Date January 2022

Your first year of optometry school can be intimidating. New professors, new classes, new classmates from all different backgrounds and living in a new place can easily become overwhelming. Like any other student, I was both excited and anxious about starting my first year of my optometry program. It’s exciting to finally start your professional career as an optometrist but all the steps in between can become demanding. 

In the beginning, I felt that my transition coming right out of my undergraduate studies made it easier to go directly into my graduate years. Despite the smooth transition, the workload and curriculum of optometry school is very different from undergrad. Although I already had adequate study habits throughout undergrad, learning to adopt new study tactics became one of my biggest obstacles during my first semester. Throughout my first few months of school, I realized that studying on my own was the most effective. As much as studying on my own was my go-to method, collaborating with other students and professors is what pushed me toward my full potential of being a successful student. 

On top of starting a new program at a new school, moving to a new state and adjusting to a whole new lifestyle during the peak of COVID made my first year more challenging. One of the biggest difficulties I faced was not being able to be surrounded by my peers. Not being around your classmates makes the experience more individualized instead of collaborative. When you are surrounded by other classmates facing the same difficulties, it makes it feel as if everyone is working together to get through it. This challenge pushed me to reach out to my peers to feel as if my class was more of a community. 

Throughout my second semester, I continued to improve my study methods and started to learn that taking care of my mental and physical health correlated with my success in school. Activities such as working out, hiking, and time with my friends and family gave me the mental breaks I needed throughout my first year. These outlets gave me a way to find a balance between my studies and life outside of school. Taking these mental breaks and knowing I have a support system behind me encourages me to keep going, even when I am faced with substantial challenges throughout school.  

The ups and downs of optometry school is what makes the experience memorable. It is easy to get tied up in the weight of the workload but reminding yourself why you are here and allowing yourself to enjoy the process is key. 

It seems like yesterday I was accepted to Salus University (PCO). It was the only Optometry school I applied to, and I was so excited to begin. Back then, there was no COVID yet, and we had a week-long in-person orientation. This was where I learned the very first thing about the field; Optometry is a legislative profession. 

But what does this really mean? It means that our entire scope of practice is based on bills that are passed both locally and federally. It means that our entire patient base is dependent on which conditions those bills say we are allowed to treat. It means our entire livelihoods are contingent upon people working around the clock to advocate for Optometry.  

And what does all of that mean? We have a duty to advocate for our profession so that we and those who come after us, are able to practice to the fullest extent of our abilities and knowledge. 

On May 25th, 2021, I was fortunate to be able to participate in the AOA (American Optometric Association) on Capitol Hill. This was my second time attending an advocacy event and I highly recommend attending advocacy efforts like this as an Optometry student, even if you are nervous about it! It has been a wonderful experience each time. These events are the reason that our profession can grow. Since I began Optometry school in August of 2019 many legislative bills have been passed to expand the scope of practice for Optometrists. To name a few:  

• Prescribe codeine and hydrocodone, administer life-saving epinephrine auto injectors for anaphylaxis, order and interpret noninvasive angiography through the use of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) – Pennsylvania 
• Prescribe oral steroids, perform injections, excise and remove chalazions, remove growths in and around the eyelid, and perform laser capsulotomies – Mississippi 
• Prescribe oral and therapeutic agents for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of glaucoma – Massachusetts 

• Massachusetts was the last state holding out, this is now true for all 50 states! 

These are some amazing big steps that Optometry has taken during the 2 years I have been in Optometry school. The AOA on Capitol Hill event is yearly, and I encourage you all to jump next year when you hear about it. Take a chance and sign up, I know you will not regret it.  

Even though this year’s event has passed there are other ways to get involved! These include attending local optometry society meetings in your area or going to Optometry’s Meeting, which is at the end of June this year in Denver, CO. These will help keep you up to date on current issues and legislation. Additionally, read your emails from your schools AOSA (American Optometric Student Association) and State Association Student Club (for example, the POSA – Pennsylvania Optometric Student Association). They are a wealth of information and being involved in school activities is important for a well-rounded education! 

I want to leave you with this… We are so blessed to have had OD’s before us forge a path. We are lightyears ahead of where this profession was even just a decade ago. We are in school learning and working hard for a long time. We have earned the right to practice at our full potential. We have earned the right to have a seat at the table and make decisions for our future. We have earned the right to move our profession in the direction that will benefit us and our patients. So, let’s advocate for our patients, let’s advocate for ourselves, and let’s advocate for optometry!