how time consuming is optometry school?

[gsinccom]

Hi yall,

I am new to this forum. I was a pre-med student and have been looking at optometry and law school now. I was drawn to optometry because of lifestyle issues. Basically it appears to provide a better lifestyle than an MD, and I'm not talking about $ issues but those such as time for family and other interests outside of work, on-call, hours per week, etc.

How time consuming is optometry school and does it depend on the school itself? Are there differences in the quarter system schools versus the semester based schools? From what I've seen it looks like you'll spend 25-30 hours in class/lab/clinic each week; is this correct? I'm a bit confused cause comparing SCO's curriculum to Pacific's curriculum it looks like Pacific requires there first year students to spend almost 10 hours more in class in each week. Which seems insane to me. Is this true? This seems very comparable to medical school! Why do you hear so many people say that optometry school and dental school aren't as hard as med school?

How much time do most people study outside of class? I have to admit that going from 18-20 hours a week in undergrad classes/labs to 30 hours is a bit intimidating(but doable)...and 35 hours a week a bit depressing!

any help...advice...insight is greatly appreciated....

Thanks.

Oh yeah...how much time (hours, days, weeks, months...) should one study for the OAT to obtain a 330-350 score?

thanks again

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[stevec]

Well I'm a first year student at SCO, and so far its about like undergrad biology...maybe like a harder semester in undergrad biology. I was in general/chemical engineering for 2 years of my undergrad before switching to biology and so far its way the heck easier than that was. The professors tell me it will be much harder than Clemson, but so far I'm not really seeing it. We've only had 2 exams so far though, and one more is coming up on Friday. At SCO, they kind of ease you into it from what I hear. The first year, each of the three quarters gets progressively harder. The second year is tough. Third year it gets a little bit better and stays about the same. Some schools may hit you hard at first and then ease off more. Ask this again later and maybe I can give you a better assessment.

One thing about optometry school vs undergrad is there's not a whole lot of competition like there is in undergrad. They want everyone to pass, and you are supposed to be tested for mastery of material. The B/C student and the A student both get to be optometrists, so there's less pressure to be the best and get that A.

edit: I just added up how much time I'm actually spending in class, and I get about 18 hours, but we're technically taking 20 credit hours. Two of my labs never last as long as they are scheduled for.

 

[gsinccom]

steve, thanks for your response. Was SCO your first choice? I am debating between SCCO and SCO. I am WICHE PSEP eligible (and I prefer SCCO over Pacific mainly because of curriculum differences and SCCO friendly admissions staff) and SCO also has a lot of scholarships available. I like Houston too but have been a bit disapointed in the communication between there admissions staff and myself and they are a bit more money cause I'm not a texas resident!

Any advice on OAT prep?

18 hours of class time that doesn't sound bad at all. So it will get more time consuming, you say? What about out of class time?

thanks

 

[cpw]

don't let the front desk dissuade you from Houston.. they're notoriously grumpy, but the rest of the faculty (the not front-desk people) are GREAT !

 

[Canadian26]

I was wondering about texas myself actually. But they require pre-reqs that arent even avaliable here. Like antaomy and phisyology with a lab, none of the antamoy or phsyl courses here have labs...

 

[still_confused]

I was wondering about texas myself actually. But they require pre-reqs that arent even avaliable here. Like antaomy and phisyology with a lab, none of the antamoy or phsyl courses here have labs...

yeah im facing that problem too, esepcially where i am at, physiology classes are restricted to physiology majors only! grrrr...


anyways, im not in opt school (yet cross fingers) but like everything in life, its depends on you. some people can get away studying less then others. on a forum like this, you will definetly get a wide spectrum of opinions. and as far as its as hard as med school, the gerneral format is the same (2 year classroom 2 year clinical) i think it totally depend on the person. i plan on studying alot (above and beyond) while others may be able to do well with less. if you really like opt, studying shouldnt dissuade you, you need to know the material! we will be dealing with other ppl's healths so we are expected to study into the night in order to provide the best care possible!


good luck!

 

[RLK]

Just don't let it cut into your drinking time. 🙂

 

[drmhyde]

Time consuming??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Your kidding right?
Life is over as you know it!
well..at least the first two years.

