Getting a general idea of optometry

[Pewl]

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Just wondering, how many optometry schools are there in the US, and how many matriculate each year? What are the average gpa and oat scores (percentiles) of people accepted? How many years is optometry school and is there a board exam you pass? Are there residencies like in medicine also?

 

[gsinccom]

Just wondering, how many optometry schools are there in the US, and how many matriculate each year? What are the average gpa and oat scores (percentiles) of people accepted? How many years is optometry school and is there a board exam you pass? Are there residencies like in medicine also?

hop on www.opted.org - you'll find the competitive numbers are very comparable to other doctoring health professions such as osteopathy, dentistry and pharmacy. Optometry school is 4 years and yes there are three boards (NBEO part 1, 2, 3) and there are residencies that last 1 year usually but as with dentistry and pharmacy residencies the majority of graduates don't do one but rather go right into practice after 4 years of professional school.
do a search on this forum for more info as this question has been asked multiple times.
best wishes.

 

[in_translation]

Just wondering, how many optometry schools are there in the US, and how many matriculate each year? What are the average gpa and oat scores (percentiles) of people accepted? How many years is optometry school and is there a board exam you pass? Are there residencies like in medicine also?

Good advice from previous post. For just a little more info, there are 16 optometry schools in the states, 1 in Puerto Rico, and 2 in Canada. Also, residencies are usually done (if at all) within the year after your O.D. degree is awarded. Many have a stipend, and they are performed in different specialty areas such as contact lens, pediatrics, low vision, or ocular disease.