Dr. Maegan Folk on being the owner of a successful, growing clinic within Specsavers Orchard Park
Dr. Maegan Folk, optometry partner at Specsavers Orchard Park (Kelowna, BC), graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University in 2014 and spent her early career working in a rural community. Here, she reflects on her journey becoming a business partner and opening her own clinic.
Q: How do you feel your role as an optometrist contributes to the local community?
Early in my career, I was working in a rural community where the closest ophthalmologists were 65km away. This gave me a unique opportunity to work with ophthalmologists and local family doctors to treat and co-manage ocular disease and make eyecare more accessible for people.
Now, during my time with Specsavers, I have realized how many people have not had an eye exam in years – or ever! The accessibility of my clinic location in a large centre, combined with the quality of care we provide, has encouraged patients to come in, some of whom had previously not been routine with their eyecare.
I take pride in being an owner of a successful, growing clinic which has allowed me to make a positive impact on the people in my community.
Q: What motivated you to pursue business ownership with Specsavers?
I’ve always aspired to own my own practice. When I was in optometry school, I was president and founder of the Private Practice Club and president of the Canadian Association of Optometry Students. After eight years of building experience in both corporate and private practice, Specsavers offered me the perfect hybrid. With the support of the Specsavers team, I now own shares in an optical retail store and run my own independent optometry clinic where I have the ability to focus wholly on the operations of my clinic and the care of my patients.
Q: What has been your favourite part about opening your independent clinic?
Stepping into my new role has exceeded my expectations. My schedule is booked up in advance, the feedback I hear from patients has been very positive, and word of mouth has been helping us grow. My retail partner and I continue to network and build relationships within our community, and we have a team of happy eyecare consultants which, in turn, creates a positive patient experience.
Partnership with Specsavers is a unique concept. Having a retail partner and an optometry partner to focus their expertise on the management of their sides of the retail business promotes success, as both partners are equally motivated to create a thriving environment. In my opinion, it’s a great model.
The Specsavers clinical support team has also been very helpful in providing advice and guidance for running my independent clinic located within the Orchard Park Specsavers store. It’s a small group of Canadian and international optometrists with a wealth of knowledge who provide support to us and answer our questions.
Q: What words of encouragement do you have for someone considering joining Specsavers Orchard Park or a clinic in the Specsavers network?
On the retail side, Specsavers offers great benefits, bonuses and incentives, a fun work environment, and for motivated individuals there’s always room for growth and advancement.
In my busy Orchard Park clinic, we’re looking to bring on a full- or part-time associate optometrist into our positive, upbeat work environment with a busy but flexible work schedule. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to have a fully booked schedule and immerse themselves in a clinic equipped with exciting technology to diagnose and manage ocular disease.
This technology includes a brand-new Topcon OCT, Humphrey Visual Field, all the necessary pre-test equipment, and even an automated phoropter. I believe this technology is a necessity in monitoring and managing diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Q: What’s it like living and practicing in the Okanagan?
Living in the Okanagan provides a fantastic work-life balance. Kelowna is an endless playground of activities, so you can find yourself doing various activities like hiking, paddle boarding, boating, golfing, skiing and wine touring all in your backyard. I moved to Kelowna from Saskatchewan because I liked the lifestyle it offered me. I’m an avid skier so living in the Okanagan means that I can ski every weekend in the winter.
Join Dr. Folk’s team in Kelowna: Associate Optometrist
If you’re passionate about changing lives through better sight, let’s get in touch. Learn more about opportunities and relocation support by reaching out to our recruitment team at enquiries.ca@specsavers.com.