Eyeworld

18 Ophthalmology Business • July 2016 ant in the quest to strike a work-life balance," Ms. Spencer said. Taking the reins There are many steps ophthalmol- ogists can take to lay the founda- tion and establish a good work-life balance. Being upfront with practice leadership is 1 of the key compo- nents to reach this goal and maintain relationships. "I interviewed a doctor who early in the interview said, 'I want to let you know that my family is really important to me.' I appreciate that as an employer. It was a male candi- date," Dr. Christmann said. When you know big life events are coming down the pike—such as a baby or a family member having surgery in which you'll need to help out—tell leadership early so they can plan accordingly, Dr. Christmann said. As a former practice owner her- self, Dr. Christmann said practices large and small need to have estab- lished leave policies, which should be applied equally among employ- ees. On the flip side, being aware of policies and contractual obligations before you sign onto a team is an important responsibility as well. Dr. Chan said a physician needs to consider overhead costs of a prac- tice, for example. "If ophthalmologists are in a practice where no matter whether they work or not, they have to pay a fixed proportion of the overhead costs, that would deter them from taking significant time off," she said. Asking for policies during the interview process might feel uncom- fortable, but Dr. Christmann said it's worth it. "It's good to know up front what will happen because the last thing you need when you're in the throes of those other things," be it an unexpected illness, a maternity or pa- ternity leave, or another situation, "is level, like setting realistic schedules. "We know our physicians well; we know their patterns well. We make sure that the schedule tem- plating accommodates for a regular arrival and a reasonable departure," she said. Ms. Spencer said Virginia Eye Consultants tries to limit after-work meetings to the same day each week. Under this scenario, physicians/ leadership and their families know ahead of time not to schedule per- sonal appointments or events on this particular evening each week. "While we don't meet every week, knowing that we could helps to avoid a lot of conflict. We also commit to making efficient use of this meeting time so that it is always time well spent. The win here is that our meetings do not take away from practice productivity, and they are extremely time efficient and productive." Other policies that could encourage physicians to take time off and maintain a good work-life balance include not allowing time off to roll over from year to year. "If they don't take it, they lose it. This pro- vides motivation in and of itself to take that time off. This is so import- tice that fits how you want to practice. He said, 'I'm in a practice of 9 physicians so we each take call every ninth night. Sometimes that's hard because you're not delivering all of your patients, but at the same time you're not going in every other night to deliver your patients.' I thought that was good advice." Clara Chan, MD, Toronto, said she knew in residency she wanted to be a surgeon and understood that ophthalmology could afford a better work-life balance than general sur- gery, for example. Dr. Christmann said she also took work-life balance into consider- ation when choosing pediatric oph- thalmology as a subspecialty 30 years ago, but it was only a factor. "I was looking for a surgical spe- cialty where I could have the option to do surgery, but also have a vigor- ous office practice," she said. Karen Spencer, chief executive officer, Virginia Eye Consultants, Norfolk, Virginia, said there are a number of things that can be done to strike a good balance at the practice continued from page 17 Tips for striking a good work-life balance • Look for a practice that shares your work-life balance philosophy • Prioritize what is important to you • Be efficient with your time at work and at home • Schedule after-hours meetings on the same day each week for consistency • Make daily and surgical schedules realistic time-wise • Be aware of practice policies and contractual obligations that could affect home life

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