Eye on Optometry Blog SUBSCRIBE TO EMAIL UDATES

All roads to optometry school lead through the admissions interview. This is the campus visit and sit-down with school or college representatives that you’ll be invited to attend if they think you would be a good fit after reviewing your OptomCAS application materials. If you get “the call” — these days it is usually “the e-mail” — it means you are considered a competitive applicant. It doesn’t mean, however, that you’re guaranteed to be accepted into the program. You’ve got to do well on your interview day. Here are some tips to give you an idea of what to expect and what admissions officials do and don’t like to see.

1. Start with the Basics

• Be on time for the appointment. The admissions interview/campus visit at schools and colleges of optometry is typically an all-day affair that begins in the morning.
• Dress professionally. Showing up in jeans and a sweater doesn’t make a great first impression.
• Know the specifics of the day. Each institution handles the admissions interview differently. Some do one-on-one: one student and one faculty member or administrator. Others interview by committee, and current students may be part of the process. Schools’ interview periods differ as well. You might get your invitation as far in advance as a year before you would enter the program or it might come closer to that date.
• Act professionally. Believe it or not, there are real-life examples of applicants behaving badly on interview day, including one who argued with the campus tour guide about the accuracy of information. “What you do is just as important as what you say,” advises Teisha Johnson, MS, Senior Director of Admissions at Illinois College of Optometry (ICO).

2. Understand that the Interview is a Two-Way Street

• Know why you’re there. “We are evaluating you, but you are also evaluating us,” Johnson says. “At the end of the day, we both need to have the information we need to make an informed decision.” Kurt M. Thiede, Executive Director of Enrollment Management, New England College of Optometry (NECO), agrees. “As much as possible, candidates should come to the interview experience relaxed and open to the knowledge and insights they can gain, perceptions that will help them to determine if the college is a good fit for them,” he explains. “It is also an opportunity to provide an understanding about who they are as a person and why optometry is their professional choice. In many respects, the most basic question candidates need to answer is why they are interested in a career in optometry. This genuine interest should be reinforced with each answer they provide and each question they ask the interviewer.”
• Be honest. Go to the interview prepared to discuss any blemishes on your record, either academic or personal. “For example,” Thiede says, “Without a full explanation, a low grade in the sophomore year can become more of an issue in the admissions committee than it should.” And, as Johnson notes, “It’s easy to get defensive when tough questions are asked, but it’s best to be honest. Know that we aren’t trying to put you on the spot; some issues require a discussion.”

3. Ace It!

• Be engaged. “Seeming disinterested is very poor on a candidate’s part,” ICO’s Johnson points out. “It shows, and it weighs heavily on the final decision. Try not to be nervous. We want to get to know you, so be yourself, perhaps your best self, but come in ready to be engaged.” Thoughtful answers to questions are a good way to be engaging, Thiede says. “The candidate should be prepared to explain ‘why’ a certain experience was meaningful to him or her rather than simply describing the experience,” he advises.

Interviewers are looking for candidates who will be engaging as doctors, too. “Although it might seem self-evident, optometry is very much a people-oriented profession and making patients and colleagues comfortable with an appropriate level of eye contact is important,” Thiede says. “A lack of eye contact during the interview raises a red flag as to the ability of a candidate to successfully work with patients.” He advises that eye contact should be natural, not forced. Don’t lock into a potential staring contest, but don’t stare at your feet either.

• Ask good questions. Thiede appreciates when potential students learn as much basic information about NECO as possible prior to their interview. “If the candidate isn’t asking questions for which answers are readily available on the college’s website, the conversation can be more impression-building than fact-finding,” he says. “The best questions are those that seek ‘why’ rather than ‘what,’ e.g., why the college made a commitment to an early clinical experience instead of what the college offers as far as clinical experiences.”

It’s not a deal-breaker for Johnson if candidates ask a few basic questions, there’s a lot for them to take in, but she’s more impressed with questions that indicate they know what they’re looking for in a school and that go beyond the admissions process. “These types of questions may be geared toward class structure, residency opportunities, career development services, etc.,” she explains. “There’s always going to be something that’s very important to you in choosing your school. Really think about what that is before the meeting. You can also ask a mentor or the Career Services Department at your current institution or search online for a list of commonly asked health professions interview questions. Then, while you are at a school for your interview, you should be asking yourself whether you can picture yourself being there as a student. Fit is very important.”

For more information about the schools and colleges of optometry, please check out the ASCO website.

