Second-Year Optometry Student: Shoshana Howard
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Second-Year Optometry Student: Shoshana Howard

Shoshana wearing scrubs in an optometry exam roomMy name is Shoshana Howard, and I am a second-year Optometry student at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. I graduated from Nova Southeastern University in Florida, with a Chemistry major (Biochemistry concentration) and minors in Piano Performance, Honors Trans-Disciplinary Studies, Business Management, and Pre-Health. Having lived in Florida my entire life, moving to Philadelphia was a great adjustment to say the least. Not only geographically, but Optometry school requires an immense amount of commitment and persistence to practicing clinical skills and studying every day.

Being a second-year Optometry student means transitioning into officially seeing patients in the clinic. A “clinic day” might include labs/lectures in the morning with the remainder of the day spent with patients, or vice versa. Some days are entirely spent solely at the clinic, as well. In preparation for clinic, our first semester of second year included 10 practicals and assessments of all the skills necessary for any comprehensive exam. We took turns dilating each other’s eyes over the summer and fall months to prepare for performing most of these skills, which made those times difficult in terms of studying for our other 11 courses exams and quizzes amongst other things. This semester, we can now dedicate more of our time to seeing patients. Although our daily schedule varies, here is some insight as to what a typical day might look like:

7 a.m.: Wake up for clinic, and head to The Eye Institute. I live about 15 minutes away from clinic, which allows me plenty of time to get ready and make sure I have all the equipment I need for the day.

8 a.m. – 12 p.m.: We can either be assigned to Primary Care, or a Specialty Care Service such as contact lens, low vision, or visual fields. In Primary Care Suite 3, our chief gives us quick lectures and/or quizzes before seeing patients. This allows us to either learn something new or test and refresh our knowledge on topics that might not have been touched upon in a while. As a second year, I am paired up with another student while performing exams. One of us performs the exam; the other is scribing.

12 – 1 p.m.: I typically use this time to commute from clinic to school/school to clinic and eat lunch. I sometimes also like using this time to study for an upcoming exam or quiz if I have one that afternoon.

1 – 5 p.m.: Lectures or lab sessions typically last two hours on average, with a break at the hour mark. They can also be asynchronous on Panopto, so there are also many days we can leave early and work on those at our own pace.

5 p.m.: Our average day ends at this time, so I will go home, take a quick break, and catch up on notes or studying for that week and eat dinner. As stressful as it gets, finding time for things you enjoy is imperative in Optometry school — this is normally the time I might practice piano or go for a run. If I have an exam coming up or assignments, I will make sure to get to a good stop spot for that night in order to stay caught up and ready for the next day.

 

Optometry school has been the most challenging experience of my life thus far, but there is no doubt that sacrificing a few years towards becoming the best clinician I can in order to make an impact on my future patient’s lives is more than enough reason to keep me going.

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