News and Updates

2018 SOLN Attendees

Attendance at this Year's SOLutioN Conference Sets Record
Private Practice Club Leadership Meets in Houston

In June, 24 schools of optometry sent the presidents and presidents-elect of their private practice clubs to Houston for the 8th annual SOLutioN (SOLN) Conference (Student Optometric Leadership Network). The annual conference brings student leaders in optometry together to discuss the current and future state of private practice optometry. VSP Global^®, which helped form SOLutioN nine years ago to support the advancement of the profession, was an elite sponsor of the event.

Over the three-day conference, a record 58 SOLN members learned about topics pertinent to private practice, including post-graduation employment pathways, and how to successfully run a business. Dr. Gary Gerber, keynote speaker and host of optometry talk radio show The Power Hour, gave an inspiring talk about the freedom private practice affords. And, the students had multiple opportunities to network with their peers and industry representatives, sharing best practices and ideas.

VSP^® received great feedback from the students after the event. One student said: “I came in expecting to learn about leadership and meet a lot of new people... I made a lot of new friends.” Attendees were enthusiastic about the conference, posting throughout the event on social media with hash tag #SOLN2018, and SOLN’s executive director Bianca Augustino, OD, reported that she “received such positive feedback from the students and doctors about the invaluable information and knowledge shared from our speakers covering many different topics and areas of the optometry profession.”

“The essence of this conference is the knowledge-transfer between the attendees,” states SOLN's outgoing executive director, Jeff Simmons, OD. “It is the one opportunity these like-minded students have to get together and share with each other what has worked successfully for them and their optometry clubs—and what has not and should be avoided. The relationships forged at these conferences last far beyond graduation, providing valuable resources these future doctors can rely on well into the future. Most impressive, however, are the leadership qualities these students demonstrate. The professional will do very well with these future doctors as the future leaders.”

If you are interested in supporting this next generation of private practice leaders, SOLutioN is always looking for professionals in the field who can share their insight and experience with the students. For more information about the organization, visit www.solnoptometry.com. For more information about VSP’s programs that support optometry students and new graduates, contact education@vspglobal.com. 

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