Managing Stress During Optometry School
Advice for Optometry School Hopefuls
For all of you optometry student hopefuls reading this: If you are like me, then you are currently scouring the internet for any and all information that you can find on optometry school, what to expect, what it’s like, how to improve your application, etc. While it may not be what you are looking for at the moment, I hope I provide you with some valuable tidbits on how to find success in the program. I have compiled a list of resources that I believe will assist you in your optometric journey and I encourage you to use all of them.
- Use your peers.There is an entire class of people who are learning the exact same content at the exact same time as you. Working together, sharing resources, giving and receiving advice and encouragement—these things will help you immensely as you grow together throughout the program. The friends I’ve made in optometry school are some the best friends I’ve ever made, and I wish nothing less for any of you.
- Use the upper years.They have been through what you are going through, they have struggled with what you are struggling with and you have the advantage to learn from their experience. The best part about it is that they want to help! One day we will all be colleagues and will all be representing the wonderful profession that is optometry.
- Use your profs.Believe it or not, they, too, have gone through what you are going through, and they wish nothing more than to see you succeed. The professors I have met in optometry school are some of the most understanding and compassionate people. Ask them questions, attend office hours, arrange meetings—anything that you think will help you. If you are unsure of something, they will be more than willing to clarify it for you and help you gain a deeper level of understanding on the topic.
- Lastly, use your time.I am the king of procrastination and have very poor study habits, so trust me, this is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Review your notes daily, discuss the material with your peers, and if you have a spare minute don’t convince yourself you’ll do “it” later, whatever it may be, because no you won’t. Also, all of the time you will spend in the pre-clinic is a gift; make sure you capitalize on it. I can’t speak for each school, but at my school the pandemic severely limited our opportunities to practice and time in the pre-clinic is not something I will take for granted. If you get the chance to practice, use it.
Optometry school is not a smooth ride to the finish line. I wish I could tell you it is. I wish I could say it is like driving a Tesla down a freshly paved highway, but a more accurate depiction would be like sitting in the back of a school bus on the pothole-ridden streets of Winnipeg (go Jets!). However, while there may be a lot of bumps on your journey, at least you will have some good friends beside you along the way.
First Year Obstacles
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.
The First Thing You Learn as An Optometry Student
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!
Peer Advice: Ways to Help Prevent Burnout
As many of you may already know from your previous experiences as undergraduate students, there are many moments throughout our academic journey where we may begin to feel burnout and exhaustion. This feeling is completely normal, especially during graduate school. Do not worry! I am here to help share some fun activities that have helped myself and other students prevent burnout.
Activity No. 1: TAKE BREAKS!
I know many of you have already heard this saying from peers, parents, faculty and now from me, but it is so important to take breaks! The phrase “take a break” can be applied in many different ways. Some examples include:
- Taking a 15-minute break after every lecture
- Taking a day off to give your brain a rest
- Taking the afternoon off after a long day of lectures and labs
- Take a break every 2 hours
The bullet points listed above are only a few examples of the many different ways one can take breaks. I know taking time off from school can make one feel guilty at times, but it is crucial. Taking a break from schoolwork has definitely helped me and other peers prevent burnout. I use this time to keep my mind off school, even if it is only for 15 minutes. On days that I felt that I needed more time to study, my breaks were smaller. I would take a break maybe every 3 hours. During my breaks I would watch a movie, call a friend or scroll through social media. On the other hand, on days that were very heavy on lectures and labs, I would come home and take the afternoon off. These are just some examples that have helped me that may help you, too. However, this may not work for everyone. I recommend that you take breaks as needed. Many of you will need more breaks a day or a week and some of you may not need as much, and that is okay.
Activity No. 2: Exercise
Implementing exercise into our schedule is a great way to help de-stress from schoolwork. If you are like me and do not enjoy going to the gym, but would rather sit on a couch and snack, do not worry, this activity can still apply to you! Whenever I felt overwhelmed with school, I would take my dog on a 30-minute walk around my block. Going for a walk would help me take my mind off school and spend some time with my dog. I really enjoyed this exercise because during those 30 minutes, I would forget about all the assignments that I had to complete, all the exams I had to study for, and I would just focus on me. After my walks/ runs with my dog, I felt more energized, focused, and motivated while doing my schoolwork. However, walking is not the only way one can de-stress. Listed below are different ways one can use exercise to relieve stress from school.
