Hi everyone!
A lot has been going on in my second year of optometry school. I have to say, it’s been a very exciting, yet very challenging year. The courses have been extremely rigorous, but at the same time, the material has been much more clinically relevant and therefore, it’s been a little easier to study for. One of the exciting parts about second year is that we’ve been shadowing fourth-year students in the clinic, as well as participating in school screenings around Shelby County. Both of these opportunities have been so helpful in preparing us for clinic in the very near future. With that being said, I just completed and passed pre-clinical checkouts which means (drum rolllll)… I can officially see patients now!!! I am so excited about that! And, there is actually less than a month left of this semester, which leads me into talking about what I’m most excited for and nervous about with regards to third year.
I honestly can’t believe that in just a short amount of time, I will officially be a third-year student. I am not kidding—time FLIES in optometry school! It feels like just yesterday I was at orientation of my first year. Don’t get me wrong, the days definitely feel long but I think the fact that we are so busy, all the time, makes the semesters go by in the blink of an eye. The most exciting part, to me, about third year is finally being able to see patients! It’s been a long time coming and a lot of preparation up to this point. I feel ready but am also quite nervous about not knowing “everything” (which sounds a little silly, I know). I have learned so much in the first two years but I’m not sure I can remember it all. However, I was reassured just a few days ago by a professor of mine, that most people share this same fear when beginning in clinic, but soon find out that it really is okay to simply ask for help or look it something up! I felt much better knowing that I wasn’t the only one with this concern. But seriously, I can’t wait to finally see patients and to apply all that I’ve learned thus far.
Now, one of the most nerve-wracking parts of third year is preparing for and taking the first part of national boards. Luckily, there is still a little bit of time before I need to actually begin worrying about that portion of third year, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. Most students begin studying during their fall semester of third year and the exam is taken during the spring semester. I’m sure you all will hear from me before then and I can update you on how that’s going! On a much better note, I’ve heard that fall semester, though studying for boards begins, is one of the best semesters in optometry school because there are fewer classes to keep up with… so, that’s really exciting!
Thanks for reading and I hope to write again soon!