3 New schools opened up in 2009. Now 3 more?

[Shnurek]

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Before enrolling into an Optometry school, you should realize that there are more schools opening (3), which would again, make it hard for you to start your own practice, due to competition.

(Taken from: Is it impossible to start a private practice these days?
geronamo26)

What organization is behind the accreditation/promotion of the new schools? Is it the AOA? The last thing we need is more sub-3.0 GPA undergrad students heading off to optometry school and then have ophthalmologists laugh at how incompetent we are. (IAUPR is enough) If you are slightly below 3.0, went from ~2.0 freshman year to ~3.7 sGPA by the time you graduate, you are passionate about optometry and excel in optometry school then I am all for it but for most people this is not the case. It will reflect the future competency of optometry as a whole.

The ADA has actually shut down dental schools in the past. What are your opinions on this dilemma?

Anyone know more details on the schools that are opening? I heard there will be one in Virginia but I just wanted to start a separate thread specifically for this issue.

 

[SIUE optkid]

Well i only know of 2 that are for sure, but there could be another one.
The one in virginia, one of the poorest counties in the country. I've heard they lack cell phone reception and proper roads. That could be just rumors, but they are building it to stimulate their economy. they were given a 5.6 million dollar loan to build a building by The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority. It has recently built a law school and pharmacy school there.
Also the one in Massechusetts. It will be at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences..... a healthy investment, i mean science. it will have 50-100 student, and from what i hear NECO is very peeved

dont know what the 3rd one is, he probably made it up, but that'll happen.

 

[thecgrblue]

Correlation vs. Causation vs. Speculation.

 

[blackhole2]

I have not heard anything about a third new school but I really hope this is just a rumor. This makes me wonder if the oversupply issue will be so bad that we will see Optometrists defaulting on their student loans and things like that. ;/

 

[ohiostateboy]

Don't foget Rocky Vista in Colorado. Kentucky considered a optometry school recently. So did Iowa.

Where will the next three schools that announce their new opening in about 2015 be located? My guess - Utah, Georgia, and South Carolina.😡

 

[Shnurek]

Correlation vs. Causation vs. Speculation.

Hey, can you please expand on that point I am not sure what you mean.

Lol if they open up one in Massachusetts where optometrists can't even treat glaucoma, it will be a pretty poor decision. I think Colorado should open one up. I'd have gone there 😛

 

[blazenmadison]

Well i only know of 2 that are for sure, but there could be another one.
The one in virginia, one of the poorest counties in the country. I've heard they lack cell phone reception and proper roads. That could be just rumors, but they are building it to stimulate their economy. they were given a 5.6 million dollar loan to build a building by The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority. It has recently built a law school and pharmacy school there.

I'm pretty sure that school is going to face major roadblocks.... Virginia is broke and there is no state money to build schools. That's why it's a loan from the Coalfield authority!

I volunteered in Grundy, VA for an eye clinic last year. If you have a AT&T,TMOBILE,SPRINT, you will not have cell service. Lucky if you get cell service with Verizon. The roads are horrible. You can only go 35mph because of the mountains. Comfort Inn is the only hotel. Unfortunately, it was all booked for the event, so we stayed in a roach-infested motel. I think there was a Long John Silvers and Pizza Hut. Probably the worse location for a school, optometry or not. I tried searching on the internet for more information about the school but nothing has come up.

 

[Visionary]

Don't foget Rocky Vista in Colorado. Kentucky considered a optometry school recently. So did Iowa.

Where will the next three schools that announce their new opening in about 2015 be located? My guess - Utah, Georgia, and South Carolina.😡

Bold's mine. I suspect that will be reconsidered, given the recent optometry bill. Would make KY similar to OK in the availability of advanced training.

 

[geronamo26]

Class sizes need to be smaller if they are going to be opening more colleges. I have said this before and ill say it again, the colleges need to start make residencies longer and manatory following the medical model (3 years for optometric surgeons?). Do any of you think that this would slow down the output of optometrists? I also think that surgery will have to start being taught at all colleges of optometry to help expand the scope.