- Lifting weights
- Running
- Going to the gym
- Yoga
- Playing a sport
- Home workout videos via Youtube
Activity No. 3: Spending time with friends and family
This activity is by far my favorite! Throughout your academic journey as a graduate student, there will be moments where you may feel that you have no social life or cannot spend time with friends or family because you have to study. However, I am here to tell you that it is very possible to have a social life and excel in graduate school. It is so important to spend time with the people you care about. During my first year at SCCO, I would take one day off a week and spend time with my family and friends. Some of the activities I would plan would be going to Disneyland, a nice dinner, watching a movie, cooking dinner or going to the beach. Spending quality time with friends helped me prevent burnout because I would use this time to enjoy life. I would distract myself and focus on the things I enjoyed doing outside of schoolwork. Hanging out with family helped me recharge my spirit and give my brain a break. If spending a whole day with friends and family seems too much for you, you can always start by taking half a day off. This activity is very flexible, but highly recommended.
There are many other activities that can be done to help prevent burnout. One of the most important key factors to prevent burnout is spending time and energy on you. Whether that be exercise, hanging with friends or watching a movie, it is important to take time for yourself.
Do not feel guilty if you are not doing schoolwork every hour of the day. Enjoy life, enjoy school and have lots of fun!
#PandemicDoctors
The past year has been filled with numerous “unprecedented” events, and we had no choice but to go with the flow to navigate the infected waters, so to speak. From having NBEO part 1 cancelled 10 hours before the exam, to finishing up clinic with online cases, our experience is unique. However, we will be stronger doctors for it as we persevered through the layers of PPE and countless 90 D lenses fogging up.
As we prepare for graduation, take a moment to reflect on our time in optometry school. The failures and successes. The favorite classes that brought you joy and, inevitably, the dreaded courses that brought stress and anxiety. For me, I enjoyed Ocular Disease 2, learning about the pathologies that affect the eye and how to treat or manage the patient. I dreaded Ocular Motility the most, because it was difficult for me to wrap my head around the concepts. Regardless of what our difficulties were, we have all succeeded to get to this point. So now what?
Some will be moving on to residency programs where they will build upon the foundation of knowledge built in school. Others, like myself, are ready to enter the work force. For those going into the work force immediately, know your worth. Advocate your strengths and why you are an asset. Negotiate salary and benefits wisely. And try and find a setting that will make you happy.
Most of us having been living near our schools and at our rotation sites for the past four years. This is the first time for many of us that we get to decide where we want to live and practice. So choose wisely; consider location, salary and, of course, scope of practice. Check out the AOA’s helpful guide for determining the scope of practice in each state!
Remember to always keep learning. Let’s move the profession of optometry forward and practice our full scope of knowledge and training.
Congratulations, Class of 2021. We did it!
Going in Blind
Before optometry school, I was intimidated by the idea of becoming a doctor. Not only because I doubted myself initially, but also because I feel I found my passion for optometry relatively late. You always hear stories about people wanting to be doctors their entire life, but that was not my situation. It felt like everyone had all the answers going in and here I was, faking it ’til I made it.
Two years and several leadership positions later, I found that sometimes no plan is a plan. When you have so much to learn about being successful, sometimes it’s easier to retire your expectations rather than do the work to unlearn them and build from there. Once you recognize how productive it is to always be learning, you’ll find there are very few things you can’t adapt to.
This isn’t meant to sound scary, but balancing your life in optometry school is not something anyone can prepare you for. Professional school is transformative, and I believe the key to finding that balance is to identify your strengths and learning how to use them to your advantage. In my case, I knew I had strong communication skills and a deep passion for community service, not just future patients. Since then, the Student Government Association and many other committees have played a large role in my experience at NOVA Southeastern University.
