BUSINESS SKILLS FOR YOUNG OPHTHALMOLOGISTS

At a recent meeting of the Irish College of Ophthalmologists in Dublin, Dr Sonia Manning gave a workshop for trainees on: 'Useful Tips for Young Ophthalmologists'. The presentation by Dr Manning, a higher surgical trainee at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, Ireland, was excellent and advised trainees on 'How to Plan Your Cataract Surgery'.

This is a subject that EuroTimes will return to in future issues and it is a subject that deserves the most serious consideration. But here is another useful tip for young ophthalmologists: You will need to develop business skills as well as clinical skills in the course of your career. This is one of the reasons that the ESCRS established a Practice Development Programme under the guidance of the Practice Development Committee, chaired by Dr Paul Rosen, UK.

As Dr Rosen observes in his welcome note for the ESCRS Practice Development Weekend which takes place in Dublin from 5-7 October, 2012, health services need a strong financial base to survive and provide the support that patients deserve. 'This is particularly relevant in ophthalmology, where technological advancement has been stunning.'

The ESCRS Practice Development Weekend in Dublin and the Practice Development Workshops in Milan during the XXX ESCRS Congress will challenge ophthalmologists to look at new ways of building a sound business platform which will enhance the care of their patients. The programme for both meetings is aimed at ophthalmologists of all ages who work under different business models in different countries. ESCRS will be particularly pleased to see active engagement in the programmes from young ophthalmologists.

Early learning
As noted earlier, the principal focus for trainees in their formative years will be on developing their clinical skills. But it should also be pointed out that ophthalmologists who complete their surgical training without knowledge of the business of ophthalmology may be at a disadvantage from colleagues who see themselves as both doctors and businessmen or women.

Dr Oliver Findl, chairman of the ESCRS Young Ophthalmologists' Forum, is also a member of the ESCRS Practice Development Committee. 'Diagnostic and treatment strategies are very important,' he said, 'but young ophthalmologists should also be aware about the logistics of running an operating theatre, an outpatient clinic or an entire department, all of which require management and business skills.'

This is a topic which Dr Findl addressed at a Practice Development Masterclass at the XXIX ESCRS Congress in Vienna, Austria. Dr Findl said that by examining clinical processes and eliminating duplicate and unnecessary steps, his department in Hanusch Hospital Vienna, had increased volume by 35 per cent with the same staff. With healthcare costs exceeding 11 per cent of gross domestic product, Dr Findl said innovation within the public sector is essential to keep up. 'Demand will increase, but budgets won't,' he said.