Editor’s Column May 2025
Save as PDF
IN PRAISE OF PUBLIC SERVICE
2025 is not halfway to its end, and it has already shown itself to be a most eventful year for those who choose to work in government. Stresses come with every job, and some years are more stressful than others, but government workers are certainly feeling stress this year. Over the years, however, it would seem that government work, on the whole, has become something the public looks upon with disdain. Unfortunately, this view is not only shared but intensified in punditry and among the well-to-do. Many of our authors – and audience – are optometrists employed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. I myself am one of the over 1,100 optometrists at the VA. Most of us did not set out early in our training with the aim to be government employees; we came to the job from varied paths.
I would ask those who have a negative view of a public service job to remember that some of our nation’s best work is done by its employees, from those who risked their lives founding it, to those who work to reduce disease, to those who protect our water and natural resources, and so much more. Public service employees stay in their jobs for much longer than the average employee. This is not because they can’t find private sector work, but because they learn to appreciate and enjoy the call to serve something higher than themselves. Most government employees remain at their jobs longer than any one administration. The work is important.
A public service job is one that benefits others and the nation as a whole. It’s a job worth doing. Think about the leaders of American Optometry. Who comes to mind? Probably different people for each of us, but all of them did something beyond the practice of optometry. They had the courage to think beyond themselves. They could shape their world because they chose to engage in its mechanisms, rather than turning away from it. I would urge all of you to be active in the mechanisms of your careers. All of us have the opportunity – or perhaps the duty – to build something up in our lives, but not all of us will do so. Whether that duty, to you, represents a job in public service, running for local office or simply advocating for someone outside your circle, it’s our responsibility to act. There are myriad problems to solve and opportunities to help – myriad ways for a career to be remembered.
Dr. Rett is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Optometry and the secretary for the American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry. He is the Chief of Optometry at VA Boston and sits on the national Field Advisory Board for Tele Eyecare at the VA. He is adjunct clinical faculty at several optometry schools, lectures nationally and enjoys writing about eyecare whenever and wherever.
