Pros and Cons of Optometry, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medical Doctors and Chiropracti

[Apple_Pie]

Guys, lets list all the pros and cons of each of these careers. This will help biology majors choose what is good for them.



1) Optometry Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), very less stress, prestige, Your job is NOT the focus of your life, you have enough time for family, job security.

1) Optometry Cons = ?

2) Medical Doctor Pros = Make A lot of money($150k/ year), a lot of prestige, job security.

2)Medical Doctor Con= Too stressful, takes too long to be one, too hard, your job becomes the focus of your life, little time for family.

3) Dentistry Pros= Make a lot of money ($130k/year), what else ?

3 Dentistry cons= Have to clean people's teeth and deal with germs your whole life.

4) Pharmacy Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), what else ?

4) Pharmacy Cons= Have to stand all the time at job, people think you are a pill counter.

5) Chiropractic Pros = ?

5) Chiropractic Cons= People think you are a fake doctor, Very little income ($75k/ year), the time you spend to be one is not worth the money you make, Job insecurity.

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[trantua4]

Please correct me if im wrong. In michigan, i believe the starting salary of an optometrist is around 65-70k a year. It is also difficult to find a full time job, so most optometrist will work at 2-3 locations.

 

[Sight5]

The cons for optometry are unfortunately many.

1. There is a clear oversupply of optometrists. So it is harder to find the ideal job/location, especially private practice opportunities. This problem seems to be getting worst rather than better. For instance, I live in southern california which already has an abundance of ODs and OMDs. However,there is going to be a new school opening in 2009 I believe 20 miles or so from SCCO.

2. Difficult to get onto medical insurance panels. You might not get paid for the knowledge you learned in optometry school.

3. Most of what you do are refractions, which can get boring.

4. The oversupply forces many recent graduates to join commercial locations like Walmart, lenscrafters etc. which can produce undesirable hours and they might even "encourage" you to spend less with each patient so that you can get them out faster so they can buy glasses.

5. A lot of the revenue you bring is in is not from your services (your eye exam, your clinical expertise etc.) But rather the goods you sell, (glasses, sunglasses etc)

Ultimately, another important thing to consider is that optometry is a legislated profession. Where you practice can greatly impact what you can and cannot do, regardless of the extensive training and education you achieved to get your O.D. There are more cons but I am just a pre-opt student so I don't know everything.

 

[IndianaOD]

The cons for optometry are unfortunately many.

1. There is a clear oversupply of optometrists. So it is harder to find the ideal job/location, especially private practice opportunities. This problem seems to be getting worst rather than better. For instance, I live in southern california which already has an abundance of ODs and OMDs. However,there is going to be a new school opening in 2009 I believe 20 miles or so from SCCO.

2. Difficult to get onto medical insurance panels. You might not get paid for the knowledge you learned in optometry school.

3. Most of what you do are refractions, which can get boring.

4. The oversupply forces many recent graduates to join commercial locations like Walmart, lenscrafters etc. which can produce undesirable hours and they might even "encourage" you to spend less with each patient so that you can get them out faster so they can buy glasses.

5. A lot of the revenue you bring is in is not from your services (your eye exam, your clinical expertise etc.) But rather the goods you sell, (glasses, sunglasses etc)

Ultimately, another important thing to consider is that optometry is a legislated profession. Where you practice can greatly impact what you can and cannot do, regardless of the extensive training and education you achieved to get your O.D. There are more cons but I am just a pre-opt student so I don't know everything.

Good insight from a pre-opt!

 

[blazenmadison]

The cons for optometry are unfortunately many.

1. There is a clear oversupply of optometrists. So it is harder to find the ideal job/location, especially private practice opportunities. This problem seems to be getting worst rather than better. For instance, I live in southern california which already has an abundance of ODs and OMDs. However,there is going to be a new school opening in 2009 I believe 20 miles or so from SCCO.

2. Difficult to get onto medical insurance panels. You might not get paid for the knowledge you learned in optometry school.

3. Most of what you do are refractions, which can get boring.

4. The oversupply forces many recent graduates to join commercial locations like Walmart, lenscrafters etc. which can produce undesirable hours and they might even "encourage" you to spend less with each patient so that you can get them out faster so they can buy glasses.