**********

Mark Your Calendar for this Fall’s Optometry Virtual Fair

If you have yet to check out the Optometry Virtual Fair, mark your calendar for October 9. That’s the day of the next Virtual Fair, during which you can log on and meet admissions representatives from any or all of the 21 programs that are members of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO, www.opted.org). The absolutely free event is your opportunity to live chat with the people who have answers to whatever questions you might have about optometry school.

Head to the Registration Page to register today or contact CareerEco [optometry@careereco.com, (770) 980-0088] or Paige Pence, ASCO’s Director of Student and Residency Affairs [ppence@opted.org], for more information.

It’s the Web Portal You’ll Use to Apply to Optometry School

If you’ve been working on your game plan for becoming a Doctor of Optometry, July 1 is the day you can really put it in motion. That’s the first day this year you can apply to one or more of the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) schools and colleges of optometry through the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS). OptomCAS, which is brought to you by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), is a real time-saver for applicants to optometry school. It allows you to use a single web-based application and one set of materials to apply to multiple schools and colleges of optometry. To be accepted into optometry school and start classes in 2015, you need to get in on the current application cycle. It begins on July 1, 2014 and closes on June 2, 2015. You initiate your application process by creating an account at www.optomcas.org.

There, you’ll find all of the steps you need to follow to apply, which include filling out an application with information like your biographical data, colleges and universities attended, academic course history, work experience, extracurricular activities and honors. You’ll also upload a personal essay, provide the names of people who will write letters of recommendation for you, and designate which schools you want to receive your application.

“It’s a straightforward process, but applicants should really make sure they’re prepared before they start the process,” advises Paige Pence, ASCO’s Director for Student and Residency Affairs. “They should review the instructions at the site well ahead of time, which they can do any time, even before they create their account, so they are aware of all the materials they’ll need to get together, such as college transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. They should also check the application deadlines for the schools they want to apply to because they aren’t all the same.” Pence notes, too, that the OptomCAS website has a new and improved look for this application cycle and is more user-friendly. And, if you’re curious, Pence also notes that, on average, most would-be students end up applying to five schools.

Once you create your account, you can log in and out of OptomCAS as you work on completing the application process. Liaison International, the company that runs the service for ASCO, has support staff available to answer any questions you may have. After you officially submit your application, you can check its movement through the process, including receipt of the necessary external documents (more on that below) via the “Status” section of the site.

Here are a few key points to be aware of as you familiarize yourself with OptomCAS:

■ OptomCAS doesn’t determine whether you have met a school’s or college’s requirements or are eligible for admission. That decision is made by each respective school or college.

■ The fees for using the system in 2014-2015 are $155 to apply to one school or college of optometry and an additional $55 for each additional school or college to which you want to apply.

■ You are required to use OptomCAS to apply to any of the 21 ASCO member schools and colleges of optometry in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). However, some schools may also require you to submit a supplemental application and fee directly to them. You can find out which ones at the OptomCAS site under “Information About Schools & Colleges” and “Deadlines and Other Information” at www.optomcas.org.

■ Obviously, your academic transcripts are a required part of your application. Note, however, that transcripts sent to OptomCAS directly from you are not acceptable. Instead, you’ll need to print an Official Transcript Request Form and give it to the registrar’s office at the college or university you attend(ed). The registrar then needs to mail to OptomCAS in a sealed envelope the form and your transcripts, bearing an official seal or signature of the registrar and a watermark.

When you give the transcript form to your registrar, request an unofficial student copy for yourself because you’ll need it to help you complete your online application.

■ At the OptomCAS site, you need to provide the names and contact information of the people who will be writing your letters of recommendation, but you don’t collect and send in the letters. OptomCAS sends an e-mail evaluation request to the “recommenders” with information on how they should electronically submit their letters. Once you know what programs you are targeting, check their individual websites to determine the number and types of letters they require. You can also find letter of recommendation information at the OptomCAS site.

■ Once you’ve completed the steps required of you and OptomCAS receives and verifies your transcripts, your application is considered complete (even if all of your recommendation letters are not yet sent in). From that point forward, any communication about your application will come from a school or college itself, not OptomCAS. It’s possible that you would be contacted directly by a school or college prior to that point as well.

Now that you have an idea of how the process works, get all of the details you need by checking out OptomCAS asap!

Diversity Awareness and Cultural Competence in Optometry

We use this blog space most often to provide information to folks who are considering pursuing a career in optometry. This time, we visit a topic that pertains to everyone in the field, now and in the future. Technically, it’s two topics — diversity and cultural competence — but as you may know, they are closely related. The U.S. population is increasingly racially, ethnically, religiously, linguistically and culturally diverse. When health professionals aren’t prepared to care for patients in the context of their individual cultural norms and beliefs, access to quality care for entire groups of people is compromised. Therefore, increasing diversity among healthcare providers and ensuring they are able to communicate effectively with all patients and recognize and advocate for their unique needs have been ongoing goals across medicine. As listed below, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), with support from industry partners Walmart and Alcon, has been spearheading many efforts designed to help the eyecare profession meet these goals.

