Day in the Life
Optometry
Hello! My name is Erin Lavelle and I have the privilege of being in the Salus Traditional Optometry Program. Being in my second year, my schedule consists of a mix of working in the clinic at The Eye Institute (TEI), studying for exams, and attending lectures and labs. The fall semester was filled with performing numerous hands-on practicals to prepare us for clinic, and now we’re putting those skills into practice!
Every day is a little different due to the program having different sections. For example, sections A and B might have clinic in the beginning of the week, whereas sections C and D will have it later in the week. That being said, some days I am on campus from 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m., yet for others I sleep in with no classes.
To give the most event-filled insight, I am going to take you through one of my longer days as opposed to shorter—what fun would it be if all I could tell you was how late I slept in? Let’s get into it!
I start my Mondays by waking up at 6:30 for my 8 a.m. Pediatric and Infant Vision Lab. During this lab, we perform pediatric exam techniques on other students. While there are a lot of similarities between pediatric and adult eye exams, kids can be trickier because they have a short attention span! We use fun finger puppets, shapes, and animals to assess their vision and learn clinical relevance of the exam findings.
Then, at 10 a.m. I have Rigid and Advanced Contact Lens Lab where we fit other students with gas permeable lenses. These can feel a bit uncomfortable, so we use an anesthetic in our eyes in order to prevent us from blinking. We use a fluorescein dye to assess the fit and try multiple different lenses until the fit is just right.
After my labs end at 12 p.m., I have a little break until 3 p.m. I use this time to work at the library. I am part of the Federal Work Study program where I am able to make some money while still being a student. I sit at the front desk and help people check out books. I am allowed to study during the time where I am not helping students, which helps me on exams and quizzes.
At 3 p.m., I go to my Clinical Problem Solving class. This is a class with one teacher and a small group (6-10) of students. This class allows for some personal discussion and is a more intimate environment than a big lecture hall. We use this class period to talk about different cases and how we would manage them.
Then, when class ends at 5 p.m., I go to my Suite Conference meeting. At TEI, there are a variety of suites with different chiefs to run each suite. For that reason, the chief sets up a meeting every two weeks to discuss the expectations of the suite. This prepares us for working on our own in the clinic!
Following that full day, I go home, eat, shower, and watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to unwind. I try to go to bed early, but I tend to get distracted on social media and go to bed way too late.
As you can see, I do have days that are filled with lots of activities. But for others, there may be bits and pieces where it’s lighter than what I explained above. It all depends on the day!
However, no matter what I have on a day-to-day, I am so excited to be on this journey, and am so blessed to have this opportunity to learn.