5. A lot of the revenue you bring is in is not from your services (your eye exam, your clinical expertise etc.) But rather the goods you sell, (glasses, sunglasses etc)

Ultimately, another important thing to consider is that optometry is a legislated profession. Where you practice can greatly impact what you can and cannot do, regardless of the extensive training and education you achieved to get your O.D. There are more cons but I am just a pre-opt student so I don't know everything.

You know more than my classmates.

 

[blazenmadison]

Guys, lets list all the pros and cons of each of these careers. This will help biology majors choose what is good for them.



1) Optometry Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), very less stress, prestige, Your job is NOT the focus of your life, you have enough time for family, job security.

1) Optometry Cons = ?

2) Medical Doctor Pros = Make A lot of money($150k/ year), a lot of prestige, job security.

2)Medical Doctor Con= Too stressful, takes too long to be one, too hard, your job becomes the focus of your life, little time for family.

3) Dentistry Pros= Make a lot of money ($130k/year), what else ?

3 Dentistry cons= Have to clean people's teeth and deal with germs your whole life.

4) Pharmacy Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), what else ?

4) Pharmacy Cons= Have to stand all the time at job, people think you are a pill counter.

5) Chiropractic Pros = ?

5) Chiropractic Cons= People think you are a fake doctor, Very little income ($75k/ year), the time you spend to be one is not worth the money you make, Job insecurity.

I think one of the cons of optometry is technology. Unlike medicine, we don't have many new advancements. Even when there is new technology in the eye field, ODs are prohibited to use them.
Glasses and contact lenses are our best friends.

 

[KHE]

I think one of the cons of optometry is technology. Unlike medicine, we don't have many new advancements. Even when there is new technology in the eye field, ODs are prohibited to use them.
Glasses and contact lenses are our best friends.

I couldn't disagree with this more. I graduated in 2000 and even during the past 7 years the advancement in techologies and medications has been stunning.

Why do you think we have no new advancements?

 

[blazenmadison]

I couldn't disagree with this more. I graduated in 2000 and even during the past 7 years the advancement in techologies and medications has been stunning.

Why do you think we have no new advancements?

I never said there were no new advancements. The rate at which optometry advances is much slower than medicine partly because of the limited scope. Physicians and PAs have new medications/tools every day.

The two main staples of optometry are glasses and cls. There have many refinements to glasses and cls, but patients still come to see you for glasses/cls.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

cons of optometry con't.
1800 contacts
glasses on the net
vision plans
ophthalmology

 

[Sight5]

cons of optometry con't.
1800 contacts
glasses on the net
vision plans
ophthalmology

Hollywood, I think optometrists agree that they aren't reimbursed the full amount for their services and goods when they accept vision plans (the OD i shadowed used to call spectera "specterrible.")

But do you think that without vision plans, as many patients would go see an optometrist on an annual basis if they had to pay the full price? I doubt I would (I have VSP as of now).

Some revenue (thought much less) is better than none?

But I am guessing you didn't mean/ were advocating having no vision plans, but at least better ones that don't gip the provider =).

 

[luckyfool]

Hollywood, I think optometrists agree that they aren't reimbursed the full amount for their services and goods when they accept vision plans (the OD i shadowed used to call spectera "specterrible.")

But do you think that without vision plans, as many patients would go see an optometrist on an annual basis if they had to pay the full price? I doubt I would (I have VSP as of now).

Some revenue (thought much less) is better than none?

But I am guessing you didn't mean/ were advocating having no vision plans, but at least better ones that don't gip the provider =).

You seem to know more cons of optometry than pros. May I ask why you are still a pre-opt student?

 

[prettygreeneyes]

But I am guessing you didn't mean/ were advocating having no vision plans, but at least better ones that don't gip the provider =).

Unfortunately, those are pretty rare. Even VSP, one of the higher payers in vision plan land, still can have dismal reimbursments in some areas compared to a doctor's actual exam price. And VSP can be... pushy, for lack of a better word, with the doctors on their panel. I agree with Hollywood, vision plans are a BIG con in optometry. Some doctors feel that if they don't take them, they won't have any patients at all... as you say, that "some reimbursement is better than none". I've heard other doctors on this and other sites mention that as they slowly get rid of vision plans, they find that their gross goes down while their net goes up. (I hope I said that right... please correct me if I didn't.) In other words, they have fewer patients but make more money per patient. The key, of course, is to get on medical panels. Right KHE?

 

[panzer]

I guess I should even think optometry as a second venue as it is good for people who don't have that many responsibilities and can take any income that they want. I think that is why optometry has 60 or 70% female vs. male ratio..