Developing a Diverse Applicant Pool in Optometric Education Mini-Grant Program

This is the tenth year that ASCO has offered a diversity-related mini-grant program. For 2014, the program focuses on increasing diversity among applicants to optometry school. The grants awarded help member schools and colleges to develop and implement activities aimed at recruiting and retaining underrepresented minority students, financially disadvantaged students and first-generation college students. This year, the program awarded nearly $20,000 to the following institutions to help fund their diversity programs, which reach out to and encourage potential students in various ways:

Illinois College of Optometry (Focus on Your Future Summer Program)

NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry (The Preparatory Optometry Program [POP])

The Ohio State University College of Optometry (Pathways to Optometry)

SUNY State College of Optometry (Increasing Diversity by Engaging All [IDEA])

University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (Providing Diversity in Optometric Education through Continual Enhancement of Current Programs)

University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry (Summer Optometry Institute [SOI])

University of Houston College of Optometry (Texas Optometry Career Opportunities Program [TEXOCOP])

Indiana University School of Optometry (Your Future/I Can See Clearly Now).

Information about the programs can be found at the schools’ websites.

Guidelines for Culturally Competent Eye and Vision Care

ASCO also developed Guidelines for Culturally Competent Eye and Vision Care to help schools and colleges of optometry prepare clinicians who can address the eye health needs of a multicultural and global community. This document is a compilation of cultural competence best practices used by schools, colleges, organizations and associations in the health professions.

To bring the guidelines to life, ASCO has also made available to member schools and colleges of optometry fully-funded, onsite Cultural Competency Curriculum Guidelines Implementation Workshops.

Grants to fund the workshops are awarded to ASCO member schools through a competitive application process. Interested institutions can apply now for a workshop to be held on their campus that will help them address the unique challenges they face in their efforts to achieve cultural competence. Applications are due by August 8.

According to Dr. Barbara Fink, Chair of ASCO’s Cultural Competency Curriculum Guidelines Subcommittee, “It is a clinical necessity that optometrists possess the patient-centered attitudes, knowledge and skills required to competently serve a diverse community with its spectrum of education, experiences, beliefs, values, customs, preferences, fears and expectations, all of which impact the interpersonal interactions involved in clinical care. The workshops give the schools and colleges the opportunity to become familiar with ASCO’s cultural competence guidelines and learn ways to implement them effectively.”

The workshops are making a difference. After each workshop that has been conducted, school administrators completed surveys identifying subsequent actions that have been taken. “In all cases, the optometric institutions are making changes to enhance cultural competency,” Dr. Fink notes. “We have also trained facilitators from several of the schools and colleges of optometry to provide the workshops at institutions other than their own.”

Cultural Competency Case Study Competition for Students and Residents

ASCO is augmenting its cultural competency guidelines in another way as well. By offering the Cultural Competency Case Study Competition for Students and Residents, it is building a database of real-world examples of how to handle culturally sensitive patient encounters, while at the same time awarding $2,500 each to the student and resident who win each year’s competition.

This year was the first year for the contest. Chelsia Leong (pictured to the left below), a Pacific University College of Optometry resident at the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics, won for her case study “Cultural Competency with the Navajo Nation.” The 2014 student winner was Fatima Elkabti (pictured to the right below), who just completed her third year at the University of California – Berkeley School of Optometry, for her submission “At Home for an Hour: Competent Healthcare for the Homeless.”

Looking at the Big Picture

Diversity and cultural competency are concepts that are focused on patients and the care they receive. But, in addition to enabling health professionals to respond to demographic changes and eliminate health disparities, they allow them to improve the quality of services and health outcomes, meet legislative, regulatory and accreditation mandates, gain a competitive edge in the marketplace and decrease the likelihood of malpractice claims.

“Diversity makes the profession better,” says Dana Beards, University and Student Relations Specialist for VSP Vision Care Provider Services. “We are more complete as a profession when we are incorporating different cultures and the unique perspectives each culture brings to health care. It’s not that every patient necessarily needs to be seen by a doctor of the same ethnic group or culture. But if healthcare professionals expand their cultural horizons and have peers and mentors representing a wide variety of cultures, then every doctor will be more competent in providing excellent optometric services to a wide range of patients. From a pure business perspective, a doctor who has multiple cultural competencies stands a far greater chance of being successful. And from the perspective of VSP, we want to provide the most diverse doctor network possible to the more than 65 million members that we serve nationally. It’s important that our members have the ability to receive optometric services in a healthcare environment that’s comfortable for them.”