 

[Visionary]

Class sizes need to be smaller if they are going to be opening more colleges. I have said this before and ill say it again, the colleges need to start make residencies longer and manatory following the medical model (3 years for optometric surgeons?). Do any of you think that this would slow down the output of optometrists? I also think that surgery will have to start being taught at all colleges of optometry to help expand the scope.

That's the point many of us have been making. To have equivalent privileges (i.e., surgery), there should be equivalent training. If that could be achieved, we (ophthalmologists) would have no real argument to make. The current model is clearly not equivalent, however.

If it comes to be, I doubt such training would ever be mandatory. According to many on this board, only a minority of optometrists actually want to do surgery. You would just have the same number of optometrists, with a minority trained for surgical procedures. Decreasing class sizes isn't likely, either. That would decrease revenue for the schools. Same thing for medical schools. Class sizes only increase.

Surgery can only be taught where it's legal. For now, that's really only in OK. KY would need to start a school first, though some small residencies/fellowships could pop up before then.

 

[Shnurek]

Surgery can only be taught where it's legal. For now, that's really only in OK. KY would need to start a school first, though some small residencies/fellowships could pop up before then.

Yes, surgery on live patients can only be taught in these states but some schools such as the one in Tennessee let students practice laser surgeries on cadaver eyes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scoedu/5425986627/in/set-72157625874557127/

We first need guaranteed approval to be able to perform these laser procedures otherwise there is no point in learning how to perform them...kind of like the chicken or the egg, which came first scenario.

 

[JMU07]

Yes, surgery on live patients can only be taught in these states but some schools such as the one in Tennessee let students practice laser surgeries on cadaver eyes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scoedu/5425986627/in/set-72157625874557127/

We first need guaranteed approval to be able to perform these laser procedures otherwise there is no point in learning how to perform them...kind of like the chicken or the egg, which came first scenario.

Nah. They're pig eyes, not cadaver eyes. 🙂 But it was still a cool workshop!

 

[Visionary]

Yes, surgery on live patients can only be taught in these states but some schools such as the one in Tennessee let students practice laser surgeries on cadaver eyes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scoedu/5425986627/in/set-72157625874557127/

We first need guaranteed approval to be able to perform these laser procedures otherwise there is no point in learning how to perform them...kind of like the chicken or the egg, which came first scenario.

LASIK on pig eyes, YAGs and SLTs on slide film. Future "optometric laser surgeons." Awesome. Should be great for the refractive market, eh KHE? 🙄

 

[JMU07]

LASIK on pig eyes, YAGs and SLTs on slide film. Future "optometric laser surgeons." Awesome. Should be great for the refractive market, eh KHE? 🙄

They don't let us do that so we can go out and do it on real people. They let us do it so we can have a better idea of how they work and so we can provide better patient education. Please take your attitude elsewhere.

 

[socal2014]

LASIK on pig eyes, YAGs and SLTs on slide film. Future "optometric laser surgeons." Awesome. Should be great for the refractive market, eh KHE? 🙄

Excuse me, but that was pretty funny, yet sad.

 

[Visionary]

They don't let us do that so we can go out and do it on real people. They let us do it so we can have a better idea of how they work and so we can provide better patient education. Please take your attitude elsewhere.

Pardon me, if I find your reasoning suspect. Why do you need to operate a VISX laser in a contrived LASIK procedure with a pig eye to learn how to properly counsel patients? [Likewise, for the other scenarios.] I'm fully capable of providing a brief explanation of a LASIK procedure to interested patients before sending them to one of the surgeons in my group, but I've never actually used a VISX (or other) laser to perform LASIK. I have, however, seen it used on real patients. To me, that seems like a more useful experience, if you want to counsel patients. That way, you can see how the patient is prepared for and reacts to the procedure. Learning how to run the machine in the absence of a real patient is not helpful to anyone but a potential surgeon.

 

[Oogilily]

Please don't turn this into another laser/surgery thread. That has been debated to death recently. Take that discussion to the other thread...