 

[JMU07]

I guess I should even think optometry as a second venue as it is good for people who don't have that many responsibilities and can take any income that they want. I think that is why optometry has 60 or 70% female vs. male ratio..

What, exactly, are you trying to say here?

 

[eyestrain]

What, exactly, are you trying to say here?

I guess I'm not the only who can't understand gibberish.

 

[longlashes]

..

 

[longlashes]

..

 

[redrockprincess]

I guess I should even think optometry as a second venue as it is good for people who don't have that many responsibilities and can take any income that they want. I think that is why optometry has 60 or 70% female vs. male ratio..

WTF? Does this even make sense? Surely you aren't implying that women go into optometry because anything else would entail so much responsibility that it would overwhelm their fragile, delicate little frames?

 

[panzer]

What i wrote wasn't that gibberish compared to what real gibberish I have seen. Anyway, my post had less to do with women's capability than the responsibility that they want to take. I am not off the mark about income as it is a fact that race and gender among other things are responsible for income disparity in america.

People are being judgemental here by trying to derive meanings that don't exist..

 

[Sight5]

You seem to know more cons of optometry than pros. May I ask why you are still a pre-opt student?

Every profession will have cons, and it's important to be realistic about them. Right now, recently out of undergrad,( from a decent school, UCLA ), I have the ability and youth (not tied down to a family, I only have to support myself) to become anything I want. I am strong in the sciences, with a decent GPA and did well on the OATs.

But I CHOOSE optometry. Now the question is why.

For me answering this question starts first with answering what I WOULDN'T want to do. I am ruling out medicine first of all, because I don't think it would provide the lifestyle that I want. I want predictable hours and to have plenty of time to spend with the people I love. Also, I have no desire to be making life and death decisions.

No to dentistry, because I have a weak back and don't want to be leaning over people all day =). Heh, that's not my main reason though. The main reason for me I suppose is that I never had any desire to be staring into other people's mouths all day and I am also a bit clumsy with my hands.

No to pharmacy because right now, private practice opportunities are essentially nonexistent to my knowledge and in my area. Also, I have no desire to be making pills all day at Longs Drugs.

Yes to optometry. First off, every single OD I have ever talked to has told me that they are VERY satisfied with their career choice. Some make more money than the other, but in general, they both are compensated well and have plenty of time outside of work. Optometrists fill a large need for visual care, and i find studying the visual system more appealing than say feet or teeth. The job market is expected to grow faster than average for optometrists according to the BLS. The opportunity for private practice exists if one has the business sense to succeed. There are more reasons also, including having a relatively prestigious position in your community (this can vary depending on where you practice... or how snooty your patients are =)). Most people who walk outside of your office end up in better shape than when they came in, which is rewarding (not always the case in some other professions)

I am too lazy to type more. But go optometry!

 

[trantua4]

I dont think they are trying to take what you said out of context. Instead, i believe that they are having a hard time making meaning to what you are trying to point out.

 

[redrockprincess]

What i wrote wasn't that gibberish compared to what real gibberish I have seen. Anyway, my post had less to do with women's capability than the responsibility that they want to take. I am not off the mark about income as it is a fact that race and gender among other things are responsible for income disparity in america.

People are being judgemental here by trying to derive meanings that don't exist..

I don't think anyone is being judgemental. We are trying to give you the chance to defend your potentially sexist and stereotypical statement. Last I checked, optometry involves a great deal of responsibility, particularly if you choose to enter private practice. Managing a staff and inventory, keep up with technology, marketing, payroll, continuing education, etc doesn't sound like a very stress free existence to me.

As far as gibberish, four people other than myself posted that they were having a hard time understanding your post.

 

[panzer]

So you don't believe that it is many women's dream to marry a rich guy so they don't have any financial responsibilities to take care of? I don't know how this can be just plain 'sexist'?

 

[redrockprincess]

So you don't believe that it is many women's dream to marry a rich guy so they don't have any financial responsibilities to take care of? I don't know how this can be just plain 'sexist'?

I don't doubt that there are many women like the ones that you mention. But what logic are you using to take you from "some women are gold diggers" to "women only go into optometry because there are few responsibilities and they don't care about how much money they make because their husbands are the real bread winners"???

 

[r_salis]

So you don't believe that it is many women's dream to marry a rich guy so they don't have any financial responsibilities to take care of?

