Best method to ask optometrists to volunteer/shadow at their practice?

[Yazo]

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I live in a mid-sized city (50K-100K people) and there's a few optometrist offices around here in which the optometrist himself runs the practice, maybe there's a nurse or two at most. How would I go about in asking these people if I could spend time at their practice?

Would appreciate any input, thanks.

 

[ODpookie]

Advice I got from an ICO student: go dressed as if you're interviewing and take a resume so they know you're serious and just ask if they would let you shadow for a little while. Most will be ok with at least a little bit each day. I also asked my optometrist when I went in to get an eye exam and he said yes!

 

[chelle111]

I used my personal optometrist so I just asked him during one of my eye appointments. The other ones my pre-health advisor at my university referred me too and those optometrists referred me to other optometrists in the area and I sent them an email asking to shadow... Worked out fine .

 

[Yazo]

Advice I got from an ICO student: go dressed as if you're interviewing and take a resume so they know you're serious and just ask if they would let you shadow for a little while. Most will be ok with at least a little bit each day. I also asked my optometrist when I went in to get an eye exam and he said yes!

I used my personal optometrist so I just asked him during one of my eye appointments. The other ones my pre-health advisor at my university referred me too and those optometrists referred me to other optometrists in the area and I sent them an email asking to shadow... Worked out fine .

That's awesome, thanks!

 

[melotae]

Not sure if you're interested in shadowing in hospital settings, but if you are plan ahead! usually there's paperwork you have to fill out on when you want to shadow, acknowledging HIPAA etc. that takes a couple weeks to process.

 

[SunA21]

Most of my shadowing opportunities I got by calling the office and asking the person who answered the phone to ask the optometrist if I could shadow. Didn't always work, but it worked enough that I've shadowed at 10+ different places, including an Air Force base, private practices, commercial practices, and VA's. Most optometrists I've found will say "yes" because they know shadowing is basically required for admission.