 

[stevec]

steve, thanks for your response. Was SCO your first choice? I am debating between SCCO and SCO. I am WICHE PSEP eligible (and I prefer SCCO over Pacific mainly because of curriculum differences and SCCO friendly admissions staff) and SCO also has a lot of scholarships available. I like Houston too but have been a bit disapointed in the communication between there admissions staff and myself and they are a bit more money cause I'm not a texas resident!

Any advice on OAT prep?

18 hours of class time that doesn't sound bad at all. So it will get more time consuming, you say? What about out of class time?

thanks

Well I didn't really have a "first choice" before applying. SCO and UAB both are the only contract schools my state has (this means lower tuition) and both seemed like great schools so those were the only places I applied. I don't remember the exact figures but students at both schools typically do way above average on the boards, rather stellar I do believe. So far SCO has exceeded my expectations. The faculty and students are wonderful. Last I checked SCO actually had students from more states than anywhere else. My advisor actually called me up after a bad quiz and wondered how I was doing. Weird but nice. My advisor said we could sleep on the couch in his office. I'm having lunch with him next week, and we're playing racquetball in a while too. People actually care here. They want you to do well. The clinic at SCO is top notch and very busy with a great location to serve Memphis. Just about anything wrong with the eye walks through those doors at some point.

Memphis definately has its bad parts, but it has good parts too. It's a fun place. I live on the Mississippi River about 12 minutes from campus and it's beautiful where I live. If you ever go to SCO for an interview try to get out to Mud Island to see what it looks like. Lots of students live there.

I prepped for the OAT by studying KAPLAN MCAT books and doing a few practice OATs. I know Kaplan does those test drives. MCAT covers mostly the same material, but the OAT is much easier.

It's hard to say how much I study outside of class time. I don't feel like I'm over worked. It's really starting to heat up now with 1 or 2 exams a week in the coming weeks.

Here's a few pics from my first week or so in Memphis:
http://people.clemson.edu/~cresss/

 

[gsinccom]

Steve and you all,

thanks again for your response. I'm a bit confused. You say you spend 18 hours(20 credits) in class/lab. On SCO's website course catalog it says the first semester first year is 26 hours(20 credits) in class/lab.

Course # Course Title Credit Hours LectureHours Lab/ClinicHours

Fall Quarter

BIO 110
Human Gross Anatomy
5
4
2

BIO 113
Histology
3
3
-

BIO 116
Optics of the Eye I
5
4
2

BIO 118
Monocular Sensory Processes
4
3
2

BIO 119
Biochemistry
2
2
-

OPT 111
Introduction to Optometry
1
1
-


Total
20cr

could you fill me in on what I'm missing here, please?

What are some of the drawbacks of Memphis - "its bad parts"? How is the cost of living? What I've seen is Houston is actually very low cost of living. Not quite sure if I can get into Houston though cause of missing pre-reqs and also cause it will cost more than SCO.

So you hear that it gets more time consuming after the first semester? It does though seem like you can have a life outside of school, which is good! How are summers at SCO? many schools seem to have a summer semester after the second year and before the third but SCO looks like they don't require the summer until the 4th year.

What about contacs? Why do some schools have 2 courses in these and others 4 courses. personally I don't want to spend all of my time relegated to contacs cases but also I know I'll need to be trained in them.

And to you all....I've heard that optometry school and dental school are less time consuming than medical school. But many of you seem to be saying that isn't the case. Thoughts?
I've heard the 3rd year of medical school is definetley harder than the 3rd year optometry and/or dental school. How is the 3rd year of optometry? The 4th year? I've heard the 4th year of medical school is the easiest!

later...ya'll

 

[stevec]

All that stuff about hours at SCO

I still don't see how you're getting 26. If you count it up like SCO does it you should get 23 hours in actual class first quarter. Apparently they round up a 50 minute class and call it an hour. Furthermore, we get out of 2 of our labs way early. In conclusion, if I count up the hours literally (as in hours actually physically spent in class), I still get about 18 (maybe 18.16).

In response to your other questions:

You can have a life outside of school at SCO, but don't expect to party every night if that's what you mean.

We have all our classes in a row in the mornings. We start at 8 every day but Wednesday (9). Labs are at 12:30 various days, but we can start anatomy and msp labs early if we want.

I got a letter a while back about some kind of curriculum change. I think at SCO we do something or other in the clinic one summer when originally we got it off, so maybe the website isn't updated? Gosh, I'm not really sure. I should probably know that.

