CURRENT ISSUES

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Optom4018

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Hello Everyone

I have an interview coming up for Optometry school.
I have been searching about the current issues in optometry as well as the scope of practice in NY and PA (similarities/differences).
I couldn't find much info and needed some help.


Would you be able to list some of the current issues and the scope of practice for these states?
Any
legislative issues?

Thank You :)

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You can find info out there. I mean how else would a population of doctors know?

You either go to your national organization or state organization or board of optometry because these are people we entrust to protect our profession and protect the public.

1 min of google yields:
http://www.aoa.org/news/advocacy?sso=y
http://www.newgradoptometry.com/optometry-scope-of-practice-united-states/

The second being a popular press article but still if you are super curious read the state laws by the board of optometry in NY or PA.

I'm not sure how any of this would be useful in an interview though, in my opinion.
 
I had a (student) interviewer at Berkeley try to grill me on optometry law in California. I'm not even from California. Needless to say, I was pissed after that interview and didn't end up going to Berkeley.

As a third year optometry student, I'll tell you that honestly, if an interviewer tries to ask you questions about optometry law, that person is a jerk.

But in the interest of being helpful, here's a recent article from New Grad Optometry summing up many of the legislative issues going on now:
http://www.newgradoptometry.com/optometry-scope-of-practice-united-states/
 
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I had a (student) interviewer at Berkeley try to grill me on optometry law in California. I'm not even from California. Needless to say, I was pissed after that interview and didn't end up going to Berkeley.

As a third year optometry student, I'll tell you that honestly, if an interviewer tries to ask you questions about optometry law, that person is a jerk.

But in the interest of being helpful, here's a recent article from New Grad Optometry summing up many of the legislative issues going on now:
http://www.newgradoptometry.com/optometry-scope-of-practice-united-states/

I don't agree with that at all.

Students applying to school should at least have a rudimentary understanding of the laws and issues are in the state where the school they are applying to is and the state where they hope to practice when they're done is. Especially in this day and age of the internet where that information is readily available.
 
I don't agree with that at all.

Students applying to school should at least have a rudimentary understanding of the laws and issues are in the state where the school they are applying to is and the state where they hope to practice when they're done is. Especially in this day and age of the internet where that information is readily available.

I entirely disagree. Many optometry applicants are unsure where they wish to practice, and it's unreasonable to burden an interview with niche professional politics and legislation talk, especially with regard to state-specific laws.
 
I don't agree with that at all.

Students applying to school should at least have a rudimentary understanding of the laws and issues are in the state where the school they are applying to is and the state where they hope to practice when they're done is. Especially in this day and age of the internet where that information is readily available.

I guess it'd be ideal if an applicant knew about optometry law, and that would certainly make for a very well-rounded and researched applicant. But when I was an applicant, I honestly barely knew the entire scope of optometry, much less the legal differences between a DPA and a TPA.

There's really no end to what an applicant can research about optometry before an interview. Scope of practice, modes of practice, economics of optometry, insurances, health care reform, legal definitions of a comprehensive exam, saturation in different markets, efficacy of vision therapy... if someone gets all that down before an interview, more power to 'em. But I think any interviewer would know that they'd be throwing a curveball at an applicant if they actually asked about any of that. And maybe the interviewer is just aggressive and wants to see how the applicant reacts to the curveball. It ain't nice, though.

So sure, OP, you can make sure you know *everything* before your interview. But keep in mind that if you go to a school where the interviewer is quizzing you on information rather than trying to get to know your personal strengths and weaknesses... is that somewhere you actually want to go?
 
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It's not necessary to know "everything" about Optometry going into an interview, but I absolutely think an applicant should have a grasp on the major issues facing the profession. I don't think it is unrealistic to expect a person to have researched their chosen career pathway before committing to a long and expensive education.
 
What would you think are the main current issues in Optometry right now?
I know that the limitations in scope of practice (varying by state) has been a issue for some time.
 
I'd bring up the issue of the major oversupply of OD's that will make finding decent employment in the near future very difficult and how the last 3-4 schools to open were totally unnecessary and actually harmful to the profession of optometry.

Might not be a good idea if your interview is at Midwestern, Western, UIW, or MCPHS.
 
What would you think are the main current issues in Optometry right now?
I know that the limitations in scope of practice (varying by state) has been a issue for some time.

Scope of practice is definitely something to know about, along with current legislation etc. Learn about how Optometry is changing and how new graduates will need to do different things than older docs who graduated 30 years ago. The oversupply issue is definitely a big deal, but I wouldn't bring it up in an interview. You should research that one, and decide whether or not Optometry will be worth it for you. There are varying opinions on this. Everything you read online will say one thing, and the AOA will say another. In fact, I recently attended a conference where the President of the AOA was asked if we as students should be worried about the new schools opening up. He said "Absolutely not." His answer was way too rosy for me.

Anyway, the point is you should find out as much as you possibly can about Optometry as a profession before making a commitment, regardless of what they may or may not ask you during the interview.
 
I'd bring up the issue of the major oversupply of OD's that will make finding decent employment in the near future very difficult and how the last 3-4 schools to open were totally unnecessary and actually harmful to the profession of optometry.

Might not be a good idea if your interview is at Midwestern, Western, UIW, or MCPHS.

I might not bring that one up. It's usually not good for any sort of interview to venture into hot-button issues that might illicit a strong response from your interviewer if you have an opinion about them. You might never know if your interviewer might have had a direct hand in setting up those other optometry programs or have close friends/family in those programs. You never want to directly say anything bad about another program - that's poor form. Your interviewer's colleagues teach at those other institutions.

You might think that the new programs are universally disliked among optometrists, and for the most part it's true, but it's not something to talk about as an interviewee who doesn't actually have experience in the working field of optometry.

Rather, talk about why you prefer the institution you're interviewing at. And feel free to ask your interviewer what they think about those topics.
 
I had a (student) interviewer at Berkeley try to grill me on optometry law in California. I'm not even from California. Needless to say, I was pissed after that interview and didn't end up going to Berkeley.

As a third year optometry student, I'll tell you that honestly, if an interviewer tries to ask you questions about optometry law, that person is a jerk.

But in the interest of being helpful, here's a recent article from New Grad Optometry summing up many of the legislative issues going on now:
http://www.newgradoptometry.com/optometry-scope-of-practice-united-states/


you should record the interview and fwd it to the upper ranks of the school. also the question may have been relevant to something but you missed the point. it's really hard to say during the interview.
 
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