From third grade and on, glasses became a big necessity and visits to the optometrist office became more frequent. As more trips were taken, enthusiasm in becoming an optometrist began to develop greatly. The fascinating machinery and tools were seen and used during visits, and the immense variety of medications were unimaginable. More …show more content…
importantly, to have the desire to be able to diagnose vision problems and eye interferences has driven the choice of taking on the career of optometry. After this career research project was completed, new information was learned about the occupation and now has provided me with a much deeper understanding about being an optometrist. As the research project began, several articles made it clear that a health-care professional, or O.D. must take full responsibility of a patient’s sight and vision. For one, diagnoses must be performed for vision problems and other disorders, while treatments have to be provided by the O.D. Each and every day, their duty at work is to be friendly with their patients, learn more about them and their daily habits and use machinery to test their vision. If any medication is necessary, prescriptions are to be taken from a pharmacy. According to WaytogoRI, often times, optometrists load up to ten or twenty pounds of equipment and machinery and are always at risk of being exposed to diseases. However, for a person who is willing to take up the chances and work firmly towards the direction of that career, it would take much more to stop them from pushing to become an optometrist. Determination is, in fact, one of an optometrist’s greatest qualities and comes in handy when difficult diseases have been diagnosed. Besides having gained more knowledge about this particular career, though, plenty more was revealed about myself as a person. Based off of the “How Others See Me” worksheets, I realized that many people see me in a similar way; the most popular characteristics for me were determined, friendly, and intelligent. These personalities will benefit me well when applying for an accredited school of optometry and of course, when I begin working as an optometrist. In order to be successful, an optometrist must be friendly to all people, intelligent when it comes down to making quick decisions, and undoubtedly determined to be the best they can be, if they are to push past all the competitors in the range. After scrolling down several web pages, the requirements for being an optometrist were not all too surprising results, For instance, Career Opportunities in Health Care stated that the most important skills are being able to deal with people, having strong compassion, and aptitude for science, business sense and communication capabilities. The students that decide to enter an optometry school must take the OAT, also known as the Optometry Admissions Test. It measures the student’s academic abilities and science comprehensions. Besides that, there are also many more personalities and skills that are necessary for becoming an optometrist.
While filling out applications at an interview, what exactly are employers looking for?
What skills are they seeking most in an employee? Those were questions that had been answered from the research and the results were as expected. An employed optometrist must be a graduate of any accredited optometry school with a doctoral or professional degree. In addition to that, employees also look out for clinical experience with the optometry system. Knowing how to accomplish the tasks assigned will benefit and perhaps raise an optometrist’s pay. The salary of the job can reach up from $40,000 to $100,000 and beyond as the hours are irregular and vary from time to time. An optometrist’s education and training can occur in almost any accredited optometry school, and every graduate is required to take at least seven to eight years to learn and study in a program before they can graduate from that school. However, no on-the-job training is necessary and O.Ds must excel in Mathematics, Science, and English the most. Careers as an optometrist can be found scattered all over the country, in doctor offices, hospitals, clinics and many more. Even so, certain individuals seek to open up their own offices and stores to increase earnings of a higher salary in private practices. If an optometrist succeeds, they can easily become an ophthalmologist, the next level in optometry that completes the exact same tasks as an O.D, but mixed with a blend of eye surgery and more complex
diagnosis.
After completing this career research assignment in class, I was aware that being an optometrist would certainly be the best choice of the three. Working with people and helping others have better eye care, improving lives, and making something out of myself has always been one of my biggest goals in life. This project has also benefited me greatly, because now I understand the background of the job, the corporate culture and also the requirements to be successful in this career.