I think it's safe to assume that a lot of men wouldn't mind marrying a rich woman, either.

Personally, my dream is to find a big box of money.

 

[panzer]

So you are saying that the wifey will share her money?

 

[sniklegem]

I think it's safe to assume that a lot of men wouldn't mind marrying a rich woman, either.

Personally, my dream is to find a big box of money.

Right on the mark.

But what I'm not thrilled about reading is the focus everyone is putting on money. If that is at the top of your list for either the pros or the cons, then you should reconsider your chosen profession. Do something you love first, and the money should come later. We have enough vocal minority in optometry and we don't need any more of you people so BACK OFF!

 

[student2008]

Sight5, thanks for your insightful comments. I was also trying to decide what health profession I want to go into and came up with similar reasons. I would say go into optometry if you truly enjoy patient interaction and vision science, otherwise, you'll probably get bored about your 5000th eye exams.

 

[Dr Gump]

Sight5, thanks for your insightful comments. I was also trying to decide what health profession I want to go into and came up with similar reasons. I would say go into optometry if you truly enjoy patient interaction and vision science, otherwise, you'll probably get bored about your 5000th eye exams.

I disagree with your comment about getting bored by your 5000th exam. I have probably done 20,000 exams and I am still not bored. Eye exams are a total package. Obviously, vision is one part...which can be tedious but not boring, unless you forget you have an actual human being in your chair. The more "exciting" or less tedious is the health evaluation. Pathology comes in different makes and models. I have not seen the same thing twice with a pathological issue. Looking at pictures in a textbook allows you to view variations of pathologies, but when you discover an abnormality you must review that grocery list inside your head. Optometrists are responsible for management of every pathology, either by treating the issue or referring out when the "pucker" factor is too great or surgical intervention is necessary.

As an example, fresh out my chair - a hyperope with a retinal detachment in the inferior temporal fundus. If you do not know the terminology, look it up or PM me. Not very common, but very interesting. I am referring her to a retinal specialist for management, but I could have not dilated her and missed it. Can you say lawsuit?? This is just a small decision that I had to make in a day full of pathology. Oh yeah, I took care of healthy patients too.

I feel that Optometry is very exciting and fulfilling. As someone else said, the vocation your choose is what you make it. I enjoy mine.

 

[Sight5]

I disagree with your comment about getting bored by your 5000th exam. I have probably done 20,000 exams and I am still not bored. Eye exams are a total package. Obviously, vision is one part...which can be tedious but not boring, unless you forget you have an actual human being in your chair. The more "exciting" or less tedious is the health evaluation. Pathology comes in different makes and models. I have not seen the same thing twice with a pathological issue. Looking at pictures in a textbook allows you to view variations of pathologies, but when you discover an abnormality you must review that grocery list inside your head. Optometrists are responsible for management of every pathology, either by treating the issue or referring out when the "pucker" factor is too great or surgical intervention is necessary.

As an example, fresh out my chair - a hyperope with a retinal detachment in the inferior temporal fundus. If you do not know the terminology, look it up or PM me. Not very common, but very interesting. I am referring her to a retinal specialist for management, but I could have not dilated her and missed it. Can you say lawsuit?? This is just a small decision that I had to make in a day full of pathology. Oh yeah, I took care of healthy patients too.

I feel that Optometry is very exciting and fulfilling. As someone else said, the vocation your choose is what you make it. I enjoy mine.

Dr. Gump, thank you for your insight!

Now I am going to play the overly critical and overbearing optometry admissions interviewer I will have to face in a couple of months.

If you agree that vision can be tedious, and that the excitement can be found in the health evaluation, particularly the pathology associated with vision care and the abnormal situations that come about, why not be an opthamologist? Not only would they be able to diagnosis such a situation, but it might be exciting as well to be able to directly treat it, right?

 

[Dr Gump]

Dr. Gump, thank you for your insight!

Now I am going to play the overly critical and overbearing optometry admissions interviewer I will have to face in a couple of months.

If you agree that vision can be tedious, and that the excitement can be found in the health evaluation, particularly the pathology associated with vision care and the abnormal situations that come about, why not be an opthamologist? Not only would they be able to diagnosis such a situation, but it might be exciting as well to be able to directly treat it, right?

