Health Sciences Career: Optometrist

Health Sciences Designation: Pre-Optometry (POPT)

Career: Optometrist

Job Outlook: 18% from 2016-2026

Median Pay: $111,790 annually in 2018 (approximately $53.75 per hour)

Entry-level Education: Doctoral or professional degree

Description:

Optometrists are physicians who specialize in the treating the eyes and other parts of the visual system. They have the ability to prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses and diagnose and manage diseases and injuries of the eyes. Optometrists can identify and counsel patients on healthy habits that can improve their eye health. Doctors of optometry (ODs) are becoming an important primary care provider for patients who are looking for ocular or visual care. As the population ages and develops aged-related eye diseases, demands for ODs. They can also work as researchers along with postsecondary teachers or consultants in the eye care industry.

Work Settings:

ODs can work in a variety of settings including individual practice and partnership practice. Individual private practice usually consists of a stand-alone clinic in a free-standing building to an office in a professional building where the OD can specialize in contact lenses, pediatrics, geriatrics, and vision therapy. Partnership or group practice allows ODs to work alongside other ODs and each member may specialize in a different area. Optometrists can serve as commissioned offices providing their services to members of the military along with other health care providers. They can also work as researchers in a university setting or working for large corporations.

Academic Requirements:

Optometrists are required to obtain a Doctor of Optometry degree (OD). Most applicants have a bachelor’s degree with a premedical or biological sciences emphasis. Drake’s Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree is an excellent preparation for OD school! The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) requires applicants to take the Optometry Admission Test Program (OAT) when applying to OD school. Once you’ve earned your Drake degree you’ll complete four years of studies in an accredited OD program. Although the curriculum varies from school to school, these programs allow the student to improve their didactic and clinical skills. Students spend half of their third year in the classroom and half of it examining real patients in clinics and during their fourth year they continue to work on their clinical skills which includes participating in rotations.

Additional Information:

Following graduation from an accredited program, candidates need to be licensed in each state that they are going to practice in. Each state has its own set of laws and regulations but most of them require optometrists to take an exam on their knowledge of the state laws. ODs can also get board certified by taking an additional exam to demonstrate that they exceed entry level requirements. After obtaining board certification, they have to be recertified every ten years which allows them to continuously improve their clinical knowledge and keep up to date with the latest technological advancements in the field.

Why is Health Sciences a great major for Pre-PA?

As a student in our Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree, you’ll get the best of both worlds: a rigorous science curriculum that will prepare you for the academic challenges in optometry school and an education in healthcare that will help you succeed in your professional career.  All Health Sciences students take core courses in the sciences that you can customize based on the required prerequisite coursework you’ll need to get into your top choice graduate program.  But beyond that, you’ll also complete our Health Sciences Core Curriculum, which teaches you about every aspect of healthcare and how to be a successful professional once you graduate.  The Health Sciences Core Curriculum includes coursework in professionalism, innovation and problem solving, cultural sensitivity, healthcare ethics, and an overview of what to expect when you enter the workforce.  This unique curriculum is only offered to Health Sciences majors at Drake and is one thing that will make you stand out when you apply for dental school.

In addition to the coursework you take, the Health Sciences Core Curriculum also includes a full year of internship and research for every Health Sciences student.  In your senior year, you will be paired with a healthcare professional in a career that relates to your own interests and complete a full year internship with that person at their practice site or office.  You will also do an original research project along with your internship, which is something graduate schools value in the admission process.  100% of our Health Sciences students do an internship and research, which is why our graduates are so successful at getting into many of their top choice optometry schools!

Resources:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)
• Optometry Admission Test (OAT)
• American Board of Optometry (ABO)
• Explore Health Care Careers