Number of patient encounters

[momo12345]

Hi all

Does any one know the number of patient encounters over the 4 years of OD schooling as an optometry student for ICO, IUSO, RIWSO? Which school receives the most patient encounters?

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[GetOffThisForum]

Not gonna lie, I think this metric of # pt encounters will only really depend on the externship sites you choose on your rotations. Also I think this metric will not be indicative of the quality of a clinical education you will receive.

For example, by the end of your third year, you will probably see 200-300 patients, and by the time you graduate you'll have seen roughly 1-2k. I learned nothing at one of my primary care sites but saw a lot of patients. I learned the most at the VA and advance care centers but saw maybe half the number of patients.

If you are really dead set on seeing and managing a lot of non-primary care cases, you'll have to do a residency since you'll essentially be working at a referral center for cases other primay docs sent out, or you're in a location seeing conditions that afflict the socioeconomic down-trodden.

 

[momo12345]

Thanks for your feedback? Which school do you attend?

 

[GetOffThisForum]

I'm not an optometrist.

 

[momo12345]

I had a feeling you were going to say based off your title md/phd...are you interested in ophthalmology?

 

[eye love lamp]

Not gonna lie, I think this metric of # pt encounters will only really depend on the externship sites you choose on your rotations. Also I think this metric will not be indicative of the quality of a clinical education you will receive.

For example, by the end of your third year, you will probably see 200-300 patients, and by the time you graduate you'll have seen roughly 1-2k. I learned nothing at one of my primary care sites but saw a lot of patients. I learned the most at the VA and advance care centers but saw maybe half the number of patients.

If you are really dead set on seeing and managing a lot of non-primary care cases, you'll have to do a residency since you'll essentially be working at a referral center for cases other primay docs sent out, or you're in a location seeing conditions that afflict the socioeconomic down-trodden.

I hope the number seen after the 4 years is more than 1-2k. That's less than our first year residents.

 

[generallyspeaking]

Why would you have an expectation to see more patients than a first year resident? A first year resident is a fully trained, licensed doctor who also has legal authority to close their own charts without supervision.

A student cannot sign their own charts and has to their case reviewed by someone who can. That in itself can take half the time it takes to complete an exam. Add to that you wouldn't expect a student to have the same efficiency as a practicing doctor. I've seen simple myope case taking 50 minutes by some students. Pressure checks even taking 20 minutes! I see 18 patients a day at my hospital job, and that's sometimes considered below average from what other ODs report. Giving a patient load of 18 to a learning student (especially one rotating through specialties they've never had field experience) is just unrealistic.

18 pts/per day * 5 days a week * 52 weeks (no student works 52 weeks) = 4680.

1-2k sounds about right; this information is logged by students and residents with databases like Meditrek. I'm sure you can ask schools about their figures.

 

[eye love lamp]

Why would you have an expectation to see more patients than a first year resident? A first year resident is a fully trained, licensed doctor who also has legal authority to close their own charts without supervision.

A student cannot sign their own charts and has to their case reviewed by someone who can. That in itself can take half the time it takes to complete an exam. Add to that you wouldn't expect a student to have the same efficiency as a practicing doctor. I've seen simple myope case taking 50 minutes by some students. Pressure checks even taking 20 minutes! I see 18 patients a day at my hospital job, and that's sometimes considered below average from what other ODs report. Giving a patient load of 18 to a learning student (especially one rotating through specialties they've never had field experience) is just unrealistic.

18 pts/per day * 5 days a week * 52 weeks (no student works 52 weeks) = 4680.

1-2k sounds about right; this information is logged by students and residents with databases like Meditrek. I'm sure you can ask schools about their figures.

A first year resident is fully trained? lol They are as slow as can be.

Our residents also have all charts reviewed. The reason there is a comparison is because optometry students graduate after those 4 years and 1-2k patients and are labeled competent to practice independently. A first year resident had 2 more years to go.

 

[generallyspeaking]

Are you talking about optometry residents? Because they are fully licensed and privileged, and their resident year is optional without 2 more years to go.