Written by Tazeen Ahmed, Sarah D’Angelo, Katelyn Tsang
We thoroughly enjoyed our virtual mentorship session with Dr. Mulherin. She spoke to us about her experiences practicing in various optometry settings in both Ontario and New Brunswick after graduating. It was interesting to hear about how practicing optometry differs in New Brunswick, and through this discussion she provided us with tips on what to consider when choosing a location to practice.
Dr. Mulherin spoke to us about why she loves owning a practice and provided some insight on the pros and cons of practice ownership. She encouraged us to explore working in different practice modalities.
Dr. Mulherin also talked about how post-graduate training opportunities can be useful to explore specific areas of interests, and emphasized how they can be undertaken at any point during our optometric careers.
Dr. Mulherin also talked about the importance of effectively communicating with her patients by explaining techniques in simple terms, and provided some advice on keeping children engaged during an eye exam. She also emphasized how optometrists should talk to their patients about wellness and take a holistic approach during counselling.
We are very grateful we had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Mulherin; she gave us valuable advice and we learned a lot from speaking to her.