"for anyone who doesnt know:
I begin optometry school this year and I cant wait to begin!
I really hope that by the time I finish, OD's and MD's would be able to work WITH each other and not AGAINST each other.....
"
Tony,
Sweetie, I've been an OD for 20 years. That is not going to happen.
This may be hard to believe, but I actually wanted to be an OD from the age of 16 and I never even applied to medical school.
The Optometry I wanted to practice is fading away and the profession has lost its identity. I never wanted to treat glaucoma. I never wanted to deal with blood or pus, but there are forces in this profession turning the ship in that direction.
The MD's SHOULD be concerned because we are NOT adequately trained in hemostasis or anatomy or physiology. Maybe some schools are ... but there is not a great consistency in optometry curriculum across the US. We are also not adequately trained in how to handle emergencies that invariably can happen during any surgical procedure.
I want to change professions. I'm tired and bored with optometry. The problem is, that no matter how smart you are, even if you have a near-photographic memory and an IQ over 145, if you're an OD you're regarded by everyone, even PAs and nurses, as a professional dumb*ss. A lot of patients perceive OD's in the same manner. We're ineffective as healthcare providers if patients and other health professionals see us as having no credibility. At this point, I don't know if I want to go into another health profession. I might like to become a registered dietitian ... but that would involve healthcare again. Maybe computer science or something in math.
Anyway, if you go into optometry, know that you'll have to prove yourself, over and over again to both the MDs and ODs, unless you go into academia and are published or known on the lecture circuit. That's because the OD degree doesn't mean much anymore.
Optometry's greatest threat right now is from two things: Technology and infighting. Ironically, you'd think the biggest bully on the block would be ophthalmology. It isn't. It's other optometrists. They're just awful, pretentious jerks, male and female alike. I do all my CE online so as to avoid talking to any of them. Technology is also fighting hard to replace us completely and you can peruse the optometry forum for detailed discussion on that.
Good luck with your career, Tony. Just don't go into this with rose-colored glasses. You may do just fine, and I truly hope that's the case.