Major problem with shadowing! Help!!!

[tam2688]

Hi guys,
I am successfully flooding this site with questions, I am just so lost!

OK, I found 2 places to shadow, one is the ICO clinic and another at a hospital. I haven't gone to a private practice yet or commercial setting. I am a bit confused, at ICO they let me shadow rotations of students, and at the hospital I shadow residents and different ones each time. At the hospital, there is a main contact Dr. who sends me with the different residents, but I am confused, how am I supposed to get a recommendation from an optometrists this way as I am not shadowing the main doctor?? Asking the residents, does that make sense? Or should I look into a different setting? My problem is the other places haven't e-mailed me back, and I want to start forming a relationship with an optometrist and both places I have shadowed, I am having to shadow students or residents. The resident however did have their degree and I had to call them Dr. so and so but I will be seeing different ones every time and I am afraid I won't be able to form a relationship with them enough to ask for a LOR.

PLEASE HELP!

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[jymezg]

Go ahead and shadow the ICO students and residents! Thats a great experience, especially if you wanted to go to ICO. You can play that card in the interview when they ask "Why ICO?" and tell them what you like about their student rotations/clinic/school/etc.

As for your letter, assuming you can't get one from a resident because you didn't get enough time with one person inpaticular, CALL local ODs. I had some problems with not getting responses through emailing. If you call and expalin your situation, that you'd like to shadow for a few days and ask some questions you should be able to find at least one OD that will agree.

 

[tam2688]

Go ahead and shadow the ICO students and residents! Thats a great experience, especially if you wanted to go to ICO. You can play that card in the interview when they ask "Why ICO?" and tell them what you like about their student rotations/clinic/school/etc.

As for your letter, assuming you can't get one from a resident because you didn't get enough time with one person inpaticular, CALL local ODs. I had some problems with not getting responses through emailing. If you call and expalin your situation, that you'd like to shadow for a few days and ask some questions you should be able to find at least one OD that will agree.

Thanks for the response, I am searching for local ODs as of now. Lets say I do have enough time with a resident, will their letter be considered one from an OD?

Thanks
Tam

 

[jymezg]

Residency is done after the OD degree is awarded.

 

[cloud99]

make a list of OD's near you then go there in person. Just walk in the door and tell them what you want to do. It's much easier to ignore an e-mail than an actual person. I also found that once you shadow one OD, they will hook you up with another one that they know.

 

[tam2688]

Residency is done after the OD degree is awarded.

Right you are, lol I am just very paranoid about getting it right. You guys make it look too easy

 

[blysssful]

Right you are, lol I am just very paranoid about getting it right. You guys make it look too easy

Yeah, right... you should have seen me last summer.

 

[eyedr2b]

I'm glad to hear that others are getting shadows with OD just like me. I was beginning to think that I was on the wrong track. I have called all of the OD in my town and have been lucky enough to have gotten good responses so far. Has anybody toured any eye glass facilities? I am trying to tour and shadow anything that may make my application to school look more appealing. Hope I'm going the right direction. Thanks for anybodys input...

eyedr2b

 

[tam2688]

Hey,
That's a great idea, yep I am shadowing with ya, getting as much experience in as possible. Are you shadowing with different optometrists at the same time like commercial/private setting/hospital, or are you staying with one optometrist?

Thanks,
Tam

 

[blysssful]

Has anybody toured any eye glass facilities? I am trying to tour and shadow anything that may make my application to school look more appealing.

What do you mean by eye glass facility? An optical, or a factory of sorts? Either way, I think your time would best be spent following the DOCTORS to figure out whether you could see yourself in their shoes.

A good shadowing experience would mean you could:
-sit in on eye exams (with patient consent)
-ask the OD questions (after/between exams, not during)
-see how the practice is run

The goal of the shadowing experience SHOULD NOT be just to get an LOR. I personally think it was by far the single most important aspect of the application process-- not for the schools, but for myself to be a CONFIDENT applicant.

 

[tam2688]

I agree with blysssful, also I want to know, after how long of being with the OD can you ask for a LOR?

 

[jymezg]

how long of being with the OD can you ask for a LOR?

Depends on the situation. I got one of my LORs after about a week. (Though I shadowed/volunteered looooong after that.)

The best answer to your question is: whenever you feel comfortable that he/she knows enough about you and your interest in the field to write you a personable LOR.

 

[yyk]

I heard it's 40 hours, but I agree with jymezg.

S/he can write you a better LOR if s/he knows you well enough, and sees that you are well informed about the profession before getting into it. Only agree / ask for reference letter if you feel that s/he can write you an 'exceptional' LOR, and not some fill-in-the-name letter of recommendation.

 

[bepiozo]

I was lucky enough for the OD I shadowed to offer me a LOR after the first day! I didnt even have to ask. I plan on shadowing her again a few times so we can get to know each other better and also so that the LOR doesnt sound too generic.

So far, the LORs I am going to aim for are: the OD, a science professor, and my supervisor at work (I work at an environmental lab). I will be applying to SUNY, SCCO, ICO, and UCBSO... am I good? I keep hearing that most schools want 2 professors?

 

[blysssful]

I was lucky enough for the OD I shadowed to offer me a LOR after the first day! I didnt even have to ask. I plan on shadowing her again a few times so we can get to know each other better and also so that the LOR doesnt sound too generic.

So far, the LORs I am going to aim for are: the OD, a science professor, and my supervisor at work (I work at an environmental lab). I will be applying to SUNY, SCCO, ICO, and UCBSO... am I good? I keep hearing that most schools want 2 professors?

I think 2 professors is kind of a standard. It probably isn't necessary, but you could get another professor and use your work supervisor as a secondary LOR. I'm not sure if OptomCAS limits you to only three though. Unless the school specifies that two letters need to come from a science prof, use whichever letter you think will speak the highest of you.

 

[tam2688]

Thanks guys for the information. I feel like I am doing it all wrong though, the hospital I observed at, the main optometrists that allowed me to come in isn't the one practicing. She's in her office and I am with the residents, do I ask the residents??