Describes the innovative content and structure of an introductory course on clinical patient care at the Illinois College of Optometry. Critiques its success based on student grades and feedback, concluding that it was successful in imparting skills of data analysis but had minimal impact on students' ability to empathize with patients. (EV)

A curriculum assessment of the 17 schools of optometry in the United States found much variability in the number and proportion of clock hours assigned to various curriculum tracks in the didactic curriculum. Most schools, however, assigned a similar proportion of clock hours to clinical experience. (Author/DB)

Discusses how the New England College of Optometry has expanded clinical education so graduates are equipped to handle new and advanced clinical and patient-care responsibilities and meet the changing standards of professional entry-level competency. The reform process, third- and fourth-year curriculum components, rotations, and plans for…

Describes development and design of the Comprehensive Clinical Performance Grid for Student Evaluation, created to address concerns about what constitutes a competent practitioner and to provide a useful and consistent student-evaluation tool for clinical optometric education. Development challenges are also discussed, including staff training and…

A review of residency training programs in optometry schools looks at the role of such programs in overall optometric education and a variety of factors in program design. These include the didactic component, faculty resources, residents' instructional activity, facilities, the research component, and use of outcomes assessment for the training…

Outlines the functional standards for didactic and clinical optometric education adopted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, including specific abilities in the areas of: observation; communication; sensory and motor coordination; intellectual-conceptual, integrative, and quantitative skills; and behavioral and social…

Remediation of at-risk senior optometry students is discussed, looking at possible reasons for remediation need and the design of a program to effectively address students' needs, including program design, student evaluation/placement, development of specific skills, and supervision. The South Boston Community Health Center (Massachusetts) program…

Issues of quality in clinical education that have emerged in the evaluation of colleges of optometry according to new Council on Optometric Education standards are reviewed. Specific standards and problems are cited, and common areas of weakness are summarized. (MSE)

A discussion of tenure for clinical faculty in optometric education looks at traditional eligibility requirements, administrative and political aspects of tenure policy, ways in which medical schools have addressed clinical faculty tenure, how clinical faculty are "essential" faculty, responsibilities of administration to clinical faculty and of…

Three optometric educators provide separate perspectives on how and why to increase the amount of clinical experience in the optometry program, addressing such issues as how many patient encounters are enough to provide adequate training, salient factors in clinical experience outside patient encounter numbers (facilities and equipment, preceptor,…

Educators in dentistry and osteopathy discuss efforts within their fields to diversify clinical education. Dental school changes focus on curriculum reform, closer education-care delivery relationship, patient centeredness, comprehensive care experiences, and patient care as a distinct mission of dental education. Efforts in osteopathy emphasize…

A New England College of Optometry (Massachusetts) faculty development program for clinical preceptors provides a forum for administration and clinical faculty to address problems in clinical education and to increase communication between affiliated faculty, program coordinators, and students. The on-site conferences have demonstrated significant…

An Illinois College of Optometry faculty development project focuses on improvement of classroom teaching methods. Topics that have been addressed to date include improving lecture skills, a lecture teaching lab, case-based laboratories, promoting student problem-solving in clinical situations, effective feedback and supervision, and the student…

Clinical optometric education is in flux. It must meet the challenges of advances in bioscience, newer diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, a changing health care environment, and interdisciplinary learning for problem solving; engender social responsibility; promote good provider-patient relations; stress primary care; and emphasize prevention.…