Blood!!!

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YOu do have to learn to draw blood (phlebotomy) in case you have to send things off to labs.

But, overall, OD's don't really deal with blood. We're not allowed to do surgical type procedures in most states (tennessee is an exception). But, also since a lot of the eye is avascular there's minimal blood anyway.

So to answer your question... no not much blood. But you will have to deal with it from time to time.
 
Great subject title to get my attention, Grand Teton!!! 😱 😉

I didn't know phlebotomy was on the curricular plate, cpw! I thought the person I asked at PCO about it said they didn't require it, maybe I'm wrong about that. What other schools require it? I was kinda hoping the only "blood" I'd have to deal with was blood pressure. I can do that. 😉

When I observed eye surgeries last summer, there was very little blood. When the surgeon called for a "sponge" it was just a q-tip (I'm sure it was a $40 *surgical* q-tip, but it looked like a plain old q-tip...)
 
Well...for the most part, no. But when you do, it can be a lot. Although it is a "gray" area, a "certain" OD I know was doing a cyst removal the other day on the lower lid. There was a TON of blood! It was the bloodiest one he had ever seen himself. There was more blood produced there than any single occurance I saw while working for the orthopeadic surgeon last summer. Of course I saw more when I watched him in surgery, but not in the office.

95% of the time you see no blood unless you are looking at the eye under the slit scope, but sometimes there can be a lot!
 
Originally posted by rpames
Well...for the most part, no. But when you do, it can be a lot. Although it is a "gray" area, a "certain" OD I know was doing a cyst removal the other day on the lower lid. There was a TON of blood! It was the bloodiest one he had ever seen himself. There was more blood produced there than any single occurance I saw while working for the orthopeadic surgeon last summer. Of course I saw more when I watched him in surgery, but not in the office.

95% of the time you see no blood unless you are looking at the eye under the slit scope, but sometimes there can be a lot!
Click to expand...

Most of the time OD's do these kind of procedures though they're in the office of an OMD who signs off on things. There's and OD in our UHCO clinic who does cyst removals and chalazion removels (etc) but our clinical direction (I believe) signs of on it all.

In our path class the common question is :: Can we REALLY DO that!!?
The answer: um.... in Tennessee you can. 😉
 
Here at PCO, we'll be doing blood work in a few weeks..
 
It is strange how here in WI an OD is not suppose to do "surgical" procedures like a cyst removal, but can charge the insurance for one and there is no problem. Right on the bill it says: "Cyst Removal." I suppose the insurance company is happy to be charge only $85-90 by and OD and not $175-200 by an OMD.
 
Originally posted by r_salis
Finger-tip pricking, or needle-in-vein?
Click to expand...

we did both at UHCO.

You had to learn finger prick to perform glucose monitoring on patients. (yeah glucometers)

and we also had to learn phlebotomy (needle in vein) Although, they let us use butterflies which make the drawing easier. It was actually kinda fun. I never thought I could do it, but it's easy. You get so focused on what you're doing (and not hurting your friends) that you don't even think about the blood factor.
 
Finger-tip pricking, or needle-in-vein?

Phlebotomy.

Today we got to dissect a pig's heart and do retinoscopy with phoropter..fun stuff 🙂

This semester we're taking 33 credit hours!! 🙁 Talk about a lot of work to do!!
 
33 hrs!!

:wow: :wow: :scared:
 
Originally posted by christie
Finger-tip pricking, or needle-in-vein?

Phlebotomy.

Today we got to dissect a pig's heart and do retinoscopy with phoropter..fun stuff 🙂

This semester we're taking 33 credit hours!! 🙁 Talk about a lot of work to do!!
Click to expand...
Retinoscopy sounds cool. 33 credit hours just sounds INSANE! 😱 Do you manage to have any free time?
 
This whole blood drawing thing in OD school is just stupid. I'm not sure if it is a requirement at OSU- I hope not. How many OD's in practice EVER draw blood from a patient?- ZERO would be my guess. If bloodwork needs to be ordered, I would assume that you would send the patient to a LAB just like the local MD would. How many GP MD's draw blood themselves? I would bet it would be zero also. Just my 2 cents.
 
I do agree with you... no doctor in the "real world" would probably do this. (OD's anyway)

BUT if you're going to call yourself a doctor I think you should have at least SOME fundamental knowledge of basic medical procedures. (injections, phlebotomy, blood pressure, etc.) I really don't mind learning how to do those things because I can see the value in knowing how they're done. If you're considered a doctor and med techs know how to do a procedure that you don't..... how does that look? Also, with the way OD scope of practice is expanding ... how can we expect to get surgical rights (for minor procedures only I don't want to start THAT debate again) if we can't do BASIC medical procedures first.
 
I do believe that blood pressure is important to learn- will definately come into play in practice.
 
cpw is right, we need it to so we can further our cause.

As far at BP, at my dad's office, we take everyone's BP as part of the pre-test.
 
I guess you guys make some good points, but all I know is that if an optometrist pulled out a needle to draw my blood during an exam, I would run like $%@# 🙂
 
I would be surprised if an OD tried to draw my blood, but I would not be against it. It is not like an OD didn't go to school for 8 years.🙂 I would prefer a doctor (OD, DO, MD, DDS, DPM) draw my blood than most phlebomists. I'm sure the Dr. would do a better job. So often they press down on the needle as they pull it out. Do they not realize that all they are doing is slicing open the vain! That hurt like crazy!😡 They do not need to apply pressure until the last second when the needle is out. When they do it that way, one can't even heel them pull it out.
 
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