Eyeworld

OPHTHALMOLOGY BUSINESS 56 June 2018 by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer involved with professional organi- zations so you can pick the brains of other people at the top and those who are on the leading edge. The thing about being an early adopter is to do your best to neither jump on a bandwagon nor eat its dust. I think one of the most import- ant things is going to meetings and interacting with industry. [Trade magazines] are a harbinger of what is going on; they alert you to what's new, but then you need to go to the literature or who is using it first to really understand what the risks and benefits are. Once it becomes clear there is a benefit to your patient and your outcomes, I think you're mor- ally obligated to either go through the learning curve or to refer. EyeWorld: What are your thoughts on financial responsibility, early-, mid-, and late-career? Dr. Arbisser: One has to decide how to stay viable and how to still be able to have current technology. One of the ways to do that is to practice where you're needed and therefore busy; decide how you are going to specialize or where are you Dr. Arbisser: I think a big part of it is the ability to record your surger- ies because there is no better way to teach surgery than with video of surgery. One of the things I've done in my video editing is to cut out all the dead time and speed up the important parts. That allows people, if they care enough to take the video and slow it down, to see all the details because the devil is in the details. I think the way to be a great teacher is to not gloss over those details. I think some people take the basics and teach them, but it's the details in between the basics or the nuances of those details that help to make people better master the craft. EyeWorld: How do you stay up to date? Dr. Arbisser: I think always putting the patient first, being a patient advocate, has put me in a position to be an early adopter. I have never been on the leading edge, which is sometimes laughingly referred to as the bleeding edge, because of the desire to be the best I can for my pa- tients. The responsibility is to keep up with the literature and become Experts bestow wisdom on early career ophthalmologists YES connect Y oung eye surgeons have a lot to learn during residency, fellowship, and in the first several years of practice. So much of our time is consumed with patient care, and the remainder is spent studying for in-service exams, preparing for board exams, doing research, preparing presenta- tions, and practicing surgery in the wet lab. We rarely get the opportunity to sit down with our experienced mentors and our best teachers to ask about some of the big pic- ture things: how to be a great teacher, how to stay current in the field, how to interact with industry, how to maintain financial responsibility, and perhaps most importantly, how to achieve a healthy work-life balance. This month's "YES connect" column is my favorite one yet. We asked Lisa Arbisser, MD, Susan MacDonald, MD, I. Howard Fine, MD, and Robert Watzke, MD, to share some advice on how to have a successful and fulfilling career. I'm so fortunate to have had the chance to learn from these four remarkable individuals during my training and in my first 5 years of practice. Others who have spent time with them in the operating room, in the clinic, in the wet lab, or at a conference will surely agree. I hope this article reminds you to set aside some time with your own mentors to get some practical life advice. This is my final column as "YES con- nect" co-editor. Zachary Zavodni, MD, and I are passing the torch to the talented Samuel Lee, MD, and David Crandall, MD, who I'm certain will continue to make this column an interesting and relevant resource for young eye surgeons. Many thanks to the EyeWorld editorial staff for a great year! Naveen Rao, MD, YES connect co-editor Those at the top of their field have a wealth of information to offer young ophthalmologists T he phrase "been there, done that" comes to mind when talking with well-established, respected ophthalmologists who have reached the top of their field. There is much that these experts can offer early career ophthalmologists on a variety of topics. EyeWorld spoke with several leading ophthalmologists to get their top advice on everything from becoming a great teacher to working with industry to achieving work-life balance. Lisa Arbisser, MD Adjunct professor, Department of Ophthalmology/Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah Salt Lake City EyeWorld: What advice would you give about becoming a great teacher?

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