Considering Optometry

[RNtoMD87]

I am currently a critical care RN with a BSN, and have been planning on the MD/DO route, but have recently opened my mind to optometry and dental. The reason these appeal to me is the weekly schedule, and relaxed nature. I would lean towards optometry over dental because I find the eyes more interesting and I'm not sure I would enjoy the handwork of dentistry.

I have not taken any exams yet, but my anticipated sGPA is 3.7-3.8.

Can anyone give me some insight? Especially if you once considered a different field or come from a nursing background. What reason made you choose Optometry?

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[Snakedoctor1]

With that GPA and a decent OAT score, you will get in to almost any Optometry school you apply to. I recommend that anyone considering Optometry as a career look into the potential downsides. Like any idea we have in life, it's easy to sugar coat and develop unrealistic expectations. The biggest downside to Optometry right now in my opinion is the cost of tuition. Make sure you understand how much you will spend to get the degree you want.

That being said, I chose Optometry so that I could have a stable job with decent pay in a field I am interested in. I was able to find a relatively high paying job right out of school with plenty of growth opportunity at a specialty private practice and will be able to repay my loans within 3-5 years. I am extremely lucky to have a wife who worked while I was in school, as well as cheap housing to enable us to pay off our loans quickly.

If you don't like the idea of 150-200k or more in student loan debt, or don't think you will be able to find a decently high paying job in the area you want to live in, there are much less expensive careers out there. There are many other challenges facing Optometry right now that you should look into as well, before making that decision.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Well I have GI bill for 3 years. That will help with tuition. I've also been trying to set aside money from my full time nursing gig to offset costs.

 

[TheREALoptometrist2015]

My question is what made you become a critical care nurse and why are you considering leaving? I love what I do but I would say that the debt to income ratio is not really worth it. You could go on to become a nurse practitioner, have a 9-5 week with no weeks making more money and less debt. I know many NP's that make similar salaries (if not a little more) as an OD starting out and you wont have the stress of a lifetime of debt.

 

[RNtoMD87]

My question is what made you become a critical care nurse and why are you considering leaving? I love what I do but I would say that the debt to income ratio is not really worth it. You could go on to become a nurse practitioner, have a 9-5 week with no weeks making more money and less debt. I know many NP's that make similar salaries (if not a little more) as an OD starting out and you wont have the stress of a lifetime of debt.

Lack of knowledge fulfillment, concerns about the future of NP practice, and I would like complete autonomy. Mostly I'm dissatisfied with the education. Much of nursing is propaganda or "were important too!"

My RN to BSN literally taught me nothing. I mean one class is on how to make a resume. I did that in high school English. Very disapppinted.


School won't be very expensive for me as I have post 9/11 GI Bill

 

[JBL0008]

I strongly recommend you shadow multiple optometrist. You can ask on here why anyone chose the path they did but the key factor is your shadowing experience. Shadow medical and dental too to make sure you are picking the right one. First hand experience in the field will be your best determining factor.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Before I shadow, just to get my mind ready, what is the key component of optometry? I mean

Dentistry- hand skills
Nursing- interpersonal skills/basic medicine
MD/DO- more specific and in depth medical skills

What is the main "theme" of optometry as far as knowledge goes? I mean obviously the eyes, but handwork is to dentistry as what is to optometry?

 

[JBL0008]

Before I shadow, just to get my mind ready, what is the key component of optometry? I mean

Dentistry- hand skills
Nursing- interpersonal skills/basic medicine
MD/DO- more specific and in depth medical skills

What is the main "theme" of optometry as far as knowledge goes? I mean obviously the eyes, but handwork is to dentistry as what is to optometry?

There is hand work in optometry, not as in depth as dental. In my opinion I guess I would say primarily diagnosis with decent amount of hand work. The question is hard to really answer because there is a lot that goes into it and shadowing would really help by getting a better visual understanding of what the career is like.

 

[HelpMeFailedStep1]

Become an NP, high pay, great work hours esp if you work in a clinic (much less stressful than critical care), plus your experience will be vital to all programs that you are applying to. Some NP programs are 2 years but DNP (way to go) are 3 years, relatively cheap (way cheaper than optometry school), and wont be too difficult given your work experience

 

[RNtoMD87]

I'm done with nursing. And I make more than an NP already. Im in it for the knowledge and challenge and nursing is more propaganda and English class than anything else. I already know I could do NP. I want to push myself to do something I'm not sure if I can do or not. I'm extremely disappointed with the science content of nursing thus far. Also I've had quite a few friends who did NP for the quick MD equivalent route and were sorely disappointed.

I disagree with them having autonomy.

Also my school will be free so cost isn't an issue.

 

[Snakedoctor1]

Before I shadow, just to get my mind ready, what is the key component of optometry? I mean

Dentistry- hand skills
Nursing- interpersonal skills/basic medicine
MD/DO- more specific and in depth medical skills

What is the main "theme" of optometry as far as knowledge goes? I mean obviously the eyes, but handwork is to dentistry as what is to optometry?

Two words that come to mind are detail and repetition. Optometry, especially primary care Optometry is full of very repetitive exam sequences. You need to remain observant with each patient despite the monotony. Optometry is in many cases about not missing things. Your education also far outweighs what you will routinely see on a day to day basis.

Having school paid for is huge. My advice is to shadow like mad until you are sure it's what you want. Find specialty ODs to shadow as well, Optometry can go deeper than primary care.

 

[GypsyHummus]

OP, if you want the knowlage of medical school, the manual dexterity of dentistry, and the nice lifestyle like Optometry, you might wanna look into Podiatry schools (DPM). Anything above a 3.0 and 490 mcat will get you into most schools, and everyone becomes a foot and ankle surgeon.

3 schools take the same classes as their DO counterparts (essentially getting DO education minus OMT). Pods learn “real” medicine, and have autonomy of the foot and ankle.

I'm done with nursing. And I make more than an NP already. Im in it for the knowledge and challenge and nursing is more propaganda and English class than anything else. I already know I could do NP. I want to push myself to do something I'm not sure if I can do or not. I'm extremely disappointed with the science content of nursing thus far. Also I've had quite a few friends who did NP for the quick MD equivalent route and were sorely disappointed.

I disagree with them having autonomy.

Also my school will be free so cost isn't an issue.