opt colleges

[basilisk312]

are all potometry colleges the same or is one better the other. from what i've read over the internet, all optometry colleges follow a cirriculum that has been approved by the american optometric association.

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[r_salis]

UC Berkeley is thought to be the best of the 17 U.S. colleges of optometry, Puerto Rico usually falls at the bottom of the list. The rest have their pros and cons and fall somewhere in between. ASCO (assoc of schools/colleges of optometry) has listings of pre-requisites and profiles of each of the schools here: http://www.opted.org/info_main.cfm

 

[Reality check]

As long as you pass all parts of the National Boards and Clinical Boards and get State Licensed does not really matter which Optometry schools are better. UC Berkely is thought to be the best of what? Do they graduate the best amd most competent clinicians for practice? I don't think so. You really don't have to worry about which Optom. school is better because once you graduate you're done. You don't have to compete on a cut throat basis like med schools to get into competitve residencies and so forth..............
Some optom. schools you can say are more political than others.
The politics in some optometry schools is so disgusting you have no idea what you are up to as a student.
Back to your question- doesn't really matter just have the money to pay these outrageous fees for your promising OD degree.
You'll find out the hard way one day too..


Best of Luck.

 

[TomOD]

Don't worry in the slightest what OD school is better or worse. In the end, you will have the same degree, and the ability to get the same jobs with the same money.

Further, no one will ever ask or care where you went to school or what your grades were. There are no "better" or "worst" Optomety schools in the real world.

All you have to do is to go, make passing grades, pass boards part 1, 2, 3 and your state board exam.

 

[basilisk312]

are the boards what you take after opt. school or during??? and like medicine, do you get more money after you pass each consecutiveboard??
thanks so much for answering my questions and providing me with information.

 

[TomOD]

The National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) give exams in 3 parts.

Part 1, a basic science test, is given at the conclusion of the second year (or maybe earlier sometimes).

Part 2, a clinical science and pharmacology test, is taken during the end of your 3rd year or in the beginning of your fourth year (someone correct me if I'm wrong on the time frame). It includes, embeded in it, the TMOD test (treatment and management of ocular disease).

Part 3 is a practical exam, taken at the end of your 4th year where you demonstrate your clinical skills such as ophthalmoscopy, retinoscopy, refraction, case histories etc.

After this, you take state board exams. Some states have done away with their state exam in place of the national board exams. Some others, such as North Carolina and Florida, continue to give very difficult oral and written exams.

Money has nothing to do with it. You must pass all of this to get a license to practice.

 

[jholtod]

Actually. . . I graduated for Puerto Rico. Not only did I come away with far less debt than I would have at other schools, but due to the bilingual nature of the curricculum, I have had several lucrative job offers because I can just as comfortably see spanish as well as english speaking patients. I had no trouble with boards (parts 1,2, or 3), and was accepted into a VA based residency program. Take home message: Each school has very different things to offer. I believe you should appy to every one that you think has something to offer you, then make a deision based on that. You will graduate a competent OD from whichever school you attend. There is not any one, objective way of ranking schools, it depends on what you make of it.

 

[r_salis]

Originally posted by jholtod
Actually. . . I graduated for Puerto Rico.

jholtod -- I'm sorry I made the ranking comment about Puerto Rico earlier in this thread. I completely agree with you -- all the schools are equally certified, and your education is really what you make of it. I'm glad to see someone on our forum "representin'" Puerto Rico, hope you won't hold my earlier comment against me.

 

[jholtod]

No problems- just wanted to put in my two cents.

 

[J.opt]

Originally posted by jholtod
Actually. . . I graduated for Puerto Rico. Not only did I come away with far less debt than I would have at other schools, but due to the bilingual nature of the curricculum, I have had several lucrative job offers because I can just as comfortably see spanish as well as english speaking patients. I had no trouble with boards (parts 1,2, or 3), and was accepted into a VA based residency program. Take home message: Each school has very different things to offer. I believe you should appy to every one that you think has something to offer you, then make a deision based on that. You will graduate a competent OD from whichever school you attend. There is not any one, objective way of ranking schools, it depends on what you make of it.

