Category Student Success & Residency

What is the key to getting into optometry school? Networking! Not what you thought I’d say, right? When applying to schools, I was in frequent communication with my top choice program’s admissions teams. I would pick up the phone, ask for informational interviews and use them as an opportunity not only to learn more about the program, but to build rapport with the admissions teams and help them put a face to my name. Doing this made me feel comfortable on interview day because I already knew some of the people that were there, as well as navigate the application process with better guidance to have the best chances of acceptance.

Another thing that I found useful was utilizing email communication. During the

COVID-19 pandemic, when it was difficult to shadow in person in hospitals or clinics, I still made it a priority to network. I would get in touch with local practices and schedule informational interviews with doctors of optometry to learn more about the care that they specialize in.

Eventually, when it was safe to do so, I was able to go in and shadow when other applicants may have still been having a difficult time. This also broke down geographic barriers and allowed me to connect with optometrists all over the country whose specialties I took interest in. Highlighting these experiences in my application showed that I was a resourceful and outside thinker, and these were qualities that often stood out on interview day.

While it is important to network with the schools themselves, I also found it beneficial to network with other optometry students. Just before my AZCOPT interview, I received an email from the program with the breakdown of how the virtual interview day would go. Included in this email were the names of the three student panel members and their emails in case us interviewees wanted to reach out to them beforehand. Being quick to seize this opportunity, I looked up the student panel members on LinkedIn to see if I had anything in common with them, and I found out that one of them actually went to the same undergraduate institution as I did. I emailed her to introduce myself and on interview day, I had the advantage of already being connected to a student panel member.

Being quick to create and seize opportunities gave me greater advantages as an applicant; however, these skills have carried over into my career as a whole. I am still connected with the student panel member and she is currently in my top choice residency program which has further benefited me by allowing me to ask questions, get in touch with the right people and set myself up for the best chance of being matched with them in the future. About a month after receiving the news of my acceptance, I toured AZCOPT and there was a first-year student ambassador who stayed with me for the entirety of the tour. I made sure to stay in touch with her all throughout the summer. She helped me in my decision-making process, and when I began school, she became my anatomy and physiology tutor. Furthermore, at the start of school, the assistant dean sent out an “AZCOPT Survival Guide” and provided the email of the student who had written it. Again, I was quick to take the opportunity to connect with her, and now she too has become a close friend of mine as well as an amazing resource. These skills advanced my application and educational experiences, setting me up for success and excellence.

Overall, my advice for optometry school hopefuls would be to make your own opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to you! A quick phone call, a short meeting and staying connected goes a long way and you never know when those connections will come in handy.

As a new graduate, keeping up with the ever-changing world of optometry can be a daunting experience. After years of seemingly non-stop lectures in school, I personally was tempted by the idea of coasting by with online continuing education that required minimal effort. It quickly became clear to me, however, just how fast things change in healthcare. There is a lot more value to staying up to date than just getting enough credit to maintain a license. Keeping up with new available drops, surgeries, and research has helped me offer quality care to my patients far beyond the basics I learned in optometry school and externships. I have come to learn that there are many ways to expand clinical knowledge outside of direct clinical experience. 

For me, continuing education was the most obvious method of keeping up to date with new developments in the field of optometry. This comes in many forms including in-person vs. online, local vs. national level, and OD-only vs. combined OD/MD. I found local meetings to be particularly enjoyable. These are often offered through state associations as well as local clinics. They are a great way not only to get some credits but also to socialize with optometrists in the area. I also really enjoy getting to know local ophthalmologists who often lecture or attend these local meetings themselves.

Another great source of continuing education is national meetings. American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and American Optometric Association (AOA), for example, host annual meetings in different locations each year. One perk of this is the opportunity to visit another part of the country – I personally will take any excuse to travel. It can also be a great way to meet up with classmates following graduation. Online continuing education is a convenient method to stay up to date without having to leave home – this has become more prevalent in the times of COVID. Some meetings may even offer the option for an in-person or online course, which allows you to have some flexibility when case rates are high. 

