HELP! International Optom Student dreaming to live abroad

[Maryam Ismaeel]

Hello, I need some advice. I'm a 2nd year studying optometry in Eastern Europe with big dreams to hopefully work and live in Canada or Europe (Norway or Switzerland due to high quality of life). I am not from EU. Im not sure if studying OptomClinc Masters after my Bachelor of Science in Optom (in 2nd year studying) will land me an effective opportunity to work in these countries since the European universities do not offer a path/intership in North America, and well I do not stand a chance to study in Canada due to high costs. Ideally, I would like to pursue masters in Europe or OD bridging programme (Waterloo) where i receive a licence to work as a qualified Optometrists. Norway's Masters in Optom seems promising and its my best option so far, but i don't have a chance to communicate with them as they're developing their programme.

Also, can anyone explain how the Masters in Clinical Optom is viewed in comparison to OD career in Canada? I need to research and get as much information and advice i need about working and studying post-grad optometry in Canada, Norway or Switzerland, so i would greatly appreciate your replies and if you can share your advice. Any ideas on how to make my dreams come true? Im just a hardworking young student who wants to earn a prestigious career in Optometry since its differently viewed around many parts of the world!!

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[deleted1029384]

I'm not an OD, but I do know a little bit about the bridging pathway (I contemplated doing optometry school in the UK at one point in my life).

You'll need Canadian citizenship/permanent resident status/convention refugee status before you can even participate in the Waterloo bridging program. The program is also restructuring starting in 2022 and only 18 seats will be available. So before you worry about getting into a bridging program, you should check how to obtain citizenship for wherever you want to settle and the citizenship requirements for the programs you are looking at.

You can read the full article about the program change here:

Transition from International Optometric Bridging Program (IOBP) to Waterloo School of Optometry & Vision Science (WOVS) Advanced Standing Program | International Optometric Bridging Program

The International Optometric Bridging Program (IOBP) project at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry and Vision (WOVS) funded by the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities has provided a pathway for internationally-trained optometric graduates (IOGs) to practice optometry in...

uwaterloo.ca

But let's say you obtain 1 of the 3 above citizen statuses for Canada, you'll need need to complete a bridging program in Canada or the US (since Waterloo is extremely competitive, I know NECO offers a bridging program) and then pass the Canadian optometry board exam. Depending on which province you settle and practice in, the US board exam may also be accepted instead of the Canadian boards. As long as you pass the bridging program at an accredited school and the board exam, you can practice as an OD in Canada.

As for the Masters, it might look nice on your resume and could potentially help with getting into a bridging program, but it is not necessary to practice as an OD. Let's say you want to become a professor at UWaterloo Optometry school, you will definitely need a PhD and continue your research at the school.

As a Canadian that has been in the Ontario education system for all of my schooling, in general, having a Bachelor's degree is the standard/bare minimum these days, a Master's degree looks nice if you're applying for a competitive corporate job, a PhD degree also looks nice for your resume. I would say go for the Master's degree if you have a passion for research. Otherwise, to a regular person, a Master's degree would be viewed as below a Doctor of Optometry degree. For context, I should also mention the Doctor of Optometry degree is a post-grad degree, whereas you mentioned that you are doing a Bachelor of Optometry. Optometrists in Canada will have both a Bachelor of Science degree and the Doctor of Optometry degree.