How goes it first years??

[cpw]

r_salis, Eyegirl, rpames...

How goes the first year?? Enquiring third year minds want to know...

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[Rosanna]

Hi cpw:

I'm a first year, also, and I have had better days.

I don't know what has been the worst part of my first week, was it that my neighbors were robbed? Or three cars around my neighborhood were broken into the next day? Or the kicker, my grandfather being admitted to the ER for pneumonia and no one seems to know how he got it.

Or the small things also - my loafers cut into my feet at two places, books being sold-out, or my water cooler breaking right before I'm leaving for school and there are 2 gallons of water on my kitchen floor.

Soooo, I have had better days. =) How was everyone else's first week?

- Rosanna

 

[r_salis]

Yikes, Rosanna! That's not a fun way to start your 1st year. I hope your grandfather is recovering quickly.

Today wraps up the 2nd week of my 1st year, though I was actually there for 6 weeks over the summer taking 2 classes that everyone else has to take this 1st quarter. (A note to anyone who has the option of taking classes over the summer -- do it!!! It lightens your class load and gives you a little time to get adjusted to what's going to be expected of you.)

My impression of the classes so far is that the stuff we're learning is not difficult -- there's just a *lot* of it. Also, I've always been on the semester system in the past, so dealing with quarter terms is going to be a little bit of an adjustment. I think the support network here is really great -- both from students in the other years and from the faculty -- people seem to go out of their way to let you know they're available to help.

We'll see how I feel after midterms in a few weeks.

How's Year 3, cpw?

 

[rpames]

I agree r_salis, nothing has been real difficult, there is just a lot of classes at once. I'm sure it will get more difficult, but I won't look for that day. So far I've been really impressed with my class, most of them are very nice...but there are always those few you can do with out. I like all my profs., they are all really nice and seem very helpful. We have our first test on Thursday (Sept. 4th) for Anatomy. After that it is all down hill. From that point on, we have at least 2 test per week until the end of the semester and a couple 3 test weeks. So much for tv. I think it is going to be a great four years.

PS. Did every one hear about the work place shooting where 7 people were killed in Chicago this week? That shooting was on my street only about 5 blocks down! I took the dog out and thought to myself, "I wonder what that helicopter is right there for?" Boy was I surprised.

 

[cpw]

Well if I had one word to describe third year it would be this... BUSY! I'm in clinic 20 hours a week and taking 21 hours of class on top of it. (4 of those are clinic credits, but still) I got 8am to 5pm every day... especially since I'm TAing my one morning off (Friday morning). Thank God they're paying me for that.

So far no tests.. although they just dumped yet ANOTHER one hour class on us that we have to take over 16 hours on SATURDAYS (since they haven't taken up enough of our "free time"). And now since they added it to our schedules late.. I have to somehow come up with 264 dollars to pay for it. No, I'm not bitter.

I do like the fact that now our classes are ALL clinical.

Im taking :

Contact Lens 2 (3 hours)
Geriatrics (3 hours)
Peds (3 hours w/ lab)
Retinal Path (3 hours)
Glaucoma (2 hours)
General Clinic 3 (4 hours) -- even though we're in there 20
Spanish for Optometry (2 hours -- my elective class)
Clinical Medicine (1 hour -- the class they added on Saturdays)

It's supposed to be easier course wise, but I'm going to be busy as heck.

I'm still trying to train for the Houston half-marathon. My fundraising for the leukemia society is coming along nicely. I went with my family to the Houston Florida Gator club to watch their football game and made $97 dollars giving away mardi gras beads with gators on 'em. (people love that stuff).

Even though third year will be tough time wise... you couldn't pay me to go back and sit in a lecture hall all day. Now I just wait three more weeks for my board scores. **crosses fingers**

Enjoy your holiday weekend y'all!!

 

[JPFL75]

Hey optometry folks...I'm currently a transitional year intern who will be continuing with my ophthalmology residency next year...I am currently doing my ophthalmology elective and am having a heck of a time using the slit lamp and phoropter...can anybody give me some helpful pointers...I am well aware that OD and EyeMD phoropters are slightly different...so any amount of help will be appreciated..thanks...and btw, I'm not an OD hater or EyeMD elitist...I just want some help with this stuff...thanks

 

[cpw]

the only thing I can think of to say about slit lamp and phoropters... practice practice practice. everybody does it a little differently. Every school teaches a different way to refract. So, I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help there.

Slit lamp is just watch someone and soak up everything they're doing. Ask LOTS of questions.. where should the housing go, in or out of click stop, how big the beam is (paralellpiped, optic section, conic section, etc), when to use each kind of illumination. There are lots of OD prodedures texts out there that deal with this. But, I find it best to learn by watching others. Kind of like the MD see one, do one,teach one. I lean better that way.

Good luck! let us know how it goes.

 

[Richard_Hom]

Dear JPFL75,

1. No matter which slit lamp, I always tell students to create a starting point for the position of the slit lamp. My starting point is the left most backward position. In this position, you can place the patient head into the chin rest and align the eyes with the two dark lines on the frame of the chin rest.
2. Next, move the slit lamp with the light on and the slit only a small to moderate sliver vertically aligned. With your eyes away from the oculars, move the slit lamp back and forth until the slit image is as sharp as it can be on the cornea.
3. Oh yes, make sure that the room light isn't too dark. The overhead lights should be off and the door shut (to eliminate the Purkinje images of the door and the hallway.
4. Using the lowest magnification, make sure the patient's eye is in your central field of view. At this mag, you can inspect the eye completle without moving the slit lamp.
5. Play with the illumination by broadening the slit image.
6. I find the higher magnifications difficult for beginning users. By concentrating on the low mag, your learning slope should be easier.
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   HTH,
   Richard
   

   Originally posted by JPFL75
   Hey optometry folks...I'm currently a transitional year intern who will be continuing with my ophthalmology residency next year...I am currently doing my ophthalmology elective and am having a heck of a time using the slit lamp and phoropter...can anybody give me some helpful pointers...I am well aware that OD and EyeMD phoropters are slightly different...so any amount of help will be appreciated..thanks...and btw, I'm not an OD hater or EyeMD elitist...I just want some help with this stuff...thanks

 

[Eyegirl2k7]

I'm as busy as a bee, just like rpames.

ICO is a love hate relationship for me. There are days when I'd like to stay there forever, just to learn more and see more (like yesterday, when I had my first clinic observation). Somedays I'm so fascinated, I can't bear to leave the classroom. And there are days when I'd just like to get the hell out of there (like today, when we had double physiology and double sensory).

Living in Chicago has been an experience. I've never mistrusted people so much in my life. Nothing terrible has happened to me yet, fortunately. That shooting was also five blocks from MY house, however.

I do have to say that I've never done so much in 24 hours before. All in all it's rewarding despite its challenges and I do not regret my decision at all to come to ICO.

Luv,
Eyegirl

 

[Reality check]

Challenges in your first 2 weeks huh?
Just wait --you haven't seen anything yet as far as challenges go.
After your 4 rollercoaster years you come and tell me how rewarding your OD will be?
I'll be waiting .................

RC

 

[cpw]

Originally posted by Reality check
Challenges in your first 2 weeks huh?
Just wait --you haven't seen anything yet as far as challenges go.
After your 4 rollercoaster years you come and tell me how rewarding your OD will be?
I'll be waiting .................

RC

we get it.. you're bitter. You've said so NUMEROUS times. let eyegirl enjoy her first year.