The cost of living in Memphis is rather low. One of my roommates from Colorado thinks the apartment like the one we have in Memphis would cost way more there, like 500+ per person when we're paying 342 per person for a nice place. By getting a student discount and putting 4 people in an apartment we have the cheapest way to live on Mud Island. The cost of living can be even lower in the south but any optometry school I can think of is in a city which should boost it a bit. Back in Clemson, I can get an even roomier apartment for about 310-320 a month that's fully furnished.

About the contact stuff, ummm gosh. I wouldn't have even thought about that. I have no idea.

Don't go to south Memphis, and don't go out at night by yourself. This is a city. On the news I'm always hearing about some robbery, carjacking, or violent crime, but most of that is in south Memphis. Just this August a girl was crossing the street right in front of the school and got mugged in broad daylight. They got out of a car, pushed her down, took her bookbag, and sped off. Mud Island is probably the safest place you can live. It's so close yet you have a buffer between you and the rest of the city. See Mud Island here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=memphis,+tn&ll=35.158863,-90.048666&spn=0.037665,0.069961&hl=en

If you do anything downtown you have to pay to park somewhere, so that kind of sucks. Elsewhere in the city is free parking. Don't get me wrong, this is the birth place of rock and roll and home of the blues. There are fun things to see and do. Mud Island is gorgeous and makes you feel like you're in a resort almost, yet its right across a short bridge to downtown.

Everything else I think I can't really answer, or I've already answered as best I can. Hope this helps.

 

[gsinccom]

Steve,

you are right it is 23 hours. I must have been going off SCCO's web based catalog curriculum stuff. I apologize. Could you give me an idea of what your weekly schedule is like - M-Fr from 8am to 5pm with classes/labs, etc.

Any other feedback on my other questions? Also, what is SCO known for as a school? I hear all these people bragging about Houston being the best in clinical training...what is SCO's claim to fame in your opinion?

thanks again.

 

[stevec]

You're quick. See the edited post above.

 

[stevec]

By the way, I haven't looked into the University of Houston College of Optometry specifically, but I have lived in Houston for 9 weeks not too far from there. I lived at a dorm at Rice and worked at Baylor College of Medicine. The area of Houston right around the Texas Medical Center is nicer looking than Memphis, but I hear that is a really nice part of Houston. Houston seemed like mostly one big sprawl, but again (only there 9 weeks). Houston is going to be hotter too. It was SO HOT! Memphis definately has more character if that counts for anything, but the crime is probably worse here. You'd have to check on that to be sure.

 

[chester]

Hi yall,

I am new to this forum. I was a pre-med student and have been looking at optometry and law school now. I was drawn to optometry because of lifestyle issues. Basically it appears to provide a better lifestyle than an MD, and I'm not talking about $ issues but those such as time for family and other interests outside of work, on-call, hours per week, etc.

How time consuming is optometry school and does it depend on the school itself? Are there differences in the quarter system schools versus the semester based schools? From what I've seen it looks like you'll spend 25-30 hours in class/lab/clinic each week; is this correct? I'm a bit confused cause comparing SCO's curriculum to Pacific's curriculum it looks like Pacific requires there first year students to spend almost 10 hours more in class in each week. Which seems insane to me. Is this true? This seems very comparable to medical school! Why do you hear so many people say that optometry school and dental school aren't as hard as med school?

How much time do most people study outside of class? I have to admit that going from 18-20 hours a week in undergrad classes/labs to 30 hours is a bit intimidating(but doable)...and 35 hours a week a bit depressing!

any help...advice...insight is greatly appreciated....

Thanks.

Oh yeah...how much time (hours, days, weeks, months...) should one study for the OAT to obtain a 330-350 score?

thanks again

I'm a first year at Pacific, and right now, we're in our 3rd week of school. Mostly everything has been review of undergrad material (I was biology major). Things are rapidly picking up pace and profs are moving into new material. Basically, we have 4 hours of lecture/day, and about 8 hours of lab per week. As for the difficulty of exams, can't say yet becuase we haven't had any mid terms yet. The labs and lectures compliment each other quite well so far. One unique thing about Pacific is their attitude; laid back personalities of profs/staff, but serous about education. We have a person from our class elected as "faculty rep" and he/she coordinates the exam schedule. Sort of like a link between the students of the class and the professors. This faculty rep talks with the profs about moving midterms/quizes so we don't have two midterms in a row, or two midterms in two days. So far, our rep has worked out our mid term schedule so we don't have more than two midterms in one week. The point is, Pacific wants their students to do well. Tutors are readily available, and profs are very easy to get a hold of.

