ATLANTA—Productivity is key to an optometrist’s mental health and job satisfaction, said nearly 80 percent of the women ODs who responded to a recent Women In Optometry (WO) survey on productivity at home and in the workplace. At a special luncheon event on Saturday, March 4, at SECO, WO professional co-editors April Jasper, OD, FAAO, and Katie Gilbert-Spear, OD, MPH, will discuss the survey results and strategies to combat the daily distractions that hinder productivity.

Women ODs said that staffing issues, such as undertrained staff or understaffed offices, are the single largest contributing factor to their daily productivity. Family demands and their own energy levels were also ranked high as productivity blocks.

Women ODs are putting in long hours, with 75 percent reporting that they work full-time hours (at least 35 hours a week) and of those, more than half said they work at least 41 hours each week. A majority of women ODs, 62 percent, said that they can keep up the pace they’re managing now, but more than one-quarter of women ODs said they’re burning out.

The WO luncheon, which is free to registered attendees, will focus on ways to improve productivity inside and outside of the office. Register here.