Written by: Regan Huynh, Jenny Lee, & Glenda Thai (3rd years)
Entering Dr. Gall’s office is quite the experience - immediately you are greeted with some of the latest state-of-the-art technology, an extensive floor for various frames and vision therapy, and several exam rooms and pre-testing machines to boot. Dr. Gall has been established at his Oakville clinic for several years now, and also is one of several clinics in the GTA that accepts optometry students on rotation. As third years quickly entering our clerkship year, it was a pleasure to be able to talk to Dr. Gall himself as well as his current student intern, and learn more about what it was like for him to start up and maintain his own practice, especially in light of the ongoing job action.
As third-year students, we are beginning to think about the start of our careers. Dr. Gall provided valuable insight on how to start a practice, use systems to manage a practice and maintain healthy working relationships with a team. He emphasized the importance of having a good team in your practice. We will keep this in mind for the future and remember the importance of having respect and open communication in our teams. Additionally, we discussed the potential options of working as an associate, opening up a practice and continuing education. With a large area dedicated to vision therapy, Dr. Gall shared his experience treating many binocular vision issues.
Dr. Gall had many valuable experiences to share with us. As a doctor who opened up his own practice not long after graduation, Dr. Gall was able to share his experiences about what worked and what he would’ve done differently in regards to opening a practice. Additionally, Dr. Gall completed a Masters degree following optometry school and was able to share insights about that path as well.
Overall, Dr. Gall definitely gave us a lot to think about with regards to our timeline, goals, and how to achieve them.