 

[sco1styear]

Steve,

you are right it is 23 hours. I must have been going off SCCO's web based catalog curriculum stuff. I apologize. Could you give me an idea of what your weekly schedule is like - M-Fr from 8am to 5pm with classes/labs, etc.

Any other feedback on my other questions? Also, what is SCO known for as a school? I hear all these people bragging about Houston being the best in clinical training...what is SCO's claim to fame in your opinion?

thanks again.

SCO's claim to fame is our clinic...it's thought to be the largest in the country. I would highly recommend trying to come visit it, it's really amazing.
As for crime, the event that happened around the school is the first time something has happened in several years. It was really schocking and not a regular occurance. I've never felt unsafe around the school (and I'm female).
The school is right by downtown so you do get the occasional bums walking by and that sort of thing that you expect in larger cities (esp. in the south). UT's health programs and dental programs are right down the road. We also have security guards that watch the parking lots and don't let anyone in the building with our classes/labs without the appropriate ID.

p.s. You have lots of free time during 1st year...second year, not so much!

 

[gsinccom]

Hi ya'll.

I really appreciate all of your feedback.

Other than character....how does Houston area cost of living compare to Memphis? Web searches make Houston seem a bit more reasonable.

Chester, I had actually ruled out Pacific cause of the following link and because I've been unable to get an explanation on it from anyone in the admissions office (I guess the assistant director of admissions/recruiting just left (Goodwin) and a new lady replaced him)http://opt.pacificu.edu/test/pulldown5/index.html. If you'll see my very first entry to start this forum you'll be able to tell how I was freaked out about spending 35 hours in class/lab/clinic in my first year at pacific. You say you spend about 28 hours in class, which is still alot but is better than 35. But still I wonder why at SCO I can do 18 hours a week and get the same type of education. Any further explanation/thoughts you can give me would be great. What are your thoughts on Pacific vs. SCCO? What is Pacific's claim to fame? I will be applying to SCO for sure and am WICHE PSEP eligible so need too decide if I prefer Pacific or SCCO. Up to this point I was leaning to SCCO because of their helpful admissions people and what I percieved to be a more friendly(less credit hours per term) curriculum. I'd rather live in the Portland area though than in Cali. I have heard some people say the clinic at Pacific is lacking when you compare it to other schools. What is your thought. What is everyone's thoughts on the quarter system schools vs. the semester system schools. I'd been leaning to a preference toward the quarters system like SCCO and SCO have but am curious to what you all think. Another thing that puzzles me about Pacific is that they normally have a lot fewer applicants than the other schools and I wonder why. Best yet, I am aware of a few optometrists in my area that graduated from Pacific so I need to talk to them too. Any idea of the cost of living in Forest Grove and surrounding communities and how it may compare to Memphis? I know it will be less than SCCO area🙂

Any thoughts...ya'll on how busy the 3rd year of opt school is in comparrison to med school. I've heard that is the real difference between med and dental/opt is that the third year is hell at med. Also you hear opt residencies and jobs aren't bad but med residencies and jobs can be insane(unless your in derm or patho or opthamology)!

sco1st year and chester...how did you two prep for the OAT and for how long(hours, days, weeks, months...)

thnks again..ya'll you are all so super helpful

 

[sco1styear]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but SCO is switching to semesters. Don't ask me why..I'm sure they have their reasons but I personally like the quarter system because you never have to deal with one class for too terribly long, the quarters go by really fast.
Luckily for me, I'm not affected by it, it starts with the class 2009.

The cost of living in Memphis is supposed to be extremely low for a city of its size. I don't know how it compares to Houston but you can check out this link http://www.sco.edu/about/memphis.html

As for comparing third year...I think it varies not only in the different professions but also throughout the different schools. I know for SCO after second year (the dreaded year) it really isn't supposed to be that bad because you are basically just in clinic (with a couple of courses). I also know that for the dental school here in memphis, the first year is supposed to be the worst and after that it's supposed to be pretty easy. At least that's what one dental student told me.

