Approved by Association of Schools and College of Optometry 1989
Definition: “Practice management” is a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary sequence of courses that is a necessary aspect of the optometric curriculum, and should be an integral part of all four years of the professional program.
Guidelines: 1.) Schools of optometry have a responsibility to prepare students for entry into the professional sector.
2.) The “practice management” track should be organized as a distinct sequence of courses, beginning in the first year and continuing throughout each year of the professional program.
3.) The “practice management” track should be team taught, by optometrists and other professionals.
4.) There must be coordination and cooperation between “practice management” and public health educations, but the two tracks should be integrated only in those topics that overlap.
5.) “Practice management” should be given the same academic emphasis as other courses in the optometric curriculum, including appropriate: - scheduling of events - attendance requirements - testing and grading All guidelines for “practice management” courses should be consistent with the policies of the college or university.
6.) Perspective students should be encouraged to attend courses related to business and economics prior to entering optometry school. Requirements for admission should list these subjects as recommended electives for pre-optometry students.
7.) Introduction of students into the professional mode of practice is a responsibility of the schools.
Emphasis upon ethical conduct – in which the interests of the patient come first – can be achieved through the use of “practice management” courses, but ethics must be stressed in all aspects of the curriculum.
Professionalism – a commitment to apply the highest standards of care – must be emphasized in clinical practice as well as in the classroom.
Year One: “Practice management” should be used to introduce first year optometry students to the issues of ethics and professionalism, and to introduce students to the career opportunities in their chosen profession.
1.) That aspect of the curriculum best suited to familiarize students with principles of ethics and to acquaint students with professional practice opportunities is the “practice management” track of courses.
2.) Specific curricular elements to be taught in the first year include the following: - history of optometry - the legal system - legal basis for the practice of optometry - licensure and other professional regulation - optometric societies and organizations - goal setting, including personal, professional, and financial goals - modes of practice and scope of practice - career options - ethics and professionalism
3.) The course should include a project that involves visits to different modes of practice.
4.) Private professional practice opportunities should be given the greatest emphasis; however, other modes of practice should be openly discussed in the classroom.
5.) A suggested title for the first year course is “Ethics and Professionalism in Clinical Practice.”
Year Two: “Practice management” should prepare second year students for the assumption of clinical care in school teaching clinics by offering education in patient management and by acquainting students with the legal responsibilities owed to patients.
Prior to Preparing: 1.) Optometry students must be made aware of their legal responsibilities as clinicians prior to the assumption of patient care.
2.) The course should be offered to students before they enter the clinical phase of the optometric curriculum.
3.) Specific curriculum elements to be taught in the second year include the following: - the legal relationship of doctor and patient - record-keeping and documentation - optometric malpractice - liability for the use of ophthalmic pharmaceutical agents - liability for the dispensing of ophthalmic materials - confidentiality of patient data - responsibility for emergency care - patient relations and communications - legal implications in referral and recall - evaluation of ocular disability - use management
4.) Patient interaction and communication should be clinically oriented and may be taught in conjunction with the school’s pre-clinic course or as a separate course in communications.
5.) A suggested title for the second year course is “Legal Aspects of Practice”.
Year Three: “Practice management” should be used to acquaint third year students with the fundamental economic and administrative requirements necessary to enter the professional practice of optometry.
1.) Students should be made aware of professional practice modes and opportunities prior to the beginning of the fourth year.
2.) Schools should employ private practitioners to educate students in administrative aspects of practice.
3.) Specific curricular elements to be taught in the third year include the following: - types of business organizations - practice evaluation/community analysis - practice location - purchasing a practice - practice financing - establishing and beginning a practice - marketing as an aspect of professional practice - patient management - office design - office policies and procedures - use of ancillary personnel - insurance - bookkeeping and accounting - taxes and tax reporting - credit - leases - fees and income - managed care: medical eye care and vision eye care
4.) A project requiring the evaluation of a practice opportunity should be a mandatory aspect of the course.
5.) A suggested title for the third year course is “Practice Administration and Patient Management.”
Year Four: The fourth year program in “practice management” should provide students with specialized education in practice administration and should afford an opportunity for practical experience in actual private practice settings.
1.) The fourth year “practice management” course should enable students to obtain more detailed learning in specifics aspects of practice administration.
2.) The course should utilize projects that encourage learning in the financial realities of practice, such as a set of problems related to the financial administration of an office or a loan proposal to initiate or purchase a practice.
3.) Specific curriculum elements to be taught in the fourth year course include the following: - negotiating professional practice opportunities - contracts for associateship, partnership, or the purchase of a practice overhead sharing or leasing - tax considerations for the practitioner - preparing a small business loan - developing a marketing plan for a practice - automation and computerization of the optometric office - seminar with recent graduates - new developments affecting the practice of optometry - estate planning, including investments, gift and estate taxation, and tax deferred plans
4.) Advanced topics may be offered as electives or organized as seminars, depending upon the requirements of the individual schools.
5.) The “practice management” instructor should serve as a resource for students seeking career guidance or evaluating or negotiating professional practice opportunities.
6.) A suggested title for the fourth year course is “Advanced Topics in Practice Management”.
Year Four: Schools and colleges of optometry should provide career guidance to students, including financial counseling, assistance in career planning, and a placement service designed to match optometry school graduates with professional practice opportunities.
Comments: 1.) The preparation of students for entry into professional practice is a responsibility of the schools, and “practice management” instructors should play a key role in the counseling process.
2.) Schools of optometry should provide assistance to students desiring private practice opportunities by bringing them together with optometrists who wish to sell their practices or to take in employees or partners. Such a program should involve instructors of “practice management”.
3.) Schools of optometry should coordinate seminars designed to educate both students and practitioners in the intricacies of associateship/partnership and practice sales. These programs may also serve as a means of creating good will between schools, alumni, and industry.
Instructors of “practice management” should be encouraged to work together to develop programs of academic excellence, to produce scholarly works, and to adopt educational strategies for the future.
1.) The increased emphasis upon “practice management” will not only affect students of optometry, it will also result in improved patient care by graduates. Therefore, continuing education in “practice management” should be encouraged by schools and colleges of optometry.
2.) Instructors of “practice management” should work with the American Optometric Association to promote the practice enhancement program, which can be used to improve courses in practice administration and to educate practitioners in practice development.
3.) Instructors of “practice management” should be encouraged to develop teaching strategies, new educational materials (such as slides, tapes, and audiovisual resources), and a common textbook to be employed in all schools and colleges of optometry.
4.) An annual meeting of all instructors of “practice management” is a desirable goal. Because of the urgent need to develop an improved “practice management” curriculum, a “practice management” symposium should be help at the conclusion of the 1987 academic year, in order to determine the success of changes instituted as a result of the 1986 ASCO conference.
5.) It is desirable for topics in “practice management” to be the subject of section meetings conducted by the American Academy of Optometry. The Education Section would be the logical organization to support these presentations. Participation by “practice management” instructors is planned for the 1986 Academy meeting in Toronto.
6.) ASCO guidelines for “practice management” should be updated and modified as appropriate to reflect the recommendations contained herein.
