Is an Optometry Tech clinical experience?

[Plue00]

I was wondering if adcoms considered being an optometry technician a clinical job/experience. I am graduating soon and I am looking for a medically related job during my gap year.

Is an optometry tech a good position to do during my gap year or should I keep looking for medical assistant / lab tech positions?

Thanks for all the help!

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[NickNaylor]

Sure, but I would try and supplement that experience with some more traditional medical experience. Since optometrists follow a different training pathway and are not MDs/DOs, some might take issue with that if that's your sole clinical experience.

 

[deleted407021]

I second Nick. I recommend trying a free clinic. In fact, some of the ODs you work with may have connections with one. PM me if you have any questions about them.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I was wondering if adcoms considered being an optometry technician a clinical job/experience. I am graduating soon and I am looking for a medically related job during my gap year.

Is an optometry tech a good position to do during my gap year or should I keep looking for medical assistant / lab tech positions?

Thanks for all the help!

If you are getting close to patients, enough that you can "smell the patients" as LizzyM says then it is good.

 

[Catalystik]

I was wondering if adcoms considered being an optometry technician a clinical job/experience. I am graduating soon and I am looking for a medically related job during my gap year.

Is an optometry tech a good position to do during my gap year or should I keep looking for medical assistant / lab tech positions?

Optometry Tech would be a good job with a lot of client interaction, but the majority will be routine screenings of healthy people. If you can find something with more folks having health-related issues, the job will allow you to better gauge how much you like being around sick and injured patients and to gain more insights on healthcare in America. Of course, if you will have already submitted an application with plenty of the latter, variety of experience isn't so critical.

 

[LizzyM]

Optometry Tech would be a good job with a lot of client interaction, but the majority will be routine screenings of healthy people.

We could say the same for family planning clinics but adcoms swoon over those types of experiences. Ditto women coming in for screening mammograms. Patients are patients and many of those who are well are still nervous, difficult, demanding, etc.

If you can find something with more folks having health-related issues, the job will allow you to better gauge how much you like being around sick and injured patients and to gain more insights on healthcare in America. Of course, if you will have already submitted an application with plenty of the latter, variety of experience isn't so critical.

Agree.

 

[mandym00]

I was wondering this too! Been an optometry tech for more than a year now. I'm counting it as clinical experience. Hell optometry techs set up a lot of the exam for the doctors!

 

[Eyeh8bullies]

As a former optometry technician, One thing that worked very well for me is shadowing an ophthalmologist while I worked as an opt tech! Every optometrist office has ophthalmologists that they refer to so you should have good connections. This experience supplemented my experience as a Opt tech really well, because it allowed me to see what happens to the patient after the referral. Also, observing the surgeries is inspiring as well.

So what I am trying to say is, in my opinion, it is what you make out of the experience. If you just prep the exam, everything seems routine, and that's it, then it may not be an impactful clinical experience. But if you found the experience engaging and expanded your experience (I.e. Ophthalmologist shadowing), then I think it's a great clinical experience!

And definitely shadow/work for other doctors as well for it can only further help you and inspire you! 🙂