Written by James Nah and Jenny Tang
We had the pleasure of virtually meeting and talking to Dr. Cassandra Chung. Dr. Chung gave us great insight and tips on a wide range of topics including school, job prospects, work life, and what it is like to start and own a clinic. We appreciated how open Dr. Chung was with her answers. Listening to Dr. Chung’s experience and advice on owning and managing a clinic was invaluable. Her answers also helped us get a better idea of the possible steps we could take during and after school. For example, Dr. Chung gave her perspective on the potential value of US externships in rotations, as they could offer a breadth of experiences that we would otherwise not be able to have early on in our careers. Additionally, she explained to us about how much we would learn during our first year as a working optometrist.
We felt that another great point Dr. Chung made was that if possible, we should try to work as an associate for someone who we admire. This would benefit us not only in learning how to be the best clinician we can be, but also in learning the business aspects of how we would like our clinics to be run in the future, if we were to pursue a path in clinic ownership.
Finally, hearing Dr. Chung’s perspective on leadership was extremely helpful. The value in being able to hear her advice and experiences in the management of not just one, but several clinics was very insightful.
Thank you Dr. Chung, for your time, as well as to CAOS for facilitating this event!