What do you do while shadowing an opto?

[319671]

I've shadowed one OD, and I basically was his shadow (lol) I walked into the room where the patient was, sat on a chair, and listened to the conversation he had w/ the patient, and watched him examine her/him. I feel like I'm just being a statue, and not really doing anything, I want to get more involved in shadowing. I am not shadowing that OD anymore, but what tips do you have to get more involved in shadowing? What is the difference between volunteer/intern and shadowing?

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[lovelydisaster]

You are basically a shadow during the exam portion, unless the doctor incorporates you into the exam. Some doctors feel really comfortable around their patients, and so they will actually let you do some hands on stuff (hold charts at a distance, look through instruments so you can see his/her findings, etc). Some doctors prefer you just to look on. I always asked questions after the doc saw the patient. Sometimes I did feel super awkward, but eventually that wore off as I started talking to him/her afterwards. I'm not too sure what interning is, and I haven't heard much about volunteering at an optometrist's office. I had a job for a while and I gained a lot of experience in that way as a tech. I hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me!

 

[319671]

sounds cliche, but since I am doing cc right now, and i am living at home, getting a job is really hard, and getting an optometry related job is near impossible, how do i find some opt experience in such a time?

You are basically a shadow during the exam portion, unless the doctor incorporates you into the exam. Some doctors feel really comfortable around their patients, and so they will actually let you do some hands on stuff (hold charts at a distance, look through instruments so you can see his/her findings, etc). Some doctors prefer you just to look on. I always asked questions after the doc saw the patient. Sometimes I did feel super awkward, but eventually that wore off as I started talking to him/her afterwards. I'm not too sure what interning is, and I haven't heard much about volunteering at an optometrist's office. I had a job for a while and I gained a lot of experience in that way as a tech. I hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me!

 

[Mewcakes]

I'm not sure any of those things have any bearing (baring?) on one's ability to get an opto job. Just call all the ODs in the area and ask if they are willing to have you as an intern or volunteer because you want to be an OD too. Or you can pull your resume together, get dolled up (this part is important, you want to make a good impression) and just drop it in as many offices as possible. I got all pretty and dropped 3 resumes last year and got job offers on two of them. And one of them actually said they were calling me because they thought I looked very professional (and I guess my resume was ok). So just get out and do it. It's super easy.

 

[lovelydisaster]

@Optohopeful: I lived at home and I worked during the summer. Like Mewcakes said, drop off your resume. If you're having serious difficulty finding a job, then you can start off shadowing and then begin networking and getting your foot in the door. If you don't want to work, then shadowing or doing some community service (vision screenings) are probably your only options as far as getting some experience in the field.

 

[EyeNeedGlasses]

When I was looking for a job at various optical companies it was really hard for me because everywhere I went, they would ask if I had experience. I went to about 8 different places and didn't get a job anywhere. Than I started shadowing different OD's at different places. After about a few weeks I started applying for jobs again and I finally landed a job. So my advice is if you are having the same difficulty as I had, just shadow a while to make some connections and see what happens. In any case, Good Luck!