I'm heading home this afternoon! I'm fortunate that my clinic schedule allows me to head home today. My clinic days on Monday and Tuesday were rather interesting this week. On Monday, I was assigned to the Technology department. This is a great rotation that allows you to perform advanced testing, like visual fields, fundus photos, OCT, pachymetry, and more. Some of the most advanced technology in optometry is available for us to use in The Eye Center. This is a great opportunity for us to get a feel for how to use various advanced testing techniques and how to interpret results. This also enables us to scope out what equipment we may want to invest in for our practices in the future.
On Tuesday I was in primary care and saw 3 patients that day. During one of my afternoon patient exams, I was evaluated by a staff doctor. Doctors periodically sit in during our exam to give us feedback and help us ultimately become a better doctor. Over the past several weeks we have had many interesting cases in our suite. Even if it's not your patient, the doctor may pull you out of your exam to see another classmate's patient. Last week I saw a full thickness retinal detachment....a very rare finding! Some other interesting cases we've had is a patient with papilledema and lid edema, and we got to watch a patient get a steroid injection into an upper eyelid chalazion.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break this year more than ever. This is the last year I get the full week off for Thanksgiving. At this time next year, I will be at a private practice extern site in Illinois and will most likely not get the whole week off. Also, in contrast to the past 2 years in optometry school, I do not have a final lab practical after break. I'm looking forward to some relaxing time at home with family and friends!