Last thing, prepping for the OAT...I just bought an MCAT book and reviewed. I didn't spend near the time I should have so I'm not a good source of info!

 

[gsinccom]

I agree with you...although I have no experience with the optometry setting the quarters system approach appears favorable.
thoughts from the rest of ya on this and previous entry stuff?

thanks

 

[pre_opt_sku]

I agree with you...although I have no experience with the optometry setting the quarters system approach appears favorable.
thoughts from the rest of ya on this and previous entry stuff?

thanks

To study for the OAT, I just used my old notes and text books. That got me a 360 AA and 360 TS...

 

[stevec]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but SCO is switching to semesters. Don't ask me why..I'm sure they have their reasons but I personally like the quarter system because you never have to deal with one class for too terribly long, the quarters go by really fast.
Luckily for me, I'm not affected by it, it starts with the class 2009.

I'm class of 2009 and we have quarters. I'm not aware of a switch. This is news to me. The online catalog still reflects quarters.

 

[stevec]

I thought of something else you might consider when comparing SCO to some of the western schools. SCO does have people from almost all over, but I'd say there is definately a slant towards the eastern US and mid-America historically and with the current student population. Because of this, there are very few externship sites out west, and if you want to live out west in the future you might feel more of a connection with that region and its optometrists if you actually go to school out there. I don't know if this really matters or not, but just something to think about.

 

[sco1styear]

I'm class of 2009 and we have quarters. I'm not aware of a switch. This is news to me. The online catalog still reflects quarters.

Supposedly you guys will be going to school throughout the summer after your second year. Whereas my class has that summer off.
Don't know if it's official, just a rumor. Like I'm sure you've heard "be careful of the rumor mill".

 

[Canadian26]

PCO was actually at my Uni today... one of things I dont understand about the school is that they require 9 credits (i.e. 3 courses) in english.. where most other schools 6 is enough... I dont know if its just an attempt to be different. Pacific is also privately owned which accounts for they're low rate, and I think they're fairly new as well. Their average GPA was 3.4 last year...

I was looking to SCO as well, it seems like a fairly good program and the advisors are very nice. I havent really looked at SCCO in depth 2 much, but I like the school.

Has anyone checked out Indiana? I had a friend tell me its a good school, but I dont know anyones whose actuallly gone there??

 

[r_salis]

Supposedly you guys will be going to school throughout the summer after your second year. Whereas my class has that summer off.
Don't know if it's official, just a rumor. Like I'm sure you've heard "be careful of the rumor mill".

I wouldn't be surprised if that were true -- SUNY just switched to having 2nd years go through the summer this year. My class was the first lucky group to have it. 🙁

 

[cpw]

UHCO has gone through second summer for years !! welcome to the club !! 🙂 The only summer we got off was between first and second year.

 

[chester]

Hi ya'll.

I really appreciate all of your feedback.

Other than character....how does Houston area cost of living compare to Memphis? Web searches make Houston seem a bit more reasonable.

Chester, I had actually ruled out Pacific cause of the following link and because I've been unable to get an explanation on it from anyone in the admissions office (I guess the assistant director of admissions/recruiting just left (Goodwin) and a new lady replaced him)http://opt.pacificu.edu/test/pulldown5/index.html. If you'll see my very first entry to start this forum you'll be able to tell how I was freaked out about spending 35 hours in class/lab/clinic in my first year at pacific. You say you spend about 28 hours in class, which is still alot but is better than 35. But still I wonder why at SCO I can do 18 hours a week and get the same type of education. Any further explanation/thoughts you can give me would be great. What are your thoughts on Pacific vs. SCCO? What is Pacific's claim to fame? I will be applying to SCO for sure and am WICHE PSEP eligible so need too decide if I prefer Pacific or SCCO. Up to this point I was leaning to SCCO because of their helpful admissions people and what I percieved to be a more friendly(less credit hours per term) curriculum. I'd rather live in the Portland area though than in Cali. I have heard some people say the clinic at Pacific is lacking when you compare it to other schools. What is your thought. What is everyone's thoughts on the quarter system schools vs. the semester system schools. I'd been leaning to a preference toward the quarters system like SCCO and SCO have but am curious to what you all think. Another thing that puzzles me about Pacific is that they normally have a lot fewer applicants than the other schools and I wonder why. Best yet, I am aware of a few optometrists in my area that graduated from Pacific so I need to talk to them too. Any idea of the cost of living in Forest Grove and surrounding communities and how it may compare to Memphis? I know it will be less than SCCO area🙂