As is the case at many optometric companies, diversity is an ongoing part of VSP’s business, beginning with its own employees. Beyond its internal policies and initiatives, the company invests in partnerships to help improve diversity in optometry. “For example, at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, we fund a program called Improving Diversity in Optometric Careers (I-DOC),” Beards says. “Each year, I-DOC identifies people from under-represented minority groups who are interested in optometry and brings them to OSU for a three-day program where faculty members, staff, alumni and students expose them to the profession and encourage them to consider optometry as a career. Over the past five years, more than 20 I-DOC participants have entered optometry schools across the country.”

Pick a Place to Start

If you’d like to learn more about diversity and cultural competency in health care in general and optometry in particular, a good place to start is ASCO’s website. There, along with detailed descriptions of ASCO’s diversity and cultural competency programs, you’ll find links to a collection of reading materials the Association recommends.

Whenever we move forward to a new phase in life, it’s reassuring to have at least some idea of what to expect. To give you some food for thought as you look ahead to attending optometry school, we asked two current students, one first-year and one third-year, what their typical day is like. They’re working hard, but they also describe what they’re doing as productive, interesting, informative and fun.

First Year: Settling in and Rolling Up Your Sleeves

Senija Vehab, a first-year student at the Illinois College of Optometry, is an early riser, at 6:30 a.m. on exam days (exams are always at 8) and 8:30 a.m. on most other days. On exam days or days when she’s busy with her required lab time, she heads first to the ICO cafeteria to grab breakfast. On non-lab days, she likes to take a run along the Lake Michigan shore trail, which is a half mile east of campus. It it’s too cold (this is Chicago, remember), she hits the gym instead. Her class lectures take place from 2 to 6 p.m. most days and from 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays. “After lecture at 6 p.m., everyone eats dinner in the cafeteria,” she says. “After dinner I typically go back to my room — I live at the resident complex, which is right across the street from school — and plan what I want to study or work on that night. Usually, it’s studying for the next exam. Some students like to study into the wee hours, but I prefer to study no later than midnight so I’m fresh for the next day. Everyone has their own schedule, and I found that figuring out what worked best for me was important.”

In addition to her coursework, Senija does work-study, last quarter as a technician at the Illinois Eye Institute on Thursday mornings and now at the security desk in the resident complex on Monday nights. She also serves as a Trustee-Elect for the American Optometric Student Association and plays intramural flag football or soccer, usually one evening a week. Although getting her studying done first is always her goal, she says “Saturdays and Sundays are different because I can plan something fun to look forward to during the week. I’ve met some great people at ICO. School keeps us busy, but we can usually find time to just hang out, whether that’s watching a movie in one of the lounges, playing ping pong in the game room, or getting ice cream in the city while it’s snowing. And of course downtown Chicago is always fun and adventurous.”

Comparing the first year of professional school to her undergrad years, Senija says she expected it to be busy and it is. “Sometimes it’s challenging to attend class right after studying for an exam, for instance an ocular anatomy lecture at 9 a.m. after just taking the ocular anatomy exam that morning. All of our lectures are taped though, so that adds some flexibility. And unlike in undergrad, everyone is in the same boat as you with the same ‘major.’ We’re all studying for the same exams, attending the same labs, doing the same practicals. We’re always with our group, everyone knows what we’re going through, and it’s nice because it’s our family away from home.”

Third Year: Buckling Down for the Boards

Keylee Clemons Brown, a third-year student at Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry, was recently able to exhale after taking Part I of the national boards in March. With that experience still fresh in her mind, she divides what her typical day is like into two distinct categories: before boards and after boards.

Like the days of third-year students at most schools, Keylee’s are divided about 50/50 between classes and clinic. But starting last June, she added studying for Part I of the boards to her schedule by reading Remington’s Clinical Anatomy and Physiology of the Visual System. Over Christmas break that year, she worked on flash cards, and in January of this year she set a regimented study schedule for herself. The goal for January was 10 hours a week, about half on the weekends. February’s goal was 15 hours every week. For March, studying was her total focus. “As boards approached, there was very little time for anything other than eating, sleeping, studying and maybe getting in a workout here or there,” she says. However, after the big day and a couple days of post-exam recovery, Keylee had some free time, during which she did some traveling, including attending Vision Expo East in New York City. Now, life is back to how it was prior to the board exam.

