SCO Holds First Annual
“State Day”
by Matt Willis, SCO Trustee
On April 8, the Southern College of Optometry (SCO) hosted its first-ever "State Day" event to promote the importance of organized optometry and being active in the profession. State executive directors and other representatives from 12 states, as well as the AOA, visited our school and met with students to discuss the need for professional involvement at the state and national levels. The participating states included: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.
More than 300 students attended this inaugural event and many saw it as a great success. "As a fourth-year at the time, State Day was an opportunity to see the current status of optometry across the U.S.," said recent graduate Becky King. "It gave me a chance to compare the states to see the battles and the current scope of practice for many different areas.
In the afternoon, a trade show offered states the opportunity to set up their own exhibits in 10' x 10' staffed booths that allowed for personal interactions with the students and representatives from each state, allowing students to ask more individualized questions based on the states where they plan to practice.
The goal of State Day was for students to gain knowledge of the profession of optometry in much the same way as we know the clinical side of optometry. We not only received positive feedback within the SCO community, but praise from the attending organizations as well.
“We would love to have more states participate. Several of the states also intend to encourage other optometry schools to host similar events, and it's very likely that we will make this an annual event based on the turnout and response,” according to Dr. Kristen Anderson, vice president of Institutional Advancement. SCO plans to evaluate the program and make changes to keep it relevant for students to find value in attending each year.
Personally I was thrilled with the success of our first State Day event. We were able to interact with the state organizations and get our questions answered during discussion panels as well as individual booths. This event allowed students to see how much more there is to optometry besides just seeing patients. There are people fighting for our rights and privileges behind the scenes every day, and without their dedication, optometry would not be the wonderful profession that it is today. I'm proud to be part of a school that educates us in the science of optometry while at the same time making sure that we have the tools to start a successful practice and get involved in organized optometry after graduation.
I would also like to extend a special thanks to Welch-Allyn for donating a panoptic as a student door prize, VSP for providing a grant for the program, and the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence at SCO for additional support of this educational program.