buying equipment?

[phil_kent2000]

hello everyone,

i was posting on behalf of a friend (first year optom) and had a quick question. i noticed that there is a long list of equipment that they are required to buy (trial lenses, indirects, retinoscopes, etc) and was wondering why they have to purchase instruments that should be available in any properly equiped exam room. to the more senior optom students, do you find a use for owning these instruments once you are rotating through the clinics or after graduation? any input would be appreciated, thanks.

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[phil_kent2000]

hey guys, any thoughts? would really appreciate some input on this question, thanks.

 

[rpames]

You have to have your own equipment to practice with. The practice lanes at schools do not have equipment for you, nor do the exam rooms in the clinics. So in short...you absolutly HAVE to have your own equipment. All the exam rooms have are the main things; Phoropter, slitlamp, keratometer, tonometer, and a chair. All the hand instruments are yours. Plus, when you go into practice, you have to buy it then anyway. As a student you will get a HUGE discount. Also as your go from clinic to clinc, every site may have different bands of equipment. By having your own, you always know how to work them and where they are.

 

[phil_kent2000]

You have to have your own equipment to practice with. The practice lanes at schools do not have equipment for you, nor do the exam rooms in the clinics. So in short...you absolutly HAVE to have your own equipment. All the exam rooms have are the main things; Phoropter, slitlamp, keratometer, tonometer, and a chair. All the hand instruments are yours. Plus, when you go into practice, you have to buy it then anyway. As a student you will get a HUGE discount. Also as your go from clinic to clinc, every site may have different bands of equipment. By having your own, you always know how to work them and where they are.

thanks for the information. let me get some clarification though; when you walk into an exam room, you're supposed to carry in your own set of trial lenses, indirect ophthalmoscope, retinoscope, etc? also, should an optometrist want to start his/her own practice, i think that purchasing these items would be business expenses. and different brands should not pose a problem. i guess my question is, why would a group of optometry students not choose to split the equipment between them? thanks,

 

[r_salis]

thanks for the information. let me get some clarification though; when you walk into an exam room, you're supposed to carry in your own set of trial lenses, indirect ophthalmoscope, retinoscope, etc?

As a student/intern, yes.

i guess my question is, why would a group of optometry students not choose to split the equipment between them? thanks,

While you're in school there will be some times you'll be practicing so much that it would be difficult to assign "custody" of the equipment you were sharing -- also, you don't always know which lab section you'll be assigned to, so you might be in one at the same time as the person you're sharing equipment with. It's just much simpler and more convenient to have your own.

 

[christie]

My site right now provides me with all the equipment I need. Since I've been out on rotations now, the only equipment of my own that I am using is my Pan ret lens, but once I have my peds rotation I am sure I will have to use a lot of my equipment again. PCO does not require us to buy a BIO, that is provided to us in The Eye Institute.

 

[phil_kent2000]

ok, thank you guys for the information.