Keylee notes that her day is similar to other third-year students’ in that she’s going to class and clinic, but she also likes to be involved in extracurricular activities and leadership positions. She’s been involved with the American Optometric Student Association since her first year. She’s served as a Trustee-Elect and a Trustee and recently stepped into the role of Secretary on the association’s Executive Council. In her experience, “The busyness goes in waves. There are times when you have a lot of free time and times when you don’t. You have to prioritize so that you can get your school work done and still have time for yourself. Now that I live on an island, I try to go to the beach when I have extra time on the weekends. I also enjoy running outside, shopping, exploring new places and traveling.”

Keylee says third year has been challenging, balancing clinic, classes and studying, but she has really enjoyed it. One reason is the classes are solely optometry-related. She looks forward to fourth-year, when the focus will be on working with patients. “Fourth-year supposedly allows for a little more free time since studying for classes in the usual sense is not part of the mix. It will be great to rotate through the various clinics in Puerto Rico and in the states and learn more about all the different specialties in optometry. Then, it will be time to look forward to graduation!”

As you probably already know, all of the schools and colleges of optometry require applicants to take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). In addition to having the right prerequisites and a good GPA, the OAT is another important checkpoint you’ll have to clear on your road to a career in optometry. Each school ranks the importance of OAT scores differently as it considers whether to admit you to its Doctor of Optometry program, but poor scores are a nonstarter across the board. The high stakes can certainly be stressful — but much less so if you’re properly prepared.

So where to begin? First, download and read the official OAT Guide provided by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). The Guide contains a complete overview of the testing process as well as key details such as how to apply to take the test, the subjects you will be tested on (with sample questions), how the test is scored, the breakdown of the four-hour and 40-minute test day, items that you won’t be allowed to take into the testing area, fees, and FAQs. In fact, when you actually apply to take the test, you’ll be required to confirm that you have read and understand the information in the Guide.

Two Students Who Did Well Share How They Prepared to Succeed

Kelsey Connelly, a first-year student at Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry, says she tends to struggle with standardized exams, so she took an OAT prep course during her junior year of undergraduate school. In addition to the resources provided through the prep course, she used her class notes, especially in general chemistry and human anatomy, for studying. And, thinking back, she remembers studying “a lot.” Each week, she spent about three hours in the prep class in addition to studying on her own for 6-8 hours. “I gave up a lot of fun time,” she says, “but it was an investment in my future that paid off. I got into the school of my choice!”

Kelsey, who is also a Trustee-Elect for the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA), says it was important for her to determine her strengths and weaknesses early on. At the beginning of her prep course, she took a practice OAT. “I took that practice exam cold, and it told me what I was good at and what I wasn’t good at right off the bat,” she notes. “I used that as a tool to shape my study plan. I also talked with my advisor about what she saw as my strengths and weaknesses, which added a helpful perspective. Also, there are plenty of resources online and in libraries that can help you master the subject matter. Talk with other students and your professors about anything you don’t understand.”

In hindsight, Kelsey wishes she would have waited to take the OAT until after she finished her undergrad physics course. “The physics section was more difficult for me because the physics class I was taking at the time hadn’t yet covered a lot of the material.” However, her study plan served her well, and she advises others to use their study time wisely too. For example, “If you know the biology material really well, don’t spend as much time on it; move on to what you struggle with.”

Elizabeth Brubaker, a first-year student at The Ohio State University College of Optometry and President of her class, agrees that planning for the OAT is crucial. “Make a plan and stick with it,” she says. For starters, she credits being an active member of Ohio State’s pre-optometry club as “by far the best resource I had.” The club provided her with solid information she could use for formulating her OAT plan. With that knowledge as a base, she also bought a 12-week prep course during the spring semester of her junior undergrad year. She chose the online option, logging in to lectures every Sunday night for four hours. From that point, she was able to plan what areas she would study and when. “Even though I attended the online class every week, it was hard to study more material during the week along with my other classes. So after finals were over in June that year, I focused on studying the additional prep course materials for at least an hour every day until I took the OAT in August.”

Elizabeth also used a strategy she learned from another optometry student. During the two weeks before she took the OAT, she woke up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as if it were test day. She got ready, ate breakfast and sat at her desk as though she was actually at the test center. She took a full-length sample test on each of those days (part of her prep course resources), complete with the same scheduled break and snack she planned to have on test day. “I believe this helped me the most because it trained my body and brain to be able to sit there for that length of time and focus. It was also great because it showed me how well I was doing in each section and what sections needed more focus before the test. It was very useful too for adjusting to taking a test on a computer, which is how the OAT is done.”

