Optometrists likely to be given the green light to do eye surgery in Washington state

[Doc320]

There's a bill that passed the Senate and the House committee. However, the House committee added an amendment that the state medical board would be involved with the optometry board to develop educational guidelines for the new surgical optometrists.

I think the state medical board should take the task seriously. What should they advocate that should be required?

I'd say that optometrists should be required to:
1. attend 3rd and 4th years of medical school. They would get a free ride in not having to do the first two years.
2. pass the USMLE step 2.
3. attend a transitional year (internship). Be ATLS or ACLS certified during this time. The transitional year should include a month of either ICU or SICU, a least one month of general surgery.
4. some sort of eye surgical training akin to residency for at least a year.
All that would be just 4 years and save time compared to medical school (save 1st and 2nd year, also save 2 years of residency).

Ophthalmologists should be allowed to practice law. We wouldn't do complex stuff, just simple stuff.

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[Doc320]

Oral surgeons do the third and fourth years of medical school so that would not be unreasonable to have optometrists do that in order to have state surgical privileges.

Why can't ophthalmologists be allowed to practice limited areas of law? I would consider practicing trust and estate law (wills and trusts), elder law (guardianships), as well as traffic court, incorporating new companies and medical practices, medical malpractice, closing real estate deals and even employment law (employment defense or for the plaintiff in wrongful termination cases). I wouldn't argue cases before the supreme court. Why make me go to law school? Just have the state give ophthalmologists the ok to practice limited areas of law. After all, lawyers have 3 years of post-undergrad training and ophthalmologists have 4 plus residency and, often, fellowship.