Dr O'Dell : What I wish I knew before entering optometry

Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, medical director for Medical Optometry America shares what she wished she knew when first entering optometry.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity:

I always say how important mentorship is.

So, I started my optometric career without a family in optometry, without really any guide for the future—just the desire to do something in medicine that was going to help people with their life and be able to achieve something medically for patients.

And so I stumbled I think in the first few years. I did get lucky that I had a great job to start my career, but I still had no mentor.

I think that finding an optometric mentor early in your career can really just help carve out your path through your journey and maybe get you to your end goals faster than you could on your own.