If she were taking the test again, Elizabeth says she would schedule it for at least a month or two earlier. “Had I done that, I could have submitted my application to optometry school that much sooner, which would have given me a little more time to relax before starting my senior year of undergrad.” She also thinks that instead of taking the online prep class, she perhaps would focus on other online resources. “I learned so much more from the online quizzes and tutorials than I did from listening to the professor lecture. But really it depends on what type of learner you are and what will work best for you.”

OAT Tips from the Admissions Office

Michael N. Robertson, Director of Admissions & Enrollment Services for Southern College of Optometry, says there are lots of study guides out there, and each one has its own merits. He recommends that students look at several to see which one(s) seem best for them. He also says you don’t have to restrict yourself to OAT guides. “Some candidates have told me they found MCAT or PCAT guides to be great supplements.” Of all the tools available, however, he feels “you can’t beat good old-fashioned class notes and textbooks when it comes to test prep.”

Robertson says the biggest OAT-related mistake he sees prospective students make is taking the test for granted. He points out that a mindset such as “I make really good grades, so I’m not worried about studying for the test” could be counterproductive. He also advises against taking the test a first time “just to see what it’s like.” As he explains, “More than likely, the school to which you apply is going to see that first ‘practice test’ score and it could cause concern. It’s better to prepare thoroughly for the test the first time.”

Robertson leaves us with two more sage points of advice: “There’s no one way to prepare for the OAT, but nothing can totally replace hard-core studying.”

Please be sure to check out the OAT FAQs on the ASCO website.  Also let us know in the comments section below what you would like to hear about!

For the 2013-2014 academic year, 6,676 students were enrolled in the 21 schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and Puerto Rico. If you’re aiming to join them in a future class, you’ll need — to steal a phrase from the famous book and movie about the dawn of America’s space program — “The Right Stuff.”

Without a doubt, your undergrad GPA and your score on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) will be heavily considered by any program to which you apply. But, as you work your way through the admissions process, other factors become very important as well. “Solid communication skills rank right up there with GPA and OAT scores as the most important attributes a candidate can have,” says Michael N. Robertson, Director of Admissions & Enrollment Services at Southern College of Optometry (SCO) in Memphis, Tenn. “We have interviewed our share of ‘smart’ candidates who just couldn’t communicate, and they were not admitted.”

If admissions officials like what they see based on your application materials, you’ll likely be invited to sit down for a face-to-face interview, and that’s where your communication skills really need to shine. The main thing we’re looking for during the interview is the candidate’s ability to communicate professionally and succinctly in a one-on-one situation, which is exactly what he or she will be expected to do in an exam room with a patient.” Interviewers evaluate whether the potential student is generally articulate and they also pay attention to specifics such as whether he or she maintains good eye contact, limits the use of slang and demonstrates adequate critical-thinking skills. Interviewers may also be thinking about whether you would be a good fit with their particular student body. “My advice is to be yourself,” Robertson explains. “Tell us what makes you tick, what you like and don’t like, etc. Don’t give us the answers you think we want to hear; provide answers that are yours and yours alone.”

To boost your chances of admission, you may also want to find ways to convey to the programs you’re targeting that you have a strong work ethic. And don’t forget to highlight your involvement in volunteerism or leadership activities. There’s one attribute of a strong candidate that Robertson finds often escapes potential students: knowledge of the field. “We want to see applicants who know this is the right field for them,” he notes. “That only comes from shadowing optometrists, working in the field, and researching relevant details like state laws and issues currently affecting the profession. After all, how can you be comfortable in your career choice if you know very little about it?” 

Learn More

You can learn more about applying to optometry school if you take advantage of the Optometry Virtual Fair on April 17. The fair, backed by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), is an opportunity to live chat with admissions representatives from any or all of the 21 ASCO member schools. Registration is open now at www.CareerEco.com/events/Optometry. You’ll find more details about the fair there, and you can also check out what we posted here at Eye on Optometry on March 20.

If you’re considering pursuing a career in optometry, you’ve probably already started researching how to apply to optometry school. That’s a great place to begin, but it’s never too soon to start thinking even further ahead. A key question to ask yourself is what exactly you picture yourself doing once you have your OD degree in hand. We called on two well-established and highly respected doctors of optometry to help you get your wheels turning in that direction. They shared with us what they do during a typical day.

John Warren, OD, is the sole owner of the practice he opened in Racine, Wis., just under five years after graduating from optometry school in 1992. Prior to venturing out on his own, he had been working for an ophthalmic surgeon. “He’s a great guy, and the experience was great,” Dr. Warren said. “He focused on surgery and I took care of everything else that came through the door. But, as I got busier and busier, I realized I wanted to have more control over my earning potential.” Dr. Warren described the experience of getting his own practice up and running as “exciting, fun, and a bit scary.” He devotes about one day a week to a company he co-founded, which provides a cloud-based electronic health record/practice management system.

