Whew! First of all, let me apologize for taking so long to write my second blog post. The past few months have been a total whirlwind. From the moment we started orientation, it seems like time has flown! Between classes, clubs, and meeting new people, my time has been very filled.
To start, let me say congratulations to my fellow classmates on making it through our first midterm week! SCO has implanted a new testing week policy, where we take all of our tests for all classes in one week rather than spreading them out over the semester. We will have two midterm weeks and a finals week this semester, and while the first one was definitely exhausting, I think we all did better than we expected and will use the experience as a learning opportunity going forward. All of the classes that we are taking as first years are an equal mixture of overwhelming, difficult, incredibly interesting, and fulfilling. It’s so exciting to finally learn about the underlying basics of optometry. I feel like my background has already become so much more complex in the past few weeks, and it’s very rewarding when connections are made between lecture material and real-world applications of optometry.
Last week, my classmates and I officially became the Class of 2018 as we received our white coats and stated the Optometric Students’ Oath. Coming into our Theory and Methods lab this week and wearing our white coats while we practiced our chair skills was incredibly exciting. I definitely feel like I’m becoming a clinician. Although we have only begun the basics of an eye exam, it is very fun to be able to interact with classmates in a patient-doctor type scenario. It makes me incredibly excited that this is my chosen career.
In terms of activities other than classes (which take up a lot of time, believe me!) I have also started a work-study position in The Eye Center. I am working with Clinical Operations, preparing student charts for various school screenings. I love being able to see some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes on at the Eye Center, and it’s nice to get to know the Center before we actually begin clinic there. I have also joined the Lion’s Club and Gamma Omicron, a group focusing on women optometrists. I am amazed by the amount of activities available for students at SCO, and I know I will only continue to get more and more involved as I go forward in my optometry student career.
I think that’s all for now! I will write in a few more weeks with some specifics about classes and labs. I have also done a lot more exploring in Memphis and will share some things that I have found to be fun. Until next time!