shadow more optometrists?!?!

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i had my interview at SUNY last week while dr.johnston was away. i just got a letter saying they thought my exposure to the profession appeared rather limited and request that i visit 2-3 optometric settings and write a two page summary about my experience. i have been looking at this letter the entire day and i cant decide it if this is good news because they didnt flat out reject me, or if ill go through all this trouble to make them happy and at the end of the day they still wont be satisfied and may fuly reject me??? should i be happy or upset that i wasnt accepted on the spot without hesitation?? (just for the record i have been workign for an optometrist for over 2 years now---i guess thats not enough)

Hello,

Wow, I am really surprised SUNY sent you that letter, considering you have 2 years of optometry office experience already. Sorry I can't help ya out, I am applying there, and dont know any insider details, but I definitely think you should do what the letter says, then you know, there will be no what ifs; if you give SUNY your full 100% effort in doing what they have asked of you in the letter, then you wont have any regrets later.

After reading your post, I am seriously considering NOT applying to SUNY, since my optometry office experience is far less than yours, I only shadowed for 4 hr a week for 3 months, thats like what 48 hr of shadowing experience....

i have obviously decided to follow their requests because SUNY is my top choice. i just think it is important to get it done as soon as possible, so does anyone know of optometrists in new york that they shadowed who were easy to set an appointmenet with? any recomendations as to who i can shadow and learn the most from? THANKS EVERYONE!!

hey zoosh!
i do happen to know a couple of great doctors that u could get a great experience from...the practice is called SIRINGO OPTOMTERY ..its inside the Lenscrafters located on corner of 49th and 3rd
optometrist's name is Ilene Siringo and husband is frank siringo..both are reeeally great at what they do and will answer any questions u have regarding the career and even SUNY cuz they are both graduates of suny optometry!!
Ilene works only MON, TUES, WED and Frank -only Sundays
I really liked it over there and I'm sure you will too!
good luck with everything!
p.s. my name is Reema Gosalia btw if they ask how you "discovered" them haha

zoosh - glad to hear you're going to write the letter! they clearly liked what they saw if they didnt reject you but prob wanted to see a little more. i would show your essay to either a friend or teacher whose good at this kind of stuff to get some feedback.
i got the sense (from my interview) that they wanted to see that you've shadowed at least 2 optometrists who specialized in different areas so that you are familiar with more than one aspects of optometry. so maybe try and see if you can shadow an optometrists who focuses on a different area than the one you work for.

dont worry and good luck with your essay... hopefully ill be seeing you next year!

I've worked in optometry for about 5 yrs. Currently I am not working so that I can be in school full time and concentrate on grade.... My question is when do you shadow? Should I shadow a lot my Sr. yr? I'm a soph. Also should I find an alumni to shadow for they schools I'm applying to?

The last 2 yrs. I have been working in a private practice. I've also worked in a large MD/OD practice and a chain. Does this help because I've seen the different aspect of OD practices?

I think seeing the different aspects of OD practices definitely helps. In all my interviews, they seemed impressed that I had shadowed at a retail office as well as a group practice where the OD works with an ophthalmologist.

when should shadowing be done?

Originally Posted by alleigh79

when should shadowing be done?

Shadowing can be done anytime from now until your interview. It is important to shadow several types of optometrists. Sort of like a stock portfolio, you want to diversify as much as possible. For example, shadow a doctor who practices solo, a group practice, or one of the different specialties within optometry (pediatrics, vision therapy, low vision, disease management, etc.).
SCCO also recommends to shadow a practice in different demographics and locations.

It is important to remember that diversification > duration. You could work in an optometry for 2+ years (like TheZoosh did) but still be requested to shadow several more optometric centers in order to increase your exposure. You should shadow a minimum of 5 optometrists.

luckily, i found an optometrist to shadow already on monday. i was just wondering, whats the dress code when visiting someones office?? do i need to wear heals? i was hoping someone could also giveme some feedback as to how the shadowing works... you just sit there and watch silently, when do you get a chance to ask questions? ---thanks ahead of time for all ur help everyone!

for shadowing, it's best to be dressed in business casual - not necessarily heels, but closed toe dress shoes are good. shadowing depends on the doctor - for me, that included sitting in on lots of exams, getting to look into the slit lamps, learning about diagnosing, as well as getting to interview the od and ask them questions.

i'm sorry if its a bit late to add on to this topic,

but i understand that diversification is more important than duration.. but what about if you are shadowing optometrists like at a one time visit for several hours.. is that enough to count to put down as experience??

Originally Posted by luvely

i'm sorry if its a bit late to add on to this topic,

but i understand that diversification is more important than duration.. but what about if you are shadowing optometrists like at a one time visit for several hours.. is that enough to count to put down as experience??

I was wondering the same thing. My friend worked for an Optometrist, so I went to shadow her, but she does the same stuff all the time. Eye exams, glasses fitting, contact lens, etc. And so she told me I only needed to shadow her 2 or 3 times before seeing the same stuff over and over again. I don't think that's enough hours to put on your resume, so I guess I'll go find another Optometrist...