Andrew Gurwood, OD, FAAO, owns a private practice with his wife. He bought the practice from his father. He sees patients there occasionally, but splits the bulk of his time between his two primary jobs. He is a Professor of Clinical Sciences at The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University and a member of the professional staff at its Eye Institute. He also practices in the Department of Ophthalmology at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. He realized years ago when he coached a soccer team that he “has a knack for simplifying complicated concepts” and that he likes to teach. Dr. Gurwood is also a prolific researcher and author (working in academia mandates research) and he lectures nationally and internationally on a wide range of ocular disease topics. He is a founding member of the Optometric Retina Society. In his spare time, he serves as an instructor with the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy.

Here’s what else Drs. Gurwood and Warren had to say.

What Does Your Typical Day Look Like?

Dr. Warren: “I arrive at the office at about 8:50 a.m. The staff has already prepared for the first patient appointment at 9 a.m., so I take a few minutes to check the computer to see what the day’s caseload looks like. I see patients from 9 until noon and then again from 1:15 until the last appointment at 4:10 p.m. I’m usually leaving the office by around 4:40, unless I stick around longer to talk with the day’s final patient or staff. If possible, between patients, I catch up on e-mails and handle tasks related to running the business. I take a lunch every day, but it’s typically a working lunch. We’re open later on Wednesdays, when the last patient appointment starts at 6:15 p.m. After 4 that day, we see a patient approximately every 10 minutes. On Thursdays, I don’t see patients unless a post-op patient I’m co-managing needs to be examined. That leaves Thursdays for family time and taking care of personal errands, usually mixed with some administrative work. The practice is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.”

Dr. Gurwood: “I see patients at Einstein from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, generally 15-25 cases per four-hour session. I’m at PCO 40 hours each week, where I supervise second- and third-year students as they work with patients at The Eye Institute. I’m able to head home by 5 p.m. on most days.”

What is Your Usual Patient Mix?

Dr. Gurwood: “In my private practice and at Einstein, I see a mix of patients. Some I’ve been seeing long-term, some are new patients who specifically want to see me, and some have been referred to me by primary care physicians. It’s always an interesting mix, at Einstein in particular where I see everything from contact lens overwear to gunshot injuries.”

Dr. Warren: “My mix is 50/50 between pathology and routine vision care. My patients tend to be older, late 50s and early 60s on average, and therefore have more pathology, than for many other ODs (See “Highlights from AOA Research and Information Center Survey Results” and accompanying graphics.)partly because so many of them have been coming to me since I was fresh out of school. Some I’ve been seeing for 20 years. We’ve come to know a lot about each other. Most of them consider me a friend and vice versa.”

What Do You Love about Your Job; What is a Challenge?

Dr. Warren: “I love caring for patients and interacting with people in the office. What I find most challenging is dealing with the policies and processes of insurance companies.”

Dr. Gurwood: “I love the people and the students I work with. The students and I develop a family-like camaraderie that lasts a lifetime. In my teaching role, a challenge is recognizing when students aren’t doing well and figuring out why so I can help them get back on track. In general, the technology demands on a practice, electronic medical records for instance, are challenging, not to mention costly.”

What Advice Would You Give to Someone Pursuing a Career in Optometry?

Dr. Gurwood: “Never buy the car without driving it first. In other words, spend time with as many ODs as you can to see what their days entail. Question them about what they consider to be the upsides and downsides of the profession. Along with learning about the prerequisites for optometry school and what will be expected of you, evaluate your post-education debt to potential-earnings ratio. Also make sure you understand the commitment required to serve your patients well, especially lifelong learning to grow with the standards of care.”

Dr. Warren: “The economic realities of private practice are very different now, much more complex, than they were when I started out, so make sure you understand those things. Also, shadow several doctors to learn about all of the potential practice settings you might be interested in.”

What One Word Would You Choose to Describe Your Typical Day?

Dr. Warren: “Enjoyable.”

Dr. Gurwood: “Interesting.”

Not a Day Goes By That . . .

Dr. Gurwood: “ . . . I’m not amazed by the things I see. No case is mundane; every one has a unique angle.”

Dr. Warren: “ . . . I don’t help somebody. It may sound cheesey, but it’s true. Patients are so appreciative, whether it’s the eighth-grader cracking a smile about his new contact lenses, or the 78-year-old whose glaucoma drops are working.”

