Can someone tell me what's this " board" thing that's always being mentioned? is it some test u have to write after ur graduate from optometry school? like. you graduate..then u have to take this test inorder to be a "official" OD? ..what does it usually consist of?
good question... i have a related question too to practice optometry in the states, does one have to grad from states or is an OD degree from waterloo also ok?
The "Boards" are the national and state certification exams that optometrists need to pass in order to practice in the U.S. (Information about the National Board exam given by the NBEO is on their website: http://www.optometry.org/ ). There are 3 parts to the national board exam -- most students take part I after their 2nd year (it covers basic sciences). The 2nd and 3rd parts cover clinical science and patient care, respectively, and are taken after graduation from optometry school. (I may be wrong about this -- correct me, cpw?) Furthermore, you have to take the state board exam for all the states where you plan to practice. Since states have differing legislature regarding the scope of practice for optometrists, the state board content varies by state, so you need to take it in addition to the national boards. It's common for people to take a couple state exams upon graduation -- here in NY, people often take the NY, NJ and CT exams if they plan to live in the area after graduation so they can be flexible about where they work.
r_salis, I noticed that there are 25 questions under the heading "psychology" (for when you take your board after your second year). how is the "psychology" course integrated into the optometry curriculum?
Part 2 is taken in December of your fourth year... it also contains the TMOD (therapeutic management of ocular disease) exam which is the exam that allows you to prescribe medications. Part 2 is the clinical science boards. Part 3 is your clinical exam where you perform OD procedures in front of national board examiners. Your state board exam is given at the same time as Part 3. But, it varies from state to state (obviously) The "psychology" questions in part one are mainly how to analyze statistical data. If you study the national board study guides you really don't have to worry about it. It's the easiest part of the board..
Ah ok! so, there's no need to worry about psychology.....fair enough... hay! this is just a random question: but does ...say...Kaplan or Princeton offer a course for these boards/exams?
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