One way to build more hands-on clinical experience is completing a residency. Truth be told, I was initially reluctant to consider residency. The idea of taking a reduced salary for a year was especially painful after seeing the final total of my student loans. However, I found the experience to be invaluable and would recommend it to every student I meet. The opportunity to see a high patient volume while under the supervision of experts in the field increased my clinical decision-making skills tenfold. I completed my training in corneal and refractive surgery and was amazed by the type of cases I was exposed to. Conditions I now see maybe once a year in private practice became routine for me during residency. At many sites, you also have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials – I was involved in nine different studies just by being at a research-heavy clinic! Plus, with only 26% of optometry students pursuing a residency, it is a great way to set yourself apart from other applicants when it comes time to look for a job.  

Board certification through the American Board of Optometry (ABO) is an excellent avenue to keep current with best practices and guidelines once you are out of school and in practice. This not only serves to differentiate yourself from other new graduates in the field but also to expand clinical knowledge. The first step to becoming board certified involves completing an application to ensure eligibility. In order to sit for the exam, three years of clinical experience or a residency are required. If residency has not been completed, additional activities such as fellowship, AAO diplomacy, and continuing education can be used to meet the requirements. The test is very similar to part two of national boards – it tests on clinical knowledge and skills, not didactic details. Upon passing the exam, you are awarded the title of Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry.

To maintain certification, ABO members complete maintenance of certification activities throughout the year. This includes self-study assessments, self-assessment modules, and continuing education. Personally, I have found the mini-assessments, given three times per year, to be even more helpful than traditional continuing education. They involve reading a provided set of articles on a particular subject (i.e. anterior segment disease) and completing an online 25-question quiz. The subject changes every time and ranges from binocular vision to contact lenses. The knowledge is all very clinically relevant and a great refresher on current standards of practice. Another big perk of ABO certification includes quarterly, top-notch online continuing education courses offered for free. 

Whatever your mode of practice, I think we can all agree that lifelong education is crucial to providing quality care for our patients. Whether you are one year out of practice or fifty, there is always more to learn as medical providers. Fortunately, there is no shortage of excellent opportunities to keep growing as clinicians and provide top-tier care for our patients. 

Lauren Bruehl, OD
Diplomate, American Board of Optometry  

Optometry school is no joke!  And beginning your first year in the midst of a global pandemic presents a whole new level of challenges.  From moving to a new city and starting grad school to dealing with isolation, you must have a few tricks up your sleeve to stay healthy, motivated and sane–here is what I have implemented in my life to help juggle the stress that accompanies not only optometry school, but also “pandemic life.”  

Tip #1: Establish a routine. Following a routine can help bring a sense of “normalcy” and structure to your life. A good way to start your day is to have a morning routine–make your bed, go to the gym, make breakfast and have your coffee—anything that will get your day started off on the right foot. Additionally, using a planner can help you structure your day and divide up your precious time between school, work and leisure.  

Tip #2: Set attainable goals. Small goals that are achievable and realistic can help to ease anxiety and stress and reach a feeling of accomplishment. As opposed to large goals, small goals can help you visualize the end product and are the stepping stones to help you accomplish that larger task. For example, I try to study consistently as the material from classes is presented (small goal), which helps with night-before-the-exam anxiety (and reduces cramming)! 

Tip #3: Find a good support system. Surround yourself with people that can empathize with you, listen, give advice (when needed) and bring you up! Hopefully you can be this person to someone else as well! I know that without friends and family, my first year of optometry school would have been MUCH more difficult.   

Tip #4: Be sure to take care of yourself–both physically and mentally. I’ve learned that mental health is one of the most important aspects of surviving grad school, especially grad school in the middle of a pandemic. Physical health can help keep you mentally healthy too, as can eating healthy, resting and doing the things that bring you joy.   

It is important to know that you are not alone. Many of your classmates are feeling the exact same way.  Reach out to them for help and explore the many resources that your school has available to you!  

Success is different depending on your goals, and it can be achieved in a variety of ways. The key is to set your goal, define success then take the path that works best for you. What is your definition of success in school going to be? There’s no wrong answer! The definition I use (and love) is, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” –Maya Angelou.  

This article will share a little about how I learned to live the definition of success and some tips that may help you live yours.  

Let’s start from the ground up. To get through this thing, you need to like and care for yourself before you can show up for others (family, friends, classmates, PATIENTS). 

