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[4Eyes]

Here's how 1st year lab went for us.

A&P and Neuro lab we would show up, take the 5-point quiz over last week's material, then spend the next two hours doing as much hands-on learning as possible. We had lab hand-outs, but we didn't turn them in most of the time. They just had some background info on them (sometimes) and questions to answer, places to write our observations, etc. Then we had two big lab practicals that were the bulk of the lab grade. We didn't have lab write-ups like in undergrad.

Optics labs we had a quick lecture, broke into groups and did our thing, then turned in our worksheets at the end. No writeups, no practical, but stuff we learned in lab was so integrated with the lecture material that we got it all on the lecture exams.

Later, when you have binocular vision labs, pediatrics labs, clinic labs, etc., things get different. But still nothing like undergrad labs (in my experience).

 

[eyedesire]

Hey 4eyes,

What school do you go to?

 

[eyestrain]

Unless 4Eyes has some ungodly commute, my guess is UMSL.

 

[4Eyes]

Unless 4Eyes has some ungodly commute, my guess is UMSL.

ding ding ding

My commute is about 15 minutes. ^^

 

[Schroder79]

I think that labs not only depend on which school you go to, but also which teacher is teaching the lab. Anatomy labs had quizzes while physical optics labs were more attendence based.
PUCO is very interested in making the students not only good clinicians but good researchers as well. A good example of this is the requirement to have a thesis project completed before graduation.
Procedures lab is very hands on. Think of it this way, every test that an optometrist could possibly preform, they have likely preformed in a lab somewhere a few times. Labs required after class work for some classes for us. Practicing BIO and slit lamp required out of class patients so often half of the class was here practicing after school hours (till 10pm sometimes.) How many slit lamp exams did I do before seeing a patient? Oh probably 200 or so.
Labs are really most of the fun about the school though. I mean after sitting in a classroom for 4 hours everyday, its nice to do some of the stuff you see in a book or on the computer!

 

[4Eyes]

Labs are really most of the fun about the school though. I mean after sitting in a classroom for 4 hours everyday, its nice to do some of the stuff you see in a book or on the computer!

This is so true. I can't tell you how many times I've seen something for the first time (with slit lamp, BIO, etc.) and I just have this lightbulb moment and think, "Oooohhhhh!" Some things you can study as much as you want but it just doesn't 100% click until you actually see it. And that is really, really fun.