How many volunteering/shadowing hours should you have when applying?

[Yazo]

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Hi,

I'm currently a freshman that just finished his first semester, so I'm going to be looking around for such opportunities. Over the next few years, how many hours should I aim for?

Thanks so much. 🙂

 

[icedjanuary]

I've been told that 20 hours seems to be a minimum. That being said I've seen a lot of applicants here having >100 shadowing hours! hahah personally I applied having around 30 hours.
However I think it's much more helpful to have shadowed several ODs in different locations so you can see different patient populations, practice management, etc. You'll learn a lot and see why this profession can be a beautiful fit for you 🙂

 

[Dsgrntldbadger]

When I visited PCO, they told me that they recommended ~50 in a competitive candidate. That being said, I only had about 30 hours of shadowing time. After that, I stopped having the time to shadow, but I guess I might have made it up by working at Lenscrafters as a Production technician.

 

[Yazo]

I've been told that 20 hours seems to be a minimum. That being said I've seen a lot of applicants here having >100 shadowing hours! hahah personally I applied having around 30 hours.
However I think it's much more helpful to have shadowed several ODs in different locations so you can see different patient populations, practice management, etc. You'll learn a lot and see why this profession can be a beautiful fit for you 🙂

When I visited PCO, they told me that they recommended ~50 in a competitive candidate. That being said, I only had about 30 hours of shadowing time. After that, I stopped having the time to shadow, but I guess I might have made it up by working at Lenscrafters as a Production technician.

Thanks for the posts, that's comforting to hear. I was scared for a bit that it was similar to med school where they'd expect you to have 200+ hours. 😛

 

[astone26]

I had 32.5 hours when I applied, but I met a few people who had over 100. Around 30 seemed average.

 

[SunA21]

I was scared for a bit that it was similar to med school where they'd expect you to have 200+ hours. 😛

I don't think med schools expect you to have nearly that many - it's pretty difficult to get shadowing opportunities when you're not a med student. But yeah, I had about 50 hrs when applying, which I got over the course of 2 years. Definitely agree with icedjanuary, try to shadow as many different kinds of optometrists as you can! Then you'll have a better understanding of the field and more to talk about in your personal statement/interviews.

 

[PrettyOD]

Hey Yazo!
I don't know that every school has an exact requirement. The purpose is really just to get exposure so you know what the field is like. For your own sake. You wouldn't want to blindly go into a field you knew nothing about. Through shadowing you may realize one of two things. One, "This is not for me." Or two, "Wow I really see myself here in optometry." I agree with SunA21, I think it also looks really good when you shadow different optometry settings. There's a whole bunch like private, group, commercial, military base, OD + MD partnered office, vision therapy. Enough hours is when you've gotten a good feel for optometry and/or quite possibly enough to ask a doctor to write up a nice LOR for you. And of course, you will be able to write a colourful statement and deliver an eloquent interview with your knowledge of optometry gained. Lots of bonuses to shadowing. Way to be ahead of the game! Cheers!