Externships

[happymango]

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While applying to optometry schools, I've realized that externships may be more important than I originally thought. I'd appreciate feedback from anybody, particularly optometrists and optometry students.

Externships firstly appear to be about getting real world optometry experience so as to be prepared when one finally does go practice. Would you say that externships are also crucial for scoping out potential future employers/networking? For example, is it common for optometrists to return to a place where they externed at after graduation?

I am especially interested because I'm pretty uncertain where I want to practice in the far future so going to a school with a great, far-reaching externship program would be a smart choice so as to keep my options open. From what I could tell from SDN and little else (not much information on the web I could find), SCCO and PCO have far reaching externships. SUNY has a lock on New York. And, Nova mainly has externships in Florida.

Many thanks!

 

[Shnurek]

Schools are usually going to have the majority of their externships nearby them.

That said, SUNY does not just have a lock on the city. Our externs go to Bascom Palmer in Florida, Indian Health Service in Oklahoma, VA in Maryland, Naval base in San Diego, Wenchou (sp?) college in China and a bunch of others in the city and in the suburbs of the city.

http://www.sunyopt.edu/education/academics/od_program/externship_programs

 

[QueenieCSS]

Externships are a great opportunity to network. Even if you don't end up at the practice you rotated in, you have a chance to meet ODs from the area and connect with local optometric associations. I think if you know you want to end up in a certain area, it would be beneficial to try and rotate in that area to make more connections.

Each school is different in where they have their rotations. Your best best would be to try to connect with a student from each school you are interested in so that you can find out more about their opportunities. PUCO has rotations in OR and WA but we also have them all over the country, in 29 states, and in China, Germany, Japan, and Korea. We also have rotations in Canada but only the Canadians can go to those sites.

 

[Shnurek]

PUCO has rotations in OR and WA but we also have them all over the country, in 29 states, and in China, Germany, Japan, and Korea. We also have rotations in Canada but only the Canadians can go to those sites.

Damn you guys have Germany? I would rotate there in the fall to go to Oktoberfest.

 

[happymango]

Hmm ok goood to know!