Brittany Coyle worked as an ophthalmic tech at St. Lukes Cataract and Laser Institute in Tarpon Springs, Florida, after she graduated from college. She started with no prior experience in the optometric field. After about a year of being a floor tech, she was selected to be the direct assistant and scribe to Katherine Flynn, OD. “That is when my life changed,” Coyle says.
“My first day with her was rough to say the least—I took patients out of turn, didn’t know how to trouble shoot issues and I had no idea what to put in an assessment and plan,” Coyle says. “Thankfully Dr. Flynn had patience, and she told me we would work together to bring me up to speed, instead of reprimanding me. She doesn’t know that I was close to tears and considering quitting prior to her saying that.”
Dr. Flynn took the time over the next year to explain why she ordered certain tests to be completed, the importance of the medical history and differentials she was considering just by looking at the patient and chart note. “By doing so, she instilled in me a passion to better serve the patients, problem solve and still maintain compassion for the person in the chair,” Coyle says. Now, Coyle is a second-year optometry student at Nova Southeastern University. “I have Dr. Flynn to thank for it.”
