How does Optometry school feel about work experience in place of volunteering / shadowing?

[Harrison11011]

I have heard it is important to volunteer and shadow doctors for your application, but I have made the choice to work as an optometric technician instead. I run OCT scans as well as take threshold visual fields for almost 2 years now; Furthermore, I also teach patients with keratoconus how to insert their scleral lenses as well as take pach scans on them for the doctors to determine which one is a good fit. I have around ( 3,200 +/-) hours clocked in so far. I have shadowed both of the doctors I work for (they would let me sit in and watch on the clock but is not a significant number (+/- 2 hours total). I have decided to work because I do not want to take loans for my undergrad degree, so far I am a soon-to-be junior with $0.00 dollars in student debt. I expect to graduate in the ballpark of a (3.2-3.4) GPA if all goes well and I am unsure how to benchmark my overall chances of getting into a school. The doctor I work for has a relationship with UCHO (he graduated there) and regularly refers patients in need of surgery to their ophthalmologists. Does this fact have any influence on his letter of recommendation to me? I am probably overthinking but I know that once I send my application I will just be a number and I am very sure all optometry schools are flooded with great applicants.

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[deleted989644]

Work experience, I think, really helps. It shows dedication and experience in the field.