Pre-Optometry Club at the University of Toronto

Pre-Optometry Club at U of T 2013-2014 Agenda

Pre-Optometry at U of T 2012-2013

Pre-Optometry at U of T 2011-2012

Pre-Optometry at U of T 2010-2011

NEVER HESITATE TO ASK ME ANYTHING AND REFER TO OUR WEBSITE

Pre-Optometry Education Preparation:

Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia – Master of Clinical Vision Science Program (MSc CVS)

http://cvs.healthprofessions.dal.ca/

Ø      Only place in Canada to offer joint certification in Orthoptics and Ophthalmic Medical Technology (2 year program).

Ø      Can be completed as Distance Education, all clinical components are performed at University of Toronto affiliated hospitals.

Centennial College – Ophthalmic Medical Personnel Certificate

http://db2.centennialcollege.ca/ce/certdetail.php?CertificateCode=7934

http://www.jcahpo.org/

Ø      Distance learning or in-class program (2 phases-each 3 months long and $361.29).

Ø      Endorsed by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.

Ø      Accredited by the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO) as a training program at the assistant level. 

Ø      JCAHPO’s COA, COT, and COMT levels of certification are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA accreditation confirms that JCAHPO’s certification programs meet the highest national voluntary standards for private certification.

Optometric Assistant Certification

http://opto.ca/oa/index.html

Ø      By the Canadian Association of Optometrists.

Ø      Must be under the supervision of an eye care practitioner.

Ø      1 workshop and 4 modules.

Ø      Registration deadline: Oct. 1^st, 2010 / Course begins Oct. 15^th, 2010.

Unite for Sight

http://www.uniteforsight.org/

http://www.uniteforsight.org/chapter (all “how to” register information).

bingqing.wang@utoronto.ca (U of T Chapter President’s contact).

Ø      Eliminates worldwide patient barriers to eye care.

Ø      Trains Global Impact and Community Fellows.

Ø      Gathers leaders in the field from all over in the Global Health and Innovation Conference at Yale University, Connecticut (April 16-17, 2011 / Attending?).

Ø      In order to become an official member you need to register yourself as volunteers at the Unite for Sight’s web page.

Please begin by going to:
1)    Register to become a volunteer with the chapter in the first link on the page.
2)    Then, use your name and password selected in step #1 to LOGIN AS VOLUNTEER and complete your training requirements in the second section of the website.

Upon completing steps #1 and #2, you will be approved to volunteer with the local chapter of Unite For Sight, and you will be connected with the local chapter.

Eyebank of Canada, Ontario Division, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Toronto

http://www.eyebank.utoronto.ca/

Ø      Employment and Volunteer opportunities.

Ø      Research on Glaucoma, Visual System Regeneration, and general Eye Diseases, each has corresponding professionals who you can contact.

Related University of Toronto Courses

http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/

Ø      ROP299Y1: Research Opportunity Program for undergraduate students. This is very limited; only Professors Jay Pratt and Ian Spence of the Department of Psychology have research related topics to vision science.

Ø      PSY280: Introduction to Perception; PSY316: Perceptual Development; PSY380: Vision Science; PSY389: Perception Laboratory; PSY475: Attention and Performance; PSY480: Seminar in Vision Science.

York Center for Vision Research

http://cvr.yorku.ca/home/index.html

http://www.yorku.ca/cvrss/ (York-MITACS – Vision Science Summer School)

Ø      Another major vision science center in Ontario, consider to do graduate work / postdoctoral studies, etc.

Ø      You can contact the professionals from the numerous research labs there.

Ø      York-MITACS: one-week, all-expenses-paid undergraduate summer school on the topic of vision science. The program provides on-campus accommodations, breakfast and lunch each day, a closing banquet, and reimbursement for transportation costs.

Ø      Look into seminar dates and conferences for this school year 2010 / 2011 (may attend and/or can contact a vision science speaker for the spring semester, 2011: http://www.yorku.ca/rfm/ http://www.psych.yorku.ca/adler/ / http://www.cvr.yorku.ca/webpages/wilson.htm

OAT (Optometry Admission Test)

http://www.opted.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1 (ASCO, the place to register for the OAT-all about the OAT, information about your Optometric education, residency information for future planning).

www.Prometric.com (Thompson Prometric National Registration Center,complete list of Prometric testing centers).

http://www.kaptest.com/oat (includes information about Optometry-the field, schools and their programs, financing your education, free practice OAT packages, etc).

http://www.scholarware.com/ (OAT guides and free practice tests).

Ø      Examinees may take the test as many times as they wish, but must wait at least 90 days between tests.

Ø      Official transcripts, which include results from the four most recent tests taken, are then mailed to the schools that the examinee chose at the time of registration.

Ø      The cost of the exam is $189 (2006), which covers the exam and sending test scores to 5 optometry schools. There is a $15.00 fee for each additional school.

Ø      After completing the registration process with ASCO, examinees will be instructed to contact the Thompson Prometric National Registration Center for the OAT to arrange a date, time, and location for taking the test.

Resources

Ø      Gerstein library has books about Ophthalmology, Vision Science Research, and OAT practice tests.

Ø      The A.E. MacDonald Ophthalmic Library and the William Callahan Reading Room

      http://www.utoronto.ca/ophthalmology/library.htm

-Located at the Toronto Western Hospital, Vision Science Research Program, 6^th floor, Room MP 6-319, 399 Bathurst Street.

-Contains a superb collection of books, journals, videotapes, CD-ROMS, etc.

Ø      The Toronto Public Library has OAT practice tests

Ø      Look into Optometry schools’ curriculum and start preparing early: see which subjects you may find difficult or do not know much about (I looked into Physical and Geometrical Optics). 

Career Opportunities

http://www.careers.utoronto.ca/myCareer/guides.aspx?tr

http://www.infoclip.ca/Newsletter-2 (Capsule DotClip Newsletter is a recap of the latest optical industry news, play around with the website, but go to the newsletter and its archives to find career opportunities).

Ø      Examples of places to apply for jobs (these will give you great learning experience and endless interaction with the type of professionals you will be working with on a daily basis): LensCrafters, Pearl Vision, Sears Optical, Hakim Optical, University Eye Clinic, etc, but if possible, target places with doctors, not simply optical stores. 

Ø      Shadowing: if such places as those mentioned above are not hiring, ask to volunteer and shadow the doctors on site. 

Ø      Cover Letters / CV’s / Resumes: I can work with you to write and prepare these documents, we can work together on your interview skills, the Toronto Public Library has perfect books that teach you how to do all this, the University of Toronto Career Center has trained people just for this reason – they will evaluate your cover letter/ CV / resume, and will perform interview workshops.   

References and Reference Letters

Ø      Anyone can use me as a reference, but you must inform me ahead of time.

Ø      I will furnish reference letters for everyone at the end of the academic year (if you need it earlier, simply ask me). The content is mostly identical for all, but variations will occur based on individual commitment. Attendance will be taken at every meeting / event, etc.