My answer to the overly critical and overbearing optometry admissions interviewer would be that I believe in a comprehensive evaluation of an individuals ocular system. While everyone knows that the visual evaluation can be tedious and cumbersome due to its subjective nature, it is an integral part of the evaluation. I would go on to explain that I am a control freak and the visual evaluation would be conducted by myself, and not my assistant, to obtain the most accurate findings. Ophthalmologists are concerned with total health, but optically they lack certain insights that 2 years worth of optics allow. I would also explain that I enjoy the challenge of discovering why my patient has a visual problem. It could be as simple as a refractive change or a pathological issue. Our colleagues the Ophthalmologists are well trained in surgical intervention. We are well trained in optics. Together a certain harmony is obtained.

This was a good question, and I hope my answer was adequate. My purpose of making my first post was to illustrate how Optometry can be exciting if you choose to evolve your practice. I have a private practice. I practice exactly the way I like. I choose to show positive aspects of my creation. What bothers me is the few (luckily not majority) posters that whine and complain about their choice of vocation. We are all here to care for a fellow individual. That fact gets overlooked constantly. Third party payors seem to be the main factor. Our system of medical insurance is broken, but we must deal with it or change it.

Okay, I'll get off the soapbox. Just remember why you are pursuing a medical vocation........the patient.

 

[Sight5]

My answer to the overly critical and overbearing optometry admissions interviewer would be that I believe in a comprehensive evaluation of an individuals ocular system. While everyone knows that the visual evaluation can be tedious and cumbersome due to its subjective nature, it is an integral part of the evaluation. I would go on to explain that I am a control freak and the visual evaluation would be conducted by myself, and not my assistant, to obtain the most accurate findings. Ophthalmologists are concerned with total health, but optically they lack certain insights that 2 years worth of optics allow. I would also explain that I enjoy the challenge of discovering why my patient has a visual problem. It could be as simple as a refractive change or a pathological issue. Our colleagues the Ophthalmologists are well trained in surgical intervention. We are well trained in optics. Together a certain harmony is obtained.

This was a good question, and I hope my answer was adequate. My purpose of making my first post was to illustrate how Optometry can be exciting if you choose to evolve your practice. I have a private practice. I practice exactly the way I like. I choose to show positive aspects of my creation. What bothers me is the few (luckily not majority) posters that whine and complain about their choice of vocation. We are all here to care for a fellow individual. That fact gets overlooked constantly. Third party payors seem to be the main factor. Our system of medical insurance is broken, but we must deal with it or change it.

Okay, I'll get off the soapbox. Just remember why you are pursuing a medical vocation........the patient.

Very well put Dr. Gump. Thank you for your insight again and contributions to SDN as a mentor.

I think an interviewer would be very impressed with that answer and surely you would make it into optometry school if you had to interview again

 

[Dr Gump]

Very well put Dr. Gump. Thank you for your insight again and contributions to SDN as a mentor.

I think an interviewer would be very impressed with that answer and surely you would make it into optometry school if you had to interview again

The unfortunate fact of the matter, however, is that I am so old they didn't even interview me when I got into Optometry school. Thanks for your validation though.

 

[panzer]

^ Eighties perhaps?

 

[still_confused]

pharmacy is just a crappier version of optometry

replace glasses with drugs

walmart with well...walmart

counting pills with better one or two

crappier pt interaction

100k

way more woman if you want to be exist

hours are way worst

harder to start your own practice

 

[still_confused]

and PharmD???? what is that? why cant it just be P.D. ? when you tell others you are a PharmD people will think you are a Doctor of Farming or Farming Doctor.

but i digress, optometry blows if you want the big bucks and live in the big mansions and drive ferraris

 

[meameame12]

Please correct me if im wrong. In michigan, i believe the starting salary of an optometrist is around 65-70k a year. It is also difficult to find a full time job, so most optometrist will work at 2-3 locations.

THANK YOU FOR TELLING THE TRUTH RE. OPTOMETRY SALARIES.

these kids are thick, on this board.
i am a practicing o.d. and there is no pot of gold for the vast majority of us.

 

[meameame12]

Guys, lets list all the pros and cons of each of these careers. This will help biology majors choose what is good for them.



1) Optometry Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), very less stress, prestige, Your job is NOT the focus of your life, you have enough time for family, job security.

1) Optometry Cons = ?

2) Medical Doctor Pros = Make A lot of money($150k/ year), a lot of prestige, job security.