Any thoughts...ya'll on how busy the 3rd year of opt school is in comparrison to med school. I've heard that is the real difference between med and dental/opt is that the third year is hell at med. Also you hear opt residencies and jobs aren't bad but med residencies and jobs can be insane(unless your in derm or patho or opthamology)!

sco1st year and chester...how did you two prep for the OAT and for how long(hours, days, weeks, months...)

thnks again..ya'll you are all so super helpful

If SCO has fewer credits, it is because they're a quarter school. Trust me, it is just as much work. I went to a quarter school for undergrad, and it has a much faster pace, you take more final exams, more midterms. One thing I liked about SCCO is that it is quarters. All in all, I think all schools will test you on the same material. One nice thing about Pacific is that the profs thus far have told us WHY they are teaching us something....because it is on NBEO. Otherwise, why the hell do I have to know about volume of distribution of a drug?
I was accepted to SCCO and Pacific. I'm at pacific now. It was a difficult decision, but it came down to location. I'm closer to home, and beautiful coast. And Portland is cool! Good music scene, and good bars/clubs. One thing about Pacific...they're website stinks. Don't think the school is disorganized and out of date because they're website is funky. In August, Pacific got BRAND NEW equipment for they're campus clinic, the exam lanes we get to learn/play in, all the "sattelite clinics" in the portland area. It's all new, and all very very nice. There's also a bunch of new technology in the clinics...lasers, and other crazy stuff (I can't remember what the stuff is called).
Some unique things about Pacific is stuff that I've hear from upper class students. It is a well rounded education, focusing on behavioral optometry AND medical optometry. There are external clinic rotations available in almost every state...and students choose three locations, and there is a lottery. The selection process doesn't not depend on GPA, which is what some other schools do. I think the lottery system is a good idea, it is more fair. I don't know why Pacific's applicant pool is less than other schools'. It might be related to the website. We have a lot of Canadian students here. It is cheap to live in Forest Grove...anywhere from $275-$375/month, and utilities are pretty cheap here.
Lastly, your question about the OAT...i didn't prep very much. Maybe 3-4 weeks of lazy, distracted, barely productive studying. I didn't do very well on the OAT. My other qualifications got me into school. that oat is beeyatch.

 

[UABopt]

UHCO has gone through second summer for years !! welcome to the club !! 🙂 The only summer we got off was between first and second year.

Consider yourselves lucky, at UAB we go to school the summers between 1st and 2nd year, 2nd and 3rd year and yes even between 3rd and 4th year.... The grass is always greener I guess.

 

[ProZackMI]

I would guess that there aren't too many graduate/professional programs out there, with maybe the exception of chiropractic school, that doesn't require an exceptional amount of study/preparation time as well as actual classroom time.

If you're interested in optometry school, and you gave some really good reasons why you are, and if you're willing to put up with four years of hell, then you'll do fine. One of the posters mentioned less pressure and competition, which is true, but professional school can often lead to study seclusion and social withdrawal. Successful students are those who can appropriately balance school and fun.

One thing I did in medical and law school was to (unless I simply could not do so), reserve at least one day per week for myself, not academics. Usually it was Saturday. I saw movies, went out on dates, cleaned my apartment, went for a drive, went shopping -- anything to get away from books and labs. Try to balance your social life with your academic life and you'll be successful, no matter if it's medical, optometry, law, dental, pharmacy, or podiatric school. You're only young once, enjoy your youth and your life.

Good luck!

 

[gsinccom]

Zack,

Thanks for your advice. It is valuable and you definetly have much experience. I'm also curious to know what your career aspirations are? I see your an MD/JD...I considered that route too.

