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NY bill AO 7907
Started by hello07
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Lets hope, then you can join the rest of us in the 21st century. Crazy how different the states are.
Indeed, how different the states are is right IndianaOD. National licensure according to the latest news I read is practically slim to none.
Best careers for 2008 again Optometry ranks up there. Newsweek World report magazine ? How in the world do they come up with this???
Can anyone give me an honest answer?
Best careers for 2008 again Optometry ranks up there. Newsweek World report magazine ? How in the world do they come up with this???
Can anyone give me an honest answer?
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maybe because things are not as bad as this forum will make you think
Ya, I agree. It can't be as bad as you hear - US News and World Report this week ranked optometry as one of the best recession-resistant careers, along with school psychologist, higher education administrator, etc. Good news! 🙂 They said they based it on the following criteria: job satisfaction, training difficulty, prestige, job market outlook and pay (payscale.com).
Please give us your follow up when you start looking for employment!
That's when it gets real.
I wish somebody could give me an honest answer on what careers they think should be in the place of optometry. What defines a "best career" anyway? I'd imagine optometry is on there because it's a fairly low-stress job where average income approaches six figures. That's the big picture. Newsweek isn't going to list all the knitty-gritty BS that people in that profession put up with. Even if they did, there's dozens of careers other than optometry that would make it higher on that list.
Dentistry, Nurse Practicioner, and Podiatry to name a few.
I think dentistry should be up there too but I don't necessarily think that podiatry or NP have any huge advantages over optometry.
A little more food for thought...According to the 2005 census, only 15% of American HOUSEHOLDS bring in over $100,000 a year. Since the average income of optometrists approaches this number pretty close with just one person, I find it very hard to believe that it's really that bad. Sure, money isn't everything but the point of having a job is to make money and sustain a lifestyle. A career in optometry does that and far exceeds it.
I understand that optometrists have to put up with a lot of BS and will often come to an online forum to vent--and that's fine. But it gets to a point to where you all sound like a bunch of whining little girls that think the world owes you. I remember a poster awhile back that said "optometry is the worst $130,000 a year job ever". Give me a break. It's still a $130,000 job. You all should be a bit more grateful.
I am not the one who wrote "worst 130,000 year job ever" but come live in the Northeast especially in NY/NJ/ Conn area where the cost of living is sky high and then tell your bulls@t.
I don't know about 15% of households bringing in what you said but in this country there are millions of people who make millions of dollars. Is it 1 or 2 % of the population that makes out extremely well? don't know- but try workinh in retail or private practice even in the hospital and see the abuse/ and crap you take as an OD from everybody- lowlifes, opticians/ managers. and yes even patients who enter the room while talking on their cell phone or before you do slit lamp are talking about real estate deals and closures and give you no regard as a professional. You know how disrespectful that is?
Are you an OD? And yes 130g's for a profession that is nothing to brag about os alright.
Wake up!
I don't know about 15% of households bringing in what you said but in this country there are millions of people who make millions of dollars. Is it 1 or 2 % of the population that makes out extremely well? don't know- but try workinh in retail or private practice even in the hospital and see the abuse/ and crap you take as an OD from everybody- lowlifes, opticians/ managers. and yes even patients who enter the room while talking on their cell phone or before you do slit lamp are talking about real estate deals and closures and give you no regard as a professional. You know how disrespectful that is?
Are you an OD? And yes 130g's for a profession that is nothing to brag about os alright.
Wake up!
It's not that great if you're working evenings and every weekend to get it.
Before I proceed, let's set a few things straight:
1. You said I'm telling you bull$hit. That's false. You can view the census data by clicking this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States. The distribution of incomes for the United States as a whole is clearly layed out in the table.
