Diva of the Week – Angela Love Washington, OD

In our quest to fulfill our mission to Empower, Connect, and Promote the success of women ODs, we have created this weekly feature to promote our amazing members across the country. Their stories will inspire you to dream big and reach higher!

The featured Diva for this week is Dr. Angela Love Washington.  Read the full feature below to learn how she was able to earn the respect of patients as a young doctor!

1. Tell us a little bit about you

“I am from Bradenton, FL. I attended Florida State University – Go Seminoles!!! I currently live in Orlando, FL with my husband and our 2 beautiful daughters.”

2. What made you decide to become an Optometrist?

“With both of my parents working in the health field (mom-surgical nurse, dad-EMT/firefighter), I’ve always had the desire to pursue a medical career. I worked at my uncles multidisciplinary rural health clinic during the summers while in HS and fell in love with the Optometry rotation.”

“I served as a technician for an amazing female O.D. and realized that having a career in Optometry would best allow me to fulfill my dream of being a physician, while maintaining a healthy family life at home. (During the other rotations the physician hours and overall quality of life seemed to be unruly).”

3. What Optometry school did you go to?

“Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry (NSUCO)”

4. Where do you currently practice?

“I practice in Orlando, Florida as an associate OD at a private practice, Millennium Eye Center…along with my amazing colleague/and CEO of Millennium Eye Center (MEC), Dr. Lauretta Justin.”

5. Do you offer any specialty services in your practice?

“I am currently developing a specialty in Orthokeratology.”

6. Name 1 to 3 hurdles you faced as a private practice owner and how did you overcome them?

Being a young and new doctor in an established practice was a challenge in gaining respect from existing patients. Often patients get very comfortable with their regular doctor and most people fear change. It was difficult not to be offended when I was constantly greeted with “Oh you’re the doctor?” or “I only want to be seen by my regular doctor!”; but I realized it was all about mindset and perception.

The way I overcame this was to first be okay with the initial shock from patients and to acknowledge their reservations. Secondly, I was able to explain to them that I was fully competent to care for them while being sensitive to their concerns. Everything from my posture, tone, actions and facial expressions (a welcoming smile) helped to exemplify my confidence and allowed the patients to feel more comfortable and trust my capabilities. They quickly learned to be at ease and were very pleased with their experience after the exam.

7. If you could go back to when you were a student, what advice would you give yourself?

“I would tell myself to take advantage of the student perks when it comes to traveling to conferences and meeting industry leaders. As a student, we have so many opportunities to network with different representatives of major companies and attend conferences at little to no cost.”

“There is so much more to our profession than just being the doctor. You will automatically learn your clinical skills in school. Learning more about how the business of optometry works is so powerful and beneficial; especially if you plan on being in a private practice setting. Luckily, I’ve had a great mentor since graduating but there is still a ton to learn outside of prescribing.”

How to contact Dr. Angela Love Washington

To contact Angela, visit her new website – washington-eyecare.com and click her social media profile links below:

facebook.com/profile.php?id=5255885

linkedin.com/in/angela-love-30a197129/

Do you want to be featured in the Optometry Divas publication?

The Diva of the Week Feature is reserved exclusively for our Elite members. This promotional feature will give you marketing exposure as an expert in the eye care industry, create credibility for your patients, employers, and colleagues, and expand your digital footprint. You can be featured too by becoming a member. Click HERE to join today!