2)Medical Doctor Con= Too stressful, takes too long to be one, too hard, your job becomes the focus of your life, little time for family.

3) Dentistry Pros= Make a lot of money ($130k/year), what else ?

3 Dentistry cons= Have to clean people's teeth and deal with germs your whole life.

4) Pharmacy Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), what else ?

4) Pharmacy Cons= Have to stand all the time at job, people think you are a pill counter.

5) Chiropractic Pros = ?

5) Chiropractic Cons= People think you are a fake doctor, Very little income ($75k/ year), the time you spend to be one is not worth the money you make, Job insecurity.

chirpractors charge the same , virtually, as od's do.
and they have WAY more patients.

 

[meameame12]

What i wrote wasn't that gibberish compared to what real gibberish I have seen. Anyway, my post had less to do with women's capability than the responsibility that they want to take. I am not off the mark about income as it is a fact that race and gender among other things are responsible for income disparity in america.

People are being judgemental here by trying to derive meanings that don't exist..

you are off the mark, actually. way off the mark. are you implying that an indian doc makes less than a white doc?

what exactly are you saying?

 

[meameame12]

I guess I should even think optometry as a second venue as it is good for people who don't have that many responsibilities and can take any income that they want. I think that is why optometry has 60 or 70% female vs. male ratio..

go and look at previous class years photos ...

they are available at any school, and you tell us when the male / female % swung. i agree thta is was all male dominated, and now has more females than males.

so.....
what are you saying? its a women's pforession?

 

[curious cat]

I disagree with your comment about getting bored by your 5000th exam. I have probably done 20,000 exams and I am still not bored. Eye exams are a total package. Obviously, vision is one part...which can be tedious but not boring, unless you forget you have an actual human being in your chair. The more "exciting" or less tedious is the health evaluation. Pathology comes in different makes and models. I have not seen the same thing twice with a pathological issue. Looking at pictures in a textbook allows you to view variations of pathologies, but when you discover an abnormality you must review that grocery list inside your head. Optometrists are responsible for management of every pathology, either by treating the issue or referring out when the "pucker" factor is too great or surgical intervention is necessary.

As an example, fresh out my chair - a hyperope with a retinal detachment in the inferior temporal fundus. If you do not know the terminology, look it up or PM me. Not very common, but very interesting. I am referring her to a retinal specialist for management, but I could have not dilated her and missed it. Can you say lawsuit?? This is just a small decision that I had to make in a day full of pathology. Oh yeah, I took care of healthy patients too.

I feel that Optometry is very exciting and fulfilling. As someone else said, the vocation your choose is what you make it. I enjoy mine.

As a rough estimate, with 20,000 exams, about how many retinal detachments have you seen? Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

 

[Dr Gump]

As a rough estimate, with 20,000 exams, about how many retinal detachments have you seen? Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

Good question.

I think I have seen between 20 or 30. That is 0.1 %. Not that many, thankfully, but the majority have been post-lasik. Most of those patients thought because their vision was adequate, after the surgery, yearly eye exams were obsolete. Unfortunately, the surgeon or co-managing doc did not stress the importance of ocular health. All of them had underlying lattice degeneration, that was never thoroughly explained. Some lasik institutions now have a mandatory yearly exam, or their "warranty" becomes void.

Once again if you don't know the terminlogy, look it up or PM me.

 

[broadway]

Sight5, thanks for your insightful comments. I was also trying to decide what health profession I want to go into and came up with similar reasons. I would say go into optometry if you truly enjoy patient interaction and vision science, otherwise, you'll probably get bored about your 5000th eye exams.

i would say after your 100th eye exam

 

[broadway]

Good question.

I think I have seen between 20 or 30. That is 0.1 %. Not that many, thankfully, but the majority have been post-lasik. Most of those patients thought because their vision was adequate, after the surgery, yearly eye exams were obsolete. Unfortunately, the surgeon or co-managing doc did not stress the importance of ocular health. All of them had underlying lattice degeneration, that was never thoroughly explained. Some lasik institutions now have a mandatory yearly exam, or their "warranty" becomes void.

Once again if you don't know the terminlogy, look it up or PM me.

I've done over 50,000 exams and I've had about 10 retinal detachments

 

[panzer]

you are off the mark, actually. way off the mark. are you implying that an indian doc makes less than a white doc?

what exactly are you saying?

