FAST FACTS
School of Optometry Attended: Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Year of Graduation: 2018
Current Place of Practice: MyEyeDr. in the Lorton area of Northern Virginia
Currently Working On: Gaining more experience and exposure to the optometry and business side of things
GETTING TO KNOW DR. HOSEIN
Choosing Optometry Growing up the eldest of four children who all had eye problems, Areen Hosein frequently visited her family optometrist's office as a child. Her two younger siblings were very high myopes and her family optometrist was able to catch retinal tears in her brother's eye. "Being in and out of the eye doctor a lot made me realize that eyecare is really important and seeing how my siblings were cared for meant a lot to me," Hosein said.
Essilor Externship After graduating from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry last May, Hosein completed a two and a half month summer externship in Dallas, Texas through Essilor, a leading eyeglass lens company. During the externship Hosein was able to learn more about the Essilor products including different lens coatings, transitions, and progressive lenses. "Just learning about what I was prescribing really connected the dots from the manufacturing process to distribution," she said. "It was things that we don't really learn about in school." Part of the externship also included various industry events and valuable networking opportunities. She also completed research through Essilor on how to help new graduates in transitioning into their career paths.
The New Grad Experience There are many benefits as well as challenges that come with practicing fresh out of optometry school. Hosein believes that one of the hardest parts of being on your own after graduation is the responsibility of being in charge and not having a preceptor to consult with. Hosein is currently the only doctor at the MyEyeDr. location that she works at, and she said that it's challenging being the only person there and having everything fall on her. "It's hard making sure you're making the right call and being a new grad I think you second guess yourself a lot. But it's all part of the process," she said. Hosein also mentioned that being on your own is also the best part of practicing after graduation because you get to see the outcomes of the calls you make and take full credit for treating patients first hand.
Creating @eyedocareen
If you're a student that follows a lot of optometry related Instagram accounts, you might recognize Hosein from her Instagram account, @eyedocareen. Hosein first got the idea to create her own optometry account after being inspired by other optometry accounts that she followed. "I was learning so much just by being on social media. I'd be simultaneously studying while looking at cases that popped up on my feed," she said. "It's a nice way to study and review without opening up a textbook." Hosein noticed that there weren't a lot of other accounts out there showing the full student experience and how to transition into new grad life. "I wanted to contribute to that presence so that other people who were going through that transition could relate or I could be there for upcoming grads," she said.
Advice for New Grads and Optometry Students When it comes to tackling new grad challenges, Hosein said that its good to have a solid group chat or a few good friends that you can consult with, especially if you have friends who specialize in certain areas. She also recommended that while on your rotations, try and play out in your head what the protocol would be if you didn't have a preceptor or someone to consult with. "Its good to practice in your head, that way when you get out on your own its not such a big shock," Hosein said. For current optometry students Hosein emphasized the importance of learning from each unique experience you get at The Eye Institute. She also mentioned that it might be beneficially to keep good journals of your encounters and exam norms for future reference. "Holding on to pieces of information that will help you out in the future is great," she said. "Once you get out in the real world you really don’t have access to your school things so I think that just holding onto some of that information will really benefit you in the future."
For more information about Dr. Areen Hosein or to follow her optometric journey, check out her account on Instagram, @eyedocareen.
QUICK Q&A
What is the wildest diagnosis you've made?
Neurotrophic keratitis
What is your favorite place you've traveled?
Barcelona
What is the best part of a typical day in practice?
Telling or showing a patient something new
What is your favorite social media account?
@thecrazyoptom. He’s based in the UK I believe, and was one of the first optometry pages that I started following as a student. He primarily posts cases and has really great pictures to show.
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