. “I’ve devised a motivational message from a pop poster called ‘Life’s Little Instructions’ that hangs in my bathroom. I tell them, “Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.”

Judging from her many accomplishments, Carlson appears to be following her own advice.

Catch the video interview “Success Through Volunteerism,” as Dori Carlson talks with Review of Optometric Business.
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