If the field is saturated, then 'yes' as all the measures by the US govt can't force people to be racists. I have dealt with racist manager / pharmacist at Walgreens and they are educated since it requires that you have a college degree for a store manager and EXA. You can be be sure that the pharmacist has a degree.because you can't practice without it.

As for the guy who said that pharm D can't set up their own shop then tell me, how many optometrists that get out of school can easily set up shop now or even in the future. From what I have observed in this thread, the optometrists seem to be happy? with their field but it is not good for making money. I am not trying to sound greedy but you have to pay loans [opt school is rather expensive] and even the optometrists at my store were lamenting the insurance plans for giving them nothing and all the sales on exams etc. that chip away at their profit [or chance for salary growth in retail stores like lenscrafters / vision works].

 

[aznnytezx]

and PharmD???? what is that? why cant it just be P.D. ? when you tell others you are a PharmD people will think you are a Doctor of Farming or Farming Doctor.

but i digress, optometry blows if you want the big bucks and live in the big mansions and drive ferraris

That is true. Doctor of Farming !

 

[pinipig523]

Guys, lets list all the pros and cons of each of these careers. This will help biology majors choose what is good for them.



1) Optometry Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), very less stress, prestige, Your job is NOT the focus of your life, you have enough time for family, job security.

1) Optometry Cons = ?

2) Medical Doctor Pros = Make A lot of money($150k/ year), a lot of prestige, job security.

2)Medical Doctor Con= Too stressful, takes too long to be one, too hard, your job becomes the focus of your life, little time for family.

3) Dentistry Pros= Make a lot of money ($130k/year), what else ?

3 Dentistry cons= Have to clean people's teeth and deal with germs your whole life.

4) Pharmacy Pros= Make decent money ($100k/ year), what else ?

4) Pharmacy Cons= Have to stand all the time at job, people think you are a pill counter.

5) Chiropractic Pros = ?

5) Chiropractic Cons= People think you are a fake doctor, Very little income ($75k/ year), the time you spend to be one is not worth the money you make, Job insecurity.

I'll play but I can't say much about optometry or chiropractic medicine.

Medicine:
Pros = good money (I work about 36h/wk and I make in the 400s), street cred (if that's what you want to call it), life + death decisions in my field, you put to practice what you learned in school
Cons = pound for pound tougher than most other fields, long schooling + residency, difficult to get into medical school, you are held to a higher standard that may seem unfair, malpractice, life + death decisions

Pharmacy (my wife is a pharmacist):
Pros = good money (40h/wk = $115K), no life or death decisions, no need for residency, lots of options as a career (hospital, clinic, or retail based), you put what you learn to good use
Cons = stand a lot, stressful job (retail) because of customer service and phones, sometimes you work with less staffing that optimal i.e. less techs, no lunch break in retail, malpractice (not as bad as MD)

Dentistry (my friends):
Pros = potential to make a TON of money (blows my income away), less difficult to get into dental school, some street cred
Cons = back pain, mouths, sometimes your salary isn't that high

 

[Optomchick]

I'll play but I can't say much about optometry or chiropractic medicine.

Medicine:
Pros = good money (I work about 36h/wk and I make in the 4s), street cred (if that's what you want to call it), life + death decisions in my field, you put to practice what you learned in school
Cons = pound for pound tougher than most other fields, long schooling + residency, difficult to get into medical school, you are held to a higher standard that may seem unfair, malpractice, life + death decisions

Pharmacy (my wife is a pharmacist):
Pros = good money (40h/wk = $115K), no life or death decisions, no need for residency, lots of options as a career (hospital, clinic, or retail based), you put what you learn to good use
Cons = stand a lot, stressful job (retail) because of customer service and phones, sometimes you work with less staffing that optimal i.e. less techs, no lunch break in retail, malpractice (not as bad as MD)

Dentistry (my friends):
Pros = potential to make a TON of money (blows my income away), less difficult to get into dental school, some street cred
Cons = back pain, mouths, sometimes your salary isn't that high

My friend just graduated from pharmacy, working a really ****ty job at Target.
Also, this thread is from 2007 lol.

 

[pinipig523]

My friend just graduated from pharmacy, working a really ****ty job at Target.
Also, this thread is from 2007 lol.

Yeah, retail is not as fulfilling as a hospital position. However, I bet your friend is earning a pretty good salary at Target.

And yes... I didn't even see that this thread was from 2007... lol.

 

[nateriver]

i think dental is the way to goooo