I started new thread, because I liked Core Dome Ahs proposal and the clarity with which he described the challenges being created by oversupply of optoms, but
. For reasons all too familiar, it kind of devolved into a trolling-accusation war which wasnt really fair to Core Dome Ahh.
It might be advantageous to the profession to create a few limited optom-to-OMD training positionssimilar to the DDS/DMD OMF track that require dentists to get their medical degree. Make it a 4-5 year program 2 (or 3 ) years med school, 2 years med/surgical OMD residency). You create 10 positions across the nation. It would be super competitive, and consequently select for the most ambitious/capable optoms. It would allow ophthal to pre-emptively influence the inevitable scope-expansion wars. And lets face it . Some optoms simply made a dreadful mistake by going to optom schoo. They thought they were comfortable with limited scope and now realize they want to do more. Telling them to go back to med school and retrain as OMDs isnt a solution. Those optoms will just work at creating loopholes/openings at the legislative level. (Shout-out to PBEA! & Ian Benj Gaddie!).
Disclaimer Im a lowly Prelim with no real-word ophtho experience, a degree in economics, and an interest in market equity and efficiency. But 50 years from now, might this not be our saving grace?
It might be advantageous to the profession to create a few limited optom-to-OMD training positionssimilar to the DDS/DMD OMF track that require dentists to get their medical degree. Make it a 4-5 year program 2 (or 3 ) years med school, 2 years med/surgical OMD residency). You create 10 positions across the nation. It would be super competitive, and consequently select for the most ambitious/capable optoms. It would allow ophthal to pre-emptively influence the inevitable scope-expansion wars. And lets face it . Some optoms simply made a dreadful mistake by going to optom schoo. They thought they were comfortable with limited scope and now realize they want to do more. Telling them to go back to med school and retrain as OMDs isnt a solution. Those optoms will just work at creating loopholes/openings at the legislative level. (Shout-out to PBEA! & Ian Benj Gaddie!).
Disclaimer Im a lowly Prelim with no real-word ophtho experience, a degree in economics, and an interest in market equity and efficiency. But 50 years from now, might this not be our saving grace?