Through my years of involvement, the skills I once lacked confidence in naturally began to develop. I became more organized, improved in networking, gained insight on how to be successful, and learned many invaluable life lessons. The point is, looking at me now, you would’ve never known how hard it was to manage during my first two years of studying optometry. So, to my fellow student doctors and student doctors-to-be, here are some things I wish I knew going into it and things I remind myself of daily:
1. Tailor your method of studying to the course
You can’t study for optics the way you study for disease. You can’t study for disease the way you study for clinic. No matter your what your GPA was coming into school, do not limit yourself to the student you were before just because you got good grades and expect that to work in graduate school. Be ready to adopt different modes of learning or in some cases, multiple modes for one course. Personally, optics didn’t stick unless I did practice problems three or four times over. In disease courses, it was all about using flashcards and diagrams. For pharmacology, I needed to compartmentalize and study tables and make charts. Other classes, simply reading the power points and listening to the lecture was enough.
2. Failing is necessary
Reject the idea that you need to be perfect. Versatility and the ability to find multiple solutions to a problem is a useful life skill, especially for a student doctor. Embrace the opportunity to learn different ways to approach a problem. Remember, your ability to perform on tests does not determine if you will be a good doctor. It takes more than straight A’s and even the best test-takers will struggle in clinic.
3. If you don’t schedule a break, your body will schedule it for you
When I was in undergrad, I used to study myself into these headaches that would cause me to burnout. One day, my mom said to me, “this is your body’s way of crying, saying it has had enough.” To this day, it saves me on exams. Trust me, if you cannot digest the information you are reading, it is time to take a break. If it helps, promise to make it up to yourself by getting up a little earlier to squeeze in lost time. Being rested does make a difference, it won’t matter what you read the night before if your brain is working at half its potential.
4. Talk to your instructors, for help and for fun
Not only do you get direct feedback on how well you’re studying, but also the faculty will remember you. It is not like undergrad where you get a teacher and never see them again; you are going to see a majority of your faculty in lab and clinic throughout your four years. Get comfortable asking them questions and get to know them as people. They could be teaching you one of those four years and working beside you right after. Additionally, for those of you who have test anxiety, learning your instructor’s thought process can be beneficial when working through exam questions. In fact, you may pick up on hints during your exams just because you spent time learning what they’re passionate about. (Bonus points if you find you’re passionate about the same things.)
5. You are an investment
They didn’t pick you out of a hat; you were hand-picked because you have something that makes your program want to say, “they graduated from here.” They put in all this work to impress you during tours and interviews and at some point, they needed you to pick them to make you a doctor. They wouldn’t put their name on someone who didn’t show promise and they don’t want to lose you.
These doctors believe in you before you’ve even begun, focus on why that is.
Growth, not perfection.
“School is for making mistakes and learning from them, it is why you’re here.”
These were the kind words of my checkout doctor this morning after I made—as I like to call it—a “rookie” mistake with my patient. If you’re anything like me, failing is tough. I’m naturally a competitive person and hate to lose. I mean I really hate to lose. I could be walking into a restaurant and if a stranger is also walking up to the door, I will walk faster just to beat them. Formal competition or not, I want to win. This can be a curse for me, however, because when I don’t “win,” I beat myself up and basically have a pity party for the rest of the day.
This mindset injects itself into optometry school through exams & quizzes. I could receive an 89% on an exam and be stoked but if my classmates score a 90%, I’m bummed out. Furthermore, if I do everything right on a patient’s exam but forget to run a test or miss a step in my exam flow, I get down on myself.
Why do I do this? Why do I beat myself up when mistakes are made? I believe I feel this way because I set my expectations for perfection. I expect to get an A on every test and expect to run every patient exam perfectly.
Have you ever spoken with someone who seemed to know it all? You start telling them about the movie you saw over the weekend or the trip you took over the summer and they interrupt you before you can finish to tell you they’ve been to that destination 13 times, saw the movie before it was released, and they solved world peace in the process. In their mind, they knew it all and had nothing to learn from your experience. That was their expectation and as a result, that was their outcome.
I have begun to realize that if I expect to do perfectly on a test or exam, my ability to listen and learn from others quickly fades. In my mind I think I know it all, so why should I ask questions or listen to someone else? The truth is, I need to swallow the pill of humility more often and realize No. 1, I don’t know it all. No. 2, I am in school to ask questions, make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.
Instead of expecting perfection, I need to expect growth.
This will yield far more development in my ability as a student, clinician, and one day as a doctor. If you are anything like me, I encourage you to recalibrate your expectations to focus on growth instead of perfect outcomes. In the words of my checkout doctor, “School is for making mistakes and learning from them, it’s why you’re here.”
