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Optometry is a worldwide
eye care profession undergoing major changes due
to both new technologies and more skilled professionals.
There is a great degree of heterogeneity among
different optometrists globally, especially among
European countries. In Europe there is a great
deal of variation among the certificates, degrees
and diplomas that different private and public
institutions offer. In the United States, however,
there is a well-established curriculum leading
up to an O.D. (optometry doctor) degree. Australia
and Canada offer the same degree.
Being a European optometrist,
I felt the need to move overseas and complete
my studies in order to get the O.D. degree. Here's
a brief description of my personal experience
applying for and studying for an O.D. degree in
United States.
Spanish Background
The degree that more than 8,000 eye care providers
have in Spain is the Diplomate in Optics and Optometry.
After high school, there is a 4-year pre-university
program where students chose between Sciences
and Arts. Before applying for University there
is a National Exam, which segregates students
based on the obtained score. Then the students
can apply for the career they wish to study if
they have passed the minimum score required. Diplomates
in Optics and Optometry study 3 years in university.
There are many postgraduate programs offered
by different public and private institutions leading
to postgraduate certificates. Some Spanish optometrists
that have graduated from University have a "Master
in Optometry" certificate, but there is a
wide range of knowledge and clinical skills among
them, depending on where they studied; curricula,
duration and faculty vary greatly in each program.
Until now, there has only been a group of 28 optometrists
that, after completing a Masters program, studied
a Bachelor in Sciences of Optometry in Madrid.
This program was offered by The New England College
of Optometry and coordinated by Centro Boston
de Optometría y Oftalmología (a
private institution providing eye care and optometric
education to postgraduate students since 1990).
After the Bachelors degree there are no higher
studies in optometry offered in Spain or any European
country, so in order to get the highest optometric
degree I needed to pack my bags and cross the
Atlantic.
My Background
I earned my Diploma in Optics and Optometry
in 1992 in Alicante, the town where I was born.
Then I moved to Madrid to study a nine-month program
offered by Centro Boston de Optometría
y Oftalmología, where I obtained the certificate
"Master in Optometry." I was employed
as a full-time optometrist by the aforementioned
institution immediately after completing the program.
I practiced as optometrist, was trained to lecture
to new students and soon after became a faculty
member. I have lectured in several cities around
Spain and in Lisbon.
When I finished the Masters program, I attended
an International Symposium in Boston, Massachusetts,
USA, offered by The New England College of Optometry
(NEWENCO) in association with Centro Boston de
Optometría. We had the chance to visit
the school, meet the faculty and enjoy both optometry
and New England for a week.
I fell in love with the school and Boston. My
dream was to become a Doctor of Optometry and
study in that particular setting. I returned to
Spain wondering if I would ever have the chance
to apply and to pay for it as well.
Years passed, and in the summer of 1996 I applied
for the Bachelors program offered by NEWENCO in
Madrid. I knew this program was required by the
New England College of Optometry as a prerequisite
for admittance into their O.D. program. I combined
my work as an optometrist and faculty member with
my studies to obtain the certificate in December
1998. After this personal and economic sacrifice
I decided to apply for the "Advanced Standing
International Program" (ASIP) offered by
NEWENCO in Boston. The ASIP is a two-year program
that the school offers for International optometrists
who wish to get the O.D. degree.
Applying for the Advanced Standing
International Program
When applying for the ASIP, you need to keep
this in mind: Do not get overwhelmed by the bureaucracy.
Although it may seem complicated, you will finally
get all the certificates, transcripts, recommendation
letters, etc. Every year many international optometrists
apply for the ASIP, but only few are admitted.
Successful candidates must have a Bachelor in
Sciences of Optometry degree or equivalent as
well as two years' experience practicing optometry
in order to apply. Once you send your detailed
CV together with all the other forms, your application
enters the selection process where you compete
with the other international optometrists. If
your CV and other required forms meet a certain
criteria, then you perform a proficiency test
for clinical skills. Finally, you receive a letter
from the admissions office announcing the committee's
decision.
I received the letter of admission in February
1999 and started the program that summer. I was
very happy to be accepted, yet scared to move
overseas to a foreign country with a different
language and culture-but it had been my dream
since the summer of 1993, so I went ahead and
did it!
Studying the Advanced Standing
International Program
In the first few weeks everything is "different";
not good, not bad, just different. I saw myself
sitting in class like any other student and trying
to keep up with lectures, assignments and the
overall organization of the college (library,
student affairs office, alumni office, and so
on). It takes a while to get adjusted.
During the first year of the ASIP program there
are classes, labs and sporadic clinical assignments
to external rotations. The academic workload is
heavy and you need to keep up with homework, reading
material, slides, videos and the like. Since the
international students are in the same classes
and all of them have had clinical experience,
it's common to discuss cases. By the end of the
first year everyone is waiting for the clinical
rotations.
Each student has four clinical rotations, each
one lasting for three months. This is when you
start smiling, since there are no exams left to
take except the National Board Exams. During rotations
students see patients in clinical settings including
VA hospitals, community health centers, private
practices and the Clinic of the College (The New
England Eye Institute). Rotations may be based
in Massachusetts or in any other state.
In general, international students are welcomed
in the clinics because of the prior exposure to
real patients. During rotations students learn
first-hand about different eye problems and diseases,
as well as the most appropriate management.
Many things regarding optometry are different
in United States. First of all, Doctors of Optometry
belong to the health care system. Secondly, the
majority of patients know what a Doctor of Optomtery
is and have a great deal of respect for them.
Last but not least, ophthalmologists and other
health care professionals have a good relationship
with Doctors of Optometry. They make referrals
between each other on a daily basis.
The scope of practice is very different too.
Doctors of Optometry are legally certified for
the use of DPAs (diagnostic drugs) and TPAs (therapeutic
drugs). When looking to a particular State, one
may find small differences such as the prescription
of oral medication, the use of ophthalmic laser,
or the treatment of glaucoma.
Back home
I graduated last summer and the ceremony was
very formal as well as nice. I said goodbye to
friends, classmates, professors and I packed my
bags again to return home. Most of the International
students stayed in the United States to practice
but I decided to move back to Spain for many reasons.
The most important is that I love Spain and the
second one is that I love optometry and even though
I was going to earn much less in my own country
I considered that I would help more patients and
be able to train more optometrists in Spain than
in United States. Optometry needs help in Spain
but in the United States Optometry is a very old
profession. I like teaching and transmitting my
knowledge and skills to other professionals and
for the moment, I am enjoying being back in Madrid.
I am working in the same practice where I worked
before I went to Boston, Centro Boston de Optometría
y Oftalmología, as a full time optometrist
and a faculty member. I have higher responsibilities
and I lecture about different topics that require
higher knowledge. I believe that I provide a better
care to my patients, and students benefit from
the training that I obtained in the United States.
And finally, having completed the O.D. program
is a personal reward too.
By Isabel Argelés
Sabaté, O.D.
International Graduate Student from The New England
College of Optometry
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