I'm more hoping to hear the difference in time requirements between med and opt school. They appear very similar the first two years but I hear 3rd year med is hell where as 3rd year opt isn't bad at all (40 hours+/- a week) I've also heard the same about residencies. That primary care residencies are hell and opt residencies aren't bad. I have no desire to do surgery and so therefore am deciding between primary care medicine and opt.
please anyone else feel free to comment🙂

thanks

thanks

 

[still_confused]

I have no desire to do surgery and so therefore am deciding between primary care medicine and opt.

it pretty much came down to that for me too. since i am interested in vision, i consider myself very lucky that there is an optometry route that offers what i want along with a shorter school period. if i were to be a doctor (MD) i wouldve gone opth and primary care, doing exactly what opts do, so i guess my path is chosen !

good luck on your decision

 

[gsinccom]

what have you heard about the 3rd year of opt school as compared to med as well as the first and second year?
thanks
i'm a bit confused on your post though, why would have done opth if you went med...you said you don't want surgery - aren't all opth residents trained for surgery even if they are a general opth? isn't that essentially the difference between an opt and opth docs?
thanks again
a curiousity...do you actually disect an eye at optometry school?

 

[still_confused]

im doing opt because i dont want to do surgery, i just want to do primary care for vision, if there were no such thing as opt, i wouldve gone med to do opth and do primary care when i got out, i think of opt as my "shortcut" hehe

i have heard nothing about the third year in comparison with one another, but i know opt is no walk in the park either.

 

[Kristene9]

I'm a first year at UAB and I like it. Just like any school it has its high points and low points. Let me know if you have any questions about it.

 

[ProZackMI]

Zack,

Thanks for your advice. It is valuable and you definetly have much experience. I'm also curious to know what your career aspirations are? I see your an MD/JD...I considered that route too.

I'm more hoping to hear the difference in time requirements between med and opt school. They appear very similar the first two years but I hear 3rd year med is hell where as 3rd year opt isn't bad at all (40 hours+/- a week) I've also heard the same about residencies. That primary care residencies are hell and opt residencies aren't bad. I have no desire to do surgery and so therefore am deciding between primary care medicine and opt.
please anyone else feel free to comment🙂

thanks

thanks

Everything you do in life has a price tag attached to it. School is no different. I think the real question here is not whether optometry school is LESS demanding than medical school (I cannot answer that since I've never been to OD school), but what you want to do with your life. My story is not as unique as I thought it was, but you can't learn from my experiences because we are each different and we each have different dreams and goals.

If you want to be an optometrist, you'll have four years of professional school hell. There's no doubt about it. For me, medical school and law were both very demanding. However, as hard as it was, I still kept my friends, went on dates, maintained my apartment/condo, and continued to live my life as a human being. I was just very busy with reading, labs, studying for exams, etc.

Based on things I've heard, and NOT on first hand experience, medical school seems to be more competitive and more demanding than optometry school. Medical school also allows the medical graduate to pursue many interests and career possibilities, whereas optometry school limits you to practicing optometry and little else.

That means you need to be sitting down and asking yourself if you want to go through opt school for 4 years and then passing the boards and then practicing in that discipline until you retire or move into another career. For me, I went through medical school and hated it. I hated every minute of it. I hated residency. However, I kept it up and stayed with it and graduated. I passed the USMLEX I and II. I completed an IM and Psych residency. I was still unhappy, so I went to law school. I plan on taking the bar exam in February and practicing law. However, there are many options available to me with an MD alone. I don't think that would be true if I had an OD. I know a few MDs, DDSs, DVMs, PharmDs, and JDs who decided not to practice in their field, and were able to find related but different careers in academia, insurance, regulation, public health, research, pharmaceuticals, etc. I don't know how much transferability an OD, DPM, or DC has in these areas, unless you go into optometric education or research, etc. (for the OD).

Don't worry about how much time your education will take or how many hours per week you'll be studying. Don't look for the easy way out -- look for what you really want and factor in your future. The easy way out is never the right path to take.
Good luck,
Zack

 

[ProZackMI]

Zack,

Thanks for your advice. It is valuable and you definetly have much experience. I'm also curious to know what your career aspirations are? I see your an MD/JD...I considered that route too.