Hey jholtod, can you talk a little bit about the optometry school in Pto. Rico? Is it located in a nice town/city? I could go to school there because I speak Spanish, but about the only thing I've heard about it is that students there don't do that well on the boards

Any info would be appreciated

 

[jholtod]

J.opt-
What would you like to know? The school is located right in the middle of San Juan. I don't know, it's an okay part of town. Just your typical "down-town" area. I chose to live in an apartment about fifteen minutes from the school, but most student lived much closer- within walking distance. Puerto Rico will take some getting used-to, things run alittle diffrently down there. You wont go witout, the malls for example are just as nice, and have all the same stores you'd find at any state-side mall.

If you can go into it speaking Spanish you'll be ahead of the game. Most american students go into it without knowing much at all. About half the students are local, from the island the other half from the states, mostly east coast. Roughly half the classes are in spanish.

With regard to the % pass rate for national boards. It was only recently (last two years) the Puerto Ricans were required to pass NBEO to get a license in PR. So they'd take thim w/o any intention of passing them. I think that has got them a poor rep over the years. I didn't have any problem with boards.
Any other questions, let me know.

 

[r_salis]

Originally posted by jholtod
Roughly half the classes are in spanish.

What happens for the students who don't know Spanish?

 

[jholtod]

They have to learn . . . fast. Third year you begin seeing patients everyday and 99% of patient encounters are spanish. Early on, everybody that couldn't understand the lectures would get translated notes from someone else in the class that was better with the language.

 

[r_salis]

Originally posted by jholtod
They have to learn . . . fast. Third year you begin seeing patients everyday and 99% of patient encounters are spanish. Early on, everybody that couldn't understand the lectures would get translated notes from someone else in the class that was better with the language.

Just curious, how many students start 1st year without knowing any Spanish at all? There's so much to learn in school *already* without having to learn another language on top of everything.

 

[J.opt]

Is the education I?d receive there just as good as the education I?d receive at any other school? What about the clinics and the campus in general? Are they up to date?

 

[jholtod]

Of the twenty to twent-five "American" students that start first year, maybe five have a strong spanish background. The rest have only taken the four or five pre-req credit hours of spanish classes, but can't carry on a conversation.

With regard to the qualtiy of the education. It really depends on you. You can "get by" without really getting a very good education, but I imagine you can do that about anywhere. The clinic, I think, is the best in the country. You cannot and will not find a greater variety of pathology and ocular contitions in any optom. school in the country. The campus is old, really old. Next year they are beginning construction on a new one.

Hope this helps. Anything else, let me know.

 

[texasgal]

I am also interested in going to that school. I heard it's a good school and has a lot to offer. The bilingual aspect of it seems like a very good advantage. Thanks for all the insight into IAUPR.

 

[emogrrrrl]

This has nothing to do with my knowledge involving the optometry school, but I'm from PR. San Juan will definitely take some getting used to if you are not used to the lifestyle. Traffic is horrendous, no one knows how to drive there...no one follows the traffic rules.
There are beautiful beaches, lots to do...don't know much about the professional schools. My uncle went to med school there and both my parents earned their bachelors from there. Education is what you make of it. It's been said that PR has the worst medical school, but my uncle is an amazing physician and has done just as well as anyone who went to school on the mainland.

 

[SCO 3rd year]

If you are looking to be a good practicing Dr. of Optometry I wouldn't say Berkeley is the best (unless your want to about teaching or research). SCO's board pass rates are similar. Berkeley for sure isn't one of the best schools clinicaly. I think clinical education is the most important thing to consider, as long as the school has respectable board passage rates. SCO, UAB are a few of the better school's clinically. Schools that are in smaller cities areas are probably the worst clinically, where your patients are often other college students (you get to see your share of those 1st and 2nd year seeing your classmates in lab), you don't see as much pathology at those types of schools. Schools in Metro areas have more patients who are willing to let a student spend 1.5-3 hours to do an eye exam. I don't think there is a big difference though, I came to SCO because the tuition/cost of living as probably the main factor but out of the 6 schools I applied to I thought I would get the best clinical education here, just make sure you pass Dr. Ghazi-Birry's classes . Clinically you can learn more during a good externship(s) vs. the rest of your schooling.