2. You're absolutely right that the cost of living in the Northeast (among other places) is elavated relative to the national average. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics quotes the average income for an optometrist in the fine state of New York around $14,000 higher than the national average. See: http://www.careeronestop.org/SalariesBenefits/Salary_Report.aspx?soccode=291041&stfips=&alertRefresh. Whether or not this adjusts for the difference in cost of living, I haven't a clue. Regardless, if you're around the average, you're still richer than around 84% of the people in this country.
Now more to the point of your post. I'm fully aware of the abuse and disrespect that goes on in doctors offices. I've seen it plenty of times and it truly is appalling that some people act like that. You have to wonder whether they've ever been in public before. But you can't really blame optometry can you? It's an issue that comes along with an occupation that requires everyday public interaction. Maybe dentists and surgeons get exempt from that because the patients mouth is either unusable or they're passed out. Pretty good deal if you like teeth or guts.
Look, I'm really not trying to discredit what you're saying. I just think if you take a moment from time to time to look outside the optometry bubble, you'll find that you have it a lot better than you give yourself credit for.
amen. At a time where millions of Americans are losing their homes due to foreclosure... complaining about your six figure income sounds rather selfish. I'm not saying it's not harder for ODs now than it was back in the 80s and early 90s to make money.... but it's still not all gloom and doom.
I really don't know how people can afford to live in some areas of this country such as NY/NJ/Conn, as well as some parts of Southern California. To see a home as large as my 2 car garage next to the beach sell for close to a million dollars is common, but crazy! However these areas are the exception and 99.99% of careers will not provide enough income to support extravagant lifestyles in these areas. So I do not believe Optometry should be blamed for being included in this 99.99%.
Being a non traditional student has given me a perspective that that I wish others in optometry had. I know optometry is not a perfect career, but when I compare its positive aspects, as well as its drawbacks to any other career, it always comes out on top for me. Nearly every career is getting more competitive, and many health related careers have declining reimbursements, but few can give you the hours/low stress environment/satisfaction/compensation package that optometry gives. This is why it is always rated as a top career. When I told my family optometrist that I was going to switch careers and pursue optometry he gave his reasons why he wouldn't do it now. His top reason was that currently he only makes around 150 a year seeing about 20+ patients/day? (In my part of the country this is 5x the income avg and the avg home price is 60-90k) It was hard to believe that a grown man would act so spoiled.
hello07, you talk about taking abuse from patients, did you expect not too? Why would optometrists be the only profession not to take abuse from the people they are trying to help? In one of my previous careers I was helping a welfare family with NO OTHER OPTION, keep their home, and not be pushed out into the street. They had been to numerous other agencies/lenders/non profits/ect. but no one was willing to help them. I spent many, many extra hours each day just for them. They would have literally been homeless without help. After 3 months I was able to secure their situation, but many times during the process they were incredibly rude, and would verbally attack me. The point of this is that they were attacking the only person who was keeping a roof over their heads!
Optometry is a fantastic profession with more positives and less negatives than just about anything short of being Peyton Manning. I believe that individuals have a much better appreciation for that when they have tried a few other careers.
$100k doesn't go all that far. Don't forget the $1k or more loan payments. Also consider others were making money and able to invest while you were paying for OD school.
Being an OD isn't a terrible gig, but professions of similar training are doing MUCH better.
Being an OD isn't a terrible gig, but professions of similar training are doing MUCH better.
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I dont know about it, but hope it passes. NY is too conservative in so many practices. In pharmacy, we are hoping that NY will finally pass a bill allowing pharmacists to do immunizations along other things. We are still one of the three states left that wont allow us to do immunizations.
I don't see its point in its view stance. Our close location to other states that are more liberal with its practioners like Penn, or NJ will put it at a disadvantage.
Anyway, good luck.
I don't think you can make that kind of generalization that a 100 grand doesn't go that far. If you live in an area of the country in which the cost of living is substantially higher than the national average, then I can see where your coming from. If a person lives in an area at or below the national average and can't make 100 grand go far, then they're either making terrible financial decisions or popping out children like rabbits.
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