Optometry Education - Free CE Courses Below

Optometry Education

Basically, optometry education refers to all those activities that go into transforming one into an eye care professional. Different countries have different requirements for anyone who aspires to joining this vital career. However, there are some basic requirements that cut across the board. For instance, one must have done well in sciences in high school level education, especially in biology and related sciences. Accomplishing the initial training is nevertheless not the end. Optometry education comes in two levels, namely; basic and continuing optometry education. Let us consider these at some detail.

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Basic optometry education

This level prepares one to join this profession. It is here that one gets the basic knowledge, theories, skills and competencies to qualify and practice as an optometrist. It is only after passing all the relevant examinations and practical lessons that one can finally be licensed to venture into this field. At this level, students concentrate primarily on the function, structure and disorders of the eye, they also take other related courses including: biochemistry, human anatomy, physiology and others in order to prepare them for their role as primary-care doctors who will be well equipped to protect the patients’ overall wellness and health.

Continuing optometry education

What the student learns in the initial course is vital. It lays the foundation upon which new knowledge, skills and technologies will be added later. This is achieved through the pursuit of Continuing Education. Continuing Professional Development or Continuing Education refers to all formal education that the professional undertakes after joining the career. Why is CE important to optometrists?

· Remaining relevant in the career

Optometry is a dynamic field. New knowledge, skills and technologies keep coming up every other day. New eye problems keep arising, while old treatments to old problems defy conventional solutions. In the midst of all these, the knowledge, skills and treatment approaches learned at the basic level will keep disappointing. Any optometrist who does not keep pace with the developments in this field will certainly be on the way to becoming professionally irrelevant.

· Career Advancement

No optometrist is bound to remain at the entry level throughout his or her career. Opportunities for upward mobility keep arising. However, as you move up the ladder, the competition gets stiffer as the chances get fewer. One way to stand out from the crowd is by acquiring superior and most current knowledge and skills in this line. These skills have to be formally recognized.

· Renewal of licenses

It is a requirement in almost all countries for experts in this vital profession to accumulate enough credits annually for them to have their licenses renewed. This requirement is not punitive. It is the authorities’ way of ensuring that practicing optometrists keep abreast with developments in this discipline. The only way to gather these credits is by enrolling for approved optometry education courses. Approval is usually done by professional bodies in respective countries. COPE, for instance, is responsible for the approval of these courses in the US. It is important for the optometrist to confirm that the courses she or he wants to take are approved by the professional body relevant to his or her country of practice.

Pursuing Optometry education

One can study both levels of optometry either by attending conventional campuses or by joining an online institution. The latter option is quite ideal for practicing professionals as it offers them a lot of flexibility. They can learn from anywhere across the planet and at whatever time they prefer to, as long as they have a reliable internet-connected device.

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