I'm more hoping to hear the difference in time requirements between med and opt school. They appear very similar the first two years but I hear 3rd year med is hell where as 3rd year opt isn't bad at all (40 hours+/- a week) I've also heard the same about residencies. That primary care residencies are hell and opt residencies aren't bad. I have no desire to do surgery and so therefore am deciding between primary care medicine and opt.
please anyone else feel free to comment🙂

thanks

thanks

I don't mean to pry here, but your post implies that you're looking for an easier route to a successful career in healthcare. The bad news is that there is no real, true easy way out (e.g., avoiding a lot of studying, exams, etc.). I cannot objectively compare medical school to other professional schools (e.g., opt, pharm, dental, podiatric, vet), but based on things I've heard from those who have dual degrees (MD/DVM, MD/DDS, MD/OD), medical school tends to be more demanding and more competitive. I am not sure why, but that is what I've heard from only a select few people. One my friends from medical school went to Ferris State University Michigan College of Optometry for two years, then transferred to MSU's Osteopathic medical school. I went to MSU College of Human Medicine (MSU is the only school with an MD and DO school) and the allopathic students and the osteopathic students take many of the same classes together. My friend finished his DO and went on do to a PM&R residency in Washington State. Anyway, he did tell me that optometry school was much easier than medical school, but it was still demanding and time consuming.

He mentioned that many of the optometry students seemed to be from optometry families and were going to practice with fathers/uncles/brothers, etc., or were going to work with older more experienced ODs. There seemed to be a strong sense of tradition and loyalty to the field, unlike medicine today (it used to be like that, but not anymore).

Like I said in my previous post, if this question is a burning one for you, maybe you should consider becoming a PA or NP. I really think you should talk to some experienced optometrists, family practice physicians (both MD and DO), and ophthalmologists, in the state you wish to practice in, and see what they say and what they recommend.

Also, consider future job satisfaction, income, student loan expenses, areas of specialization, transferrability of skills, etc. I mean no disrespect to ODs, but an OD degree is basically only good to practice optometry. With an MD, you can do much more than practice medicine. You can work in medical practice management, medical insurance reviews, teaching in medical, pharmacy, dental, vet, optometry, and chiro schools, Social Security Disability/Worker's Comp adjudication, reviewing medical information for attorneys, etc. If you're an MD and you practice as a psychiatrist and hate it, you can respecialize through additional residency work, and become a dermatologist or cardiologist. If you're an OD, you can go into a few areas, but you can't switch over to a dramatically different field like ophthamology to neurology to physical medicine to anatomic pathology.

Another friend of mine from med school did a residency in pediatrics and hated it. She went back and did a residency in pathology and now works a medical examiner. Her jobs is basically 9-5, she doesn't need medical practice insurance, she doesn't have to worry about billing issues and hiring nurses and aides. She makes 95K a year and enjoys the peace her job gives her. Personally, I wouldn't want that job, but she likes it. So, having that option is a great thing. Same thing is true in law. You can start off working as a prosecutor somewhere, working in the criminal law arena, and then move over into corporate contract work, or maybe even intellectual property depending on one's background. With an MD or JD, you have a ton of options available to you. With an OD, you're limited to optometry and optometry/vision related fields.

 

[Eyegirl2k7]

I haven't really noticed that 3rd year is easier--although I was told that it would be by my colleagues. It depends on how much you go to class, I think--and I like to go most of the time. Except for binocular vision. That may be because I am crazy busy though--i have two jobs and I'm taking an elective course this term. You definetly feel like you have more responsibility with your patients.

I'm still going to class, going to lab etc...the only difference is we have one test a week now vs three.

The subject matter is definetly more interesting🙂

Off to work (yawn).
Eyegirl.

 

[gsinccom]

two jobs....wowsers....

 

[JennyJet]

Hi yall,

I am new to this forum. I was a pre-med student and have been looking at optometry and law school now. ....

Hi gsinccom. I'm a first year at UCBSO and loving it! I'm 5 weeks in. I currently have 17.5 credit units which equates to 11 hours in lecture and 10 hours in lab. I also work 5 hours on Friday and up to 8 hours on Saturday. We just had our first test in optics on Thursday. So far this semester has been very manageable. I have lots of breaks between classes to socialize and/or study. There's always a social event to go to every week, and yet there's plenty of time to study.

We're taking optics, visual perception, and eye anatomy. We also get exposed to clinical training from day one. We have a small class size and we pull together to get through tough subject matters. It's a really nice family atmosphere.

I've heard 2nd year is hell. Classes and clinicals get harder. Board exams loom upon us. 3rd year gets easier classroom wise. Most of 3rd year is spent in the clinic examing real patients. 4th year is all rotations.

Well, I hope this helps. If you want to come visit, UCBSO is now holding tours almost every Friday. http://spectacle.berkeley.edu/admissions/admittours.html
If you happen to sign up, you may meet me on the pre-clinical portion of the tour.

Good luck!