Optometric Curriculum:
The Primary Care Philosophy
The primary care philosophy is the cornerstone of the optometric curriculum. It prepares students to integrate and apply basic, behavioral and clinical sciences to address patient needs. It emphasizes a holistic approach to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and visual performance in enhancing patient quality of life. It stresses the need for the primary care optometrist to develop broad competencies in offering comprehensive services to patients and their families.
The primary care philosophy encourages the utilization of the full range of interventions including the use of ophthalmic materials, pharmaceutical agents, laser technologies, functional rehabilitative therapies, and other diagnostic and therapeutic tools necessary to meet patient needs.
The curriculum places the patient-doctor relationship at the heart of the educational experience. From day one, students are encouraged to look at the whole person, not just the immediate signs and symptoms. Compassion for the patient, cooperation with other health professionals, and awareness of the ethical, social and economic dimensions of health care delivery are woven throughout the curriculum.
The primary care optometrist must also recognize that the completion of the Doctor of Optometry degree program is only the first step toward maintaining competence in a life-long commitment to self-directed learning and continual professional improvement.