Optometric Curriculum:
An Exceptional Clinical Training Sequence
PCO's optometric curriculum begins clinical skill training and patient care orientation from day one. Patient care skills are complemented by a carefully integrated sequence of basic and clinical sciences. This allows immediate application of knowledge into practice. Students are immediately immersed into communication, history-taking and interpersonal skills. The foundational clinical skills are presented throughout the first year and are accompanied by a variety of standardized and community-based clinical experiences.
The early introduction of clinical skills permits a continuous and expanding array of patient care experiences both on and off campus. Throughout the first two years, students participate in escalating levels of patient care delivery, evolving from an assisting role in community screenings and primary care examinations, to expanded responsibility for comprehensive patient care. By the middle of the second year, students are integrated into the College’s Eye Institute as full participants in the service delivery system.
Because of the immediate introduction of clinical concepts, skills, and patient care experiences, PCO students will also have an expedited entry into its extensive externship program. The integration of the basic and clinical sciences into modules, allows the classroom and laboratory education to be completed in 2½ years. This permits the last 18 months (1½ years) to be devoted to externships in a variety of private practice, hospital and group practice settings. Clinical training is more than 50 percent. This exceptional clinical education yields a graduate who is uniquely prepared to immediately assume a leadership role in the delivery of comprehensive eye and vision care in the community.