Highlights from AOA Research and Information Center Survey Results

■ Optometrists spend an average of 37 hours per week in the office.

■ The majority age group (24%) of patients seen by optometrists is 35 to 54 years.

■ On average, optometrists treat 60 patients per week. The average for owner optometrists is 57, including seven walk-ins/emergencies and 16 new patients. The average for non-owner optometrists is 63, including 20 new patients and nine walk-ins/emergencies.

■ Optometrists provide pre-op evaluation and care for an average of 17 refractive surgery patients per year. They provide post-op care to an average of 23 patients.

■ More than three-fourths of optometrists co-manage, on average, six cataract patients per month.

Sources: The 2012 Survey of Optometric Practice and the 2011 Clinical Practice Survey. Both surveys were conducted by the American Optometric Association Research and Information Center. Respondents to both surveys included ODs in private, corporate and other practice types.

Average Number of Patients Diagnosed and Treated for Anterior Segment Disorders per OD per Year

Average Number of Patients Diagnosed, Treated and Co-Managed for Cataract and Posterior Segment Disorders per OD per Year

Topical Agents Prescribed by ODs per Month

Oral Agents Prescribed by ODs per Month

If you’d like to work in a profession where no two days are exactly the same and you have the opportunity to impact lives in a positive way, then optometry is the profession for you. Those were just two of the insights shared by Jennifer Smythe, OD, President of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), during her recent appearance on the LocalJobNetwork.com radio show “I Want to Be a […]”. Dr. Smythe spoke with the show’s host about why she loves optometry as a career. Hear the whole interview at http://www.localjobnetwork.com/radio/play?rp_id=564, and discover some of the many things you might find appealing about being an optometrist:

• I made a real difference today, can’t wait ‘til tomorrow! Optometrists diagnose and treat sight-threatening ocular diseases and conditions, but they also help their patients to maintain healthy eyes for a lifetime of clear vision — and it’s hard to overestimate the value people place on vision. According to a survey of more than 11,000 people in 11 countries commissioned by Bausch + Lomb in 2012, if forced to choose, 68% of people would rather lose one of their limbs and 67% would rather lose 10 years of their life than lose their eyesight. Three quarters of the people interviewed said they would rather have their salary cut in half than experience a permanent 50% decline in their vision. For some real-life examples of how optometrists change lives through vision every day, take a look at ASCO’s new publication “True Stories – What Do Doctors of Optometry Do?” at http://info.opted.org/optometry-truestories.
• Wow, I can do that, too? The settings in which you can practice optometry are almost too numerous to list. You can choose to be self-employed or an employee and work in a rural community, suburban area or large city. You can provide general or “family” eye care, seeing patients at all stages of their lives, or you can narrow your focus to an area such as contact lenses, geriatrics, low vision, occupational vision, pediatrics, sports vision or vision therapy. You can practice alone, with a partner or partners, or with other healthcare professionals. Still other opportunities can be found in optometric education, scientific research, the military, public health or other government service, hospitals, clinics, teaching institutions, community health centers and the ophthalmic industry.
• Yes, I’ll be home for dinner. In most if not all of the settings where you can work as an optometrist, you can establish a flexible full-time or part-time schedule and expect to receive relatively few emergency calls, both of which go a long way toward your ability to have both a respected professional career and a satisfying personal life.
• Comfortable compensation and a future I can bank on. Optometrist is frequently cited in the mainstream media among the “Best Jobs in America,” “Best Paying Jobs of the Future” and “Best Careers” by such entities as CNNMoney, Kiplinger’s and 24/7 Wall St.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2014-15 Edition produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of optometrists is expected to grow 24% percent from 2012 to 2022. This compares favorably with the average growth rate for all occupations, which is projected to be 11%. The growth in optometry will result in approximately 8,100 new jobs over the 10-year period, the BLS notes. The compensation is attractive, too. The latest numbers from the American Optometric Association (AOA) show the average net income for optometrists is $129,385. That jumps to $203,230 for owners of group practices.

“As in any field, compensation in optometry is generally tied to your specific job responsibilities and experience,” says Bill Rabourn, founder and managing principal of Medical Consulting Group in Springfield, Mo. “But I am so pro everything in the business of eye care right now. If you look at all the statistics on the Baby Boomer generation, the aging of the population, the increase in life expectancy and growing awareness about eye health, the opportunity is tremendous. There will continue to be a huge need for vision services.”

Furthermore, Rabourn says, optometry can provide a “really nice” lifestyle in the medical arena. “As long as you are doing what you love in the setting that is right for you, you can hardly go wrong. I would encourage anyone thinking about a career in optometry to pursue it.”