Optometry is becoming more and more interdisciplinary and gives new opportunities for collaborative research due to the accumulative complexity of knowledge and the rapid transformation of the technological capabilities in domains such as information technology, optics, applied engineering, health sciences, and entrepreneurship and management.…

This resource guide provides a basic orientation to outcomes assessment for optometric educators and provides resource tools that may be useful in an assessment program. (EV)

A survey of the academic officers of optometric institutions suggests that outcomes assessment varies substantially across programs in the areas of curriculum, scholarship and research, faculty, administration, and facilities. (EV)

Changes in the current health care system impacting upon optometry and optometric care are highlighted including changes in health care organizations and delivery, emerging concepts in health care, and changes in optometry and optometric care. (JMF)

Elements and considerations in the provision of effective remediation for optometry students not achieving in clinical competence are discussed. Remediation of technical, cognitive, and noncognitive skills are included. A course in professional communication offered by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry is described. (MSE)

The University of Houston College of Optometry external clinical program, which provides fourth year students with multidisciplinary clinical activities in facilities serving underserved areas, is described. The multidisciplinary practice setting allows the students to learn about the role of the optometrist and to communicate with other health…

Demographic information relevant to planning for optometric education is examined from three perspectives: changes in the national population, changes within the health professions in general, and changes within optometry. (MSE)

Issues relating to the optometry school's provision of remedial instruction for students in academic difficulty are discussed, including the adequacy of admissions policies and criteria, student unawareness of the required level of commitment, early identification of academic difficulties, remedial program design, costs, and legal considerations.…

Economic demand analysis is used to examine optometric personnel supply and demand and the potential for a glut or undersupply of eye care services in the near future. (MSE)

The procedures of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry's Office of External Educational Programs are reviewed to show how quality assurance techniques can be categorized. The format was designed to evaluate quality assurance procedures for both the educational and service aspects of eye care. (MLW)

The clinical education program at Ferris State College, College of Optometry, and the various clinics affiliated with the college are described. To ensure quality, all individuals with the responsibility of teaching the students are faculty of Ferris State. (MLW)

The subject of health policy and its influence on patients and providers is explored with an emphasis on an interprofessional consortium, devoted to representing the consumer constituency. Expanded involvement and expenditures by the federal government in the health care field are discussed and the need for regulatory reform is described.…

A discussion of current changes in optometry looks at the expanding for-profit health sector, changing student characteristics and enrollment patterns, the changing scope of optometric care and technology, and the demise of professionalism and ethics. Implications for pharmaceutical education are considered. (MSE)

A serious decline in the optometry schools' applicant pool argues forcefully for increased and aggressive student recruitment, particularly of black, Hispanic, and native Americans, who are underrepresented in the profession. Financial aid and financial management assistance for these groups are also needed. (MSE)

A study compared the perceptions of remedial optometry students concerning themselves, cognitive strategies used in studying, the studying and evaluation processes, and study habits with their tutors' perceptions. Two predominant problems emerged: the extent of responsibility of the student in academic difficulty and discrepancies in tutor/tutee…