Optometry School Labs

[haddaway234]

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Hey everyone,

I'm a second year biology/psychology major thinking about going into optometry but one big thing is setting me back - labs. The thing is I'm not good at chem and physics labs (first year for both), and I understand being good at labs is crucial for optometry school. For some reason I'm almost always the last one / one of the last ones done as I'm basically slow at everything, and I often get confused as to what I'm supposed to be doing. For example I find it hard to follow my TA's and lab book's instructions and often have to ask other people for help. However I do well on the lab reports (outside of class), but in class physics reports I find hard to finish.

My question is, are optometry labs much different than chem and physics labs in terms of the skills you need to be good at them, and is there much hope for me? Are lab practicals very time constrained and easy to do poorly on? By the way my average is around 88 which makes it that much weirder that I'm bad at labs.

Thanks!

 

[mathcod]

What a weird question. Science labs are not the same as clinical skills labs. That's like comparing baking a red velvet cake and identifying the optimal mix density to practicing archery and trying to hit a bulls-eye.

To be honest, it sounds like you are just going into lab without even preparing at all. That's why some schools make you do entrance lab work, read it once, get a quiz on the lab before it starts, etc to prevent just showing up and wasting time. All you need is preparation, just like with any timed event.

Ultimately, don't be concerned about this.

 

[haddaway234]

What a weird question. Science labs are not the same as clinical skills labs. That's like comparing baking a red velvet cake and identifying the optimal mix density to practicing archery and trying to hit a bulls-eye.

To be honest, it sounds like you are just going into lab without even preparing at all. That's why some schools make you do entrance lab work, read it once, get a quiz on the lab before it starts, etc to prevent just showing up and wasting time. All you need is preparation, just like with any timed event.

Ultimately, don't be concerned about this.

Thanks for your reply,

The thing is I do prepare for these types of labs, usually for 2-3 hours actually. The lab manuals for first year chem and physics are known to be pretty unclear at my school which may be part of the problem, but everyone seems to know what they're doing anyways while I'm struggling.

And as for comparing science labs to optometry skills labs, I know they're very different, but I'm just trying to see if I can find a way to indicate if I will stand a chance in optometry labs.

By the way, first year bio labs I feel I'm very good at, but maybe that's just because they're easy in the first place. All we really do is draw some specimens, do some cladograms, answer some in lab questions, and once in a while we do some simple chem-like experiments. I'm even usually one of the first to finish. So could this mean something, since it's a more self-directed type of lab, or does everyone find them easy anyway?

Thanks again for your response.

 

[mathcod]

Most labs manuals just tell you what to do don't they in a step-by-step manner? If so, draw a flowchart/diagram for yourself and it may be easier then reading a list. I usually do that before doing time-sensitive things like cooking a new recipe, and some TA's in undergrad used to suggest it. Also optometry labs are just a "practicing skills" session, which you can and will practice out of lab for perfection. Lab practicals are not very time constrained, neither in school nor for boards.

 

[browneyes22]

Don't worry about the labs at optometry school. At least at my school everything is very laid out and easy to follow. There are also plenty of TA's if you are ever confused and we always work in groups. But I know what you mean, during college my labs felt very disorganized.

 

[Commando303]

Hey everyone,

I'm a second year biology/psychology major thinking about going into optometry but one big thing is setting me back - labs. The thing is I'm not good at chem and physics labs (first year for both), and I understand being good at labs is crucial for optometry school. For some reason I'm almost always the last one / one of the last ones done as I'm basically slow at everything, and I often get confused as to what I'm supposed to be doing. For example I find it hard to follow my TA's and lab book's instructions and often have to ask other people for help. However I do well on the lab reports (outside of class), but in class physics reports I find hard to finish.

My question is, are optometry labs much different than chem and physics labs in terms of the skills you need to be good at them, and is there much hope for me? Are lab practicals very time constrained and easy to do poorly on? By the way my average is around 88 which makes it that much weirder that I'm bad at labs.

Thanks!

I understand what you're saying. First, with regard to what you're doing now, preparing for science labs. ahead of time by reading the manual and didactic material makes things much easier, as the experiments you perform make sense in your mind before you show up and begin mixing things, etc.

Second, optometry labs. are entirely different from basic-science ones. In the former, you are applying clinical knowledge, whereas in the latter you are performing a series of predetermined steps in the hope of arriving at a product. The skill set, I feel, is quite different, as is the experience.

 

[haddaway234]

Thank you for all your responses, they definitely made me feel a lot less worried! And as for my current lab situation, I guess I just need to accept that I have to take quite a bit more time preparing for them than other people.