Fix My Staff: Tools to Create and Retain an Unbreakable Team

By Dr. Mesheca C. Bunyon

Working as a doctor can be incredibly fulfilling—but it can also be frustrating if the staff you depend on to support you is unmotivated, low on morale, or even dysfunctional. And when your staff is unhappy and uncooperative, it can lead to your patients feeling disrespected and undervalued, ultimately costing your practice patients and re

• Language: English
• Publisher: Purposely Created Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781644841907

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Introduction

Optometry has always been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I was extremely nearsighted, and would see my local optometrist, Dr. Alvin Baum, a Pearl Vision franchisee, several times a year. Dr. Baum was a local celebrity in my town of Richmond, Virginia. Not only was he one of the few pediatric eye care providers, he was also a clown in the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. My experience when going to Dr. Baum’s office was one of fun and excitement. Dr. Baum’s staff always greeted me and the other children with smiles, balloons, and treats. Dr. Baum would sometimes greet me while having his full clown suit on, putting me at ease about going to his office. It was natural for me to think about being an optometrist during my tenure at Morgan State University.

Today, I am a leader in optometry, now in my twentieth year of practice. I graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry as an award-winning student and leader in the National Optometric Student Association. As a leader, I have had the pleasure of serving as president of the Central Maryland Optometric Society, recording secretary of the National Optometric Association, regional trustee of the National Optometric Association, and cofounder of the Four Brown Eyes social media group, the largest online community of African American optometrists and students. I am the current president of the Maryland Board of Examiners in Optometry, appointed by Governor Larry Hogan in 1995, the second African American in its history to hold this esteemed position. I have also been a member of the American Schools and Colleges of Optometry diversity and cultural competence committee. I have had the privilege to work in a variety of settings as an optometrist, including in the corporate setting, with a health maintenance organization, at refractive surgery centers, at ophthalmology offices, and as co-owner of Special Eye Care for over fourteen years with my husband, Dr. Lamont Bunyon. I have served the community with free vision screenings and with speaking engagements to local schools to educate about the importance of eye care. I also serve my community in several organizations through a variety of community service programs. I have been the community service chair and recording secretary for the National Harbor Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and the global committee chair for the Southern Pearls interest group of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. My passion for service has also afforded me the opportunity to be the past vice president for the First 50 Charities, Budaka District, which provides educational resources to school-aged children in Uganda. I am a proud mother to two sons, Micah and Madden, and wife to award-winning optometrist Dr. Lamont Bunyon. I have faithfully served over 100,000 people in my community in the greater Washington, DC area and Prince Georges County, Maryland, where I am known to my patients for compassionate care and thorough education. I envision my business in three years helping one hundred vision care providers and optical retailers to optimize their staff, which will increase their efficiency and improve their patient/customer service, ultimately increasing revenue. My long-term goal is to help doctors in all specialties with finding and optimizing their staff.

While my journey to becoming an optometrist and my resume over the past twenty years sounds impeccable, let me share the other part of my story, the realest part of my story, the story that kept me up at night and has continued to push me harder in my goal of helping others. Despite all of my leadership skills and my love for optometry, I found myself bouncing from one