1. Keep yourself healthy. Mind, body, soul. This is a non-negotiable! What grounds you in the middle of chaos? What types of self-care help you look and feel your best? Personally, I rely on a routine as a template for my day. It helps me use less brain power on setting up my day and more on learning as much as I can during it (efficiency hack!). I work out every day before class/lab/clinic. Call me crazy, but exercise keeps me awake and ready to learn. It also has improved my confidence, motivation, and overall health. While it isn’t easy, it is possible and worth every ounce of dedication (even if it is only 15-20 min). 

2. Find amazing friends who match your personality. These are the people who will get you through the next four years (shout out to my person, Shelby Tomek). They are your optometry school ‘Google’ when you have absurd or picky questions—just in case it’s on the exam! Make a study schedule with them and decide when to work on homework assignments, study for exams, and go to open lab hours to practice skills. They will be your accountability partners and make you not feel alone through your journey.  

3.  Have self-discipline. Avoid self-sabotage.  If you aren’t on your own team, who will be? I’m not saying don’t have fun, just plan for it. Your schedule doesn’t allow for an excess amount of freedom, so be intentional with your time. Self-discipline will put you on the fast track to success. An episode or two of your favorite show is fine. An entire series binge on a weeknight: not okay! Moderation is the best of both worlds. Enjoy and relax, but don’t let a lack of discipline set you back. 

Now, how are you going to like what you are doing? Spoiler alert: Optometry school is not a walk in the park, so you’ll need to find the aspects you love to keep you going. 

1. Get to know your faculty. Believe it or not, they are not all that scary! They are people just like you, not just “tough [insert subject here] professor.” They want you to be great and are there for you. It’s their job to get you to where you need to be, and they are a resource for your success as a future doctor. Trust me, class will be more enjoyable (and dare I say fun?) when you are comfortable enough to participate and ask questions. 

2. Pursue your interest, just not every club on the list. Don’t spread your time and energy thin on things to ‘add it to the resume.’ Spend your time on what gets you excited. This will create a positive feedback loop. That taste of excitement will be in the back of your mind when all you want to do is complain about a subject you don’t care for. This is a fantastic way to bring light to your end goal and remind yourself you are ready for whatever it takes to get there.  

3. Don’t turn down opportunities that will help you grow, even if it seems like a lot of extra work. Growth is about stepping outside your comfort zone. At the beginning of my first year, I applied for the U.S. Navy health professions scholarship program knowing my chance of acceptance was slim, and toward the end of my first year, I applied for the T35 summer research program out of curiosity and never thought it would lead to me entering the OD/MS program. Here I am, only a few semesters away from my master’s thesis defense and currently, an ensign (0-1) in the U.S. Navy awaiting my base assignment as a lieutenant (0-3) once I graduate. Take chances on potential opportunities; it may change your career path and potentially your life!  

Finally, there are specific actions that can launch you into success throughout your career as a student.  

1. Learn and study with efficiency and purpose.In class, relate topics to your future patients. Don’t think “when am I possibly going to need to know this stuff?” The truth is, the more you know about how the body works and how diseases can affect the entire body, the better doctor you will be. Don’t be average, strive to stand out and solve problems! Study for understanding not memorization. Make connections between courses and different aspects of optometry. This is not the time to cram because the rest of your life will be cumulative.  

2. Learn to think for yourself. Do your own research, piece teachings together, and craft what works for you. You know yourself better than anyone, so craft how you want to practice someday. Feel confident in the clinic by using methods that work best for you. You don’t have to be a robot and just do as you are told. Just be able to explain to your attending why you performed certain tests/procedures. They will appreciate this and think highly of you for being able to do so!  

3. Keep the faith through it all. Find positivity in everything you do. Believe in yourself. This is your time to ask questions, accept that you are here to learn and that sometimes can mean setbacks. Don’t be too hard on yourself. When you fall short of your expectations, figure out a plan on how to do better. Pray, meditate, vent, go to office hours, get lost in the music, dance it out, whatever you need to do, do it! Be kind to yourself and have a positive mindset. Study hard, capitalize on what you enjoy, bring light to your strengths, and groom your weaknesses. You’ve got this!