Many prospective students as well as my family and friends wonder what an average day here is like. So last Friday I kept notes on what I did and compiled them. There is some variation between the days but this pretty typical.
6:00 AM My iPhone alarm wakes me and I groggily make my way to shower. I’m sad I have to wake up but pumped that it’s Friday but more importantly it’s my half day in clinic! It takes me extra time to get dressed this morning. It’s mostly because I stink at tying a tie. Once that’s done I eat a frozen breakfast sandwich, pack my lunch and I’m driving to school.
8:00 AM My first class of the day is Dr. Earley’s Neuroanatomy class. In this we learn everything about the brain and nerves of our body. It’s important for us to know this information especially since many neurological disorders have ocular symptoms associated with it. Today we continue our discussion of cranial nerves III and IV. A lot of information is given in this class but Dr. Earley makes it interesting with true and sometimes humorous stories of patients he has seen.
10:00 AM After grabbing a pretzel bagel from Bruegger’s, I settle in for Dr. Yu Physical Optics and Photometry class. The class is focused on teaching us the behavior of light and how this applies to optometry. Today we learned about polarizing filters which are used in sunglasses to eliminate glare from the sun or from other objects.
11:00 AM The last class of the day is Pathophysiology taught by Dr. Delgado-Nixon (or VDN as she is known as). Just like neurological disorders, many common systemic problems such as autoimmune and vascular diseases have ocular symptoms. It’s important for us as optometrist to know the underlying pathology that causes these and how they affect the eye. Today we continued learning about atherosclerosis which is when an artery wall accumulates fat and calcium which can constrict the vessel. This is important to us because plaques can be created and block important arteries such as those supplying the retina. If this happens it can cause a patient to go blind in that eye!
12:00 AM I get my PB&J sandwich and return to the lecture hall for a review session with VDN. We have a test coming up on Tuesday and so she spends the time quizzing us on exam topics. These review sessions are optional but I like to use the time to figure what I do not know and be able to study those topics for the exam. Most professors do at least one of these before every test.
1:00 PM It’s clinic time! I grab my acuity cards and red paddle and make my way up to the consult room. I find the third year I am assigned to and we are off seeing patients. My job as a first year is to perform visual acuity testing, visual field testing, take the blood pressure of the patients and occasionally stereo testing. If the person also has glasses, I figure out the prescription of the glasses using a machine called a lensometer. The third years are incredibly helpful and willing to answer any questions that we have. As I watch them, I get excited thinking about being in their position in less than two years especially having my own white coat. The time passes quickly and it’s time to leave clinic and start the weekend!
7:00 PM After a long day and a long week, I muster the energy to grill myself a hot dog and sit down to watch Netflix’s for bit. I’ll need the energy for the Eye Ball the next evening and for the two exams this week. At least spring break is coming up fast along with a chance for much need sleep. As I fall asleep that night, I imagine myself wearing a white coat of my own. At least that day is only 78 days away.