 

[Rosanna]

Ok,

I have heard ALL the rumors about the clinical experience you will get here at Berkeley. As an undergraduate, I probably have relayed the same preconceptions to underclassmen about how UCBSO is a ?research school? and not for someone that wants to be a clinician.

It was never my intention to come to Berkeley. I was so set in my ways that the only reason I came to the interview was to satisfy my parent?s curiosity. With that being said, I was so impressed by the clinic and the professors when I came to my interview. I was already accepted into 4 other schools, but Berkeley easily became my first picked after the great experience I had here.

And guess what was the first thing the Dean addressed during orientation? Yes, he addressed the preconceptions that EVERYONE has heard that Berkeley is a research school.

Everyone has their own opinions. Being a student here, I can attest that the clinical experience begins your first week and you will become a great clinician after this program. There will be struggles as with any other program with learning the procedures, but that is up to you to commit the time. There are usually 3 clinic professors for each pre-clinic lab. The pre-clinic labs are maxed at 20 students per section. You will easily get help if you ask or not.

Plus Berkeley is a pretty diverse community. You will see pathologies of many types - just walk down Telegraph Avenue and you?ll know what I mean.

So my advice is to KEEP AN OPEN MIND! Form your own opinions based on your own experience ? visit the schools, talk to students, go to the interviews. My own experience can definitely differ from one of my classmates.

I recently heard from my friends at SCCO and SUNY that they heard UCBSO students learn how to refract in a different manner than everyone else (?!?). So please, don?t let rumors influence where you decide to apply to.

------------------------
Part III: Patient Care
Year UCB Pass-Rate National Pass Rate UCB advantage %
2003 98.0 90.0 8.0
2002 100 93.0 7.0
2001 98.0 92.0 6.0
2000 98.0 94.0 4.0
------------------------

Best wishes,

Rosanna

 

[J.opt]

Schools that are in smaller cities areas are probably the worst clinically, where your patients are often other college students (you get to see your share of those 1st and 2nd year seeing your classmates in lab), you don't see as much pathology at those types of schools.

Northeastern is an exception. The school is located in a small town, but they have a very small class size, and have contracts with the indian tribes around Tahlequah which bring all the patients and pathologies you may need .

 

[SCO 3rd year]

J. Opt:

My brother-in-law went to Tallequah (sp?), he is a very good clinician. From what I understand they get a great clinical education. I shouldn't have generalized.

Rosanna:

I didn't mean to imply that Berkeley is only a research school. I just don't think you can say it is the best school, necessarily. I don't even know I can say which school is best. I interviewed at Berkeley and I liked it there. It is impressive you got in there, I didn't get accepted. Good luck.

SCO 3rd year

 

[sammyiu]

I go to IU which is in what I consider a small town, Bloomington Indiana, which pretty much centers around nothing but the college campus. I have to say that I think we get a lot of pathology here. Part of that is that we operate two clinics in town. One is on campus and has both primary care, pediatrics and contact lens clinics, and the other clinic is more of a community eye center which has a primary care (where we do our own CL fitting), ocular disease and low vision clinics. As a student we spend half of the 3rd year in clinic on campus and half of the year at the community eye center.

We tend to see lots of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and all manner of corneal and retinal pathology. We usually aren't at a lack for patients at all and the contact lens related issues that we get to see from being on a large college campus with undergrad patients I think is invaluable.

This is just my input as far as a small town school setting goes, this and the fact that since there are only 70 of us in a class I feel like I know everyone that I go to school with really well, all of out consultants know us on an individual basis and because of that if they know and trust in your skills and decision making ability you get to be a little more autonomous and hone your diagnostic and therapeutic skills and then get their input instead of them always just telling you what to do. I don't really know how other schools are since I didn't apply let alone interview anywhere other than IU.

 

[SCO 3rd year]

Contact lenses is one area SCO is deficient in. A lot of SCO students choose to do an extern with emphasis in CLs. SCO has a large percent of Medicaid patients. There are not many straight forward -2.00 Myopes that come in. It is not unlikely to have 5+ diagnoses when you complete an exam. An extern preceptor from Randolf Air Force Base in Texas told me that the SCO students stood out to him. He said their clinical skills seemed to be a bit better, on average, than the two other schools that sent students to his extern site.