We explored mediating concepts that affect clinical novices shifting between their talk "with" patients in eye examinations and their talk "about" patients in case presentations (nCPs). In a Canadian optometry teaching clinic, patient "chief concern or request", "illness experience", and…

Learning to counsel patients in a teaching clinic or hospital occurs in the presence of the competing agendas of patient care and student education. We wondered about the challenges that these tensions create for clinical novices learning to deliver bad news to patients. In this preliminary study, we audio-taped and transcribed the interviews of…

Describes the innovative content and structure of an introductory course on clinical patient care at the Illinois College of Optometry. Critiques its success based on student grades and feedback, concluding that it was successful in imparting skills of data analysis but had minimal impact on students' ability to empathize with patients. (EV)

Methods for reevaluating student admission, clinical preparation, and clinical performance evaluation in optometric education are suggested. (MSE)

A workshop to improve clinical optometry teachers' instructional abilities focuses on teachers' problem-solving skills and aims at reviewing basic clinical instruction concepts, introducing students to communication skills, introducing participants to an action-oriented model of clinical teaching, and providing opportunities to practice the…

A curriculum assessment of the 17 schools of optometry in the United States found much variability in the number and proportion of clock hours assigned to various curriculum tracks in the didactic curriculum. Most schools, however, assigned a similar proportion of clock hours to clinical experience. (Author/DB)

An inexpensive computer graphics systems (Commodore PET), used as a video aid for teaching students advanced case analysis, is described. The course provides students with the analytical tools for evaluating with graphical and statistical techniques and treating with lenses, prisms, and orthoptics various anomalies of binocular vision. (MLW)

Discusses how the New England College of Optometry has expanded clinical education so graduates are equipped to handle new and advanced clinical and patient-care responsibilities and meet the changing standards of professional entry-level competency. The reform process, third- and fourth-year curriculum components, rotations, and plans for…

Describes development and design of the Comprehensive Clinical Performance Grid for Student Evaluation, created to address concerns about what constitutes a competent practitioner and to provide a useful and consistent student-evaluation tool for clinical optometric education. Development challenges are also discussed, including staff training and…

A review of residency training programs in optometry schools looks at the role of such programs in overall optometric education and a variety of factors in program design. These include the didactic component, faculty resources, residents' instructional activity, facilities, the research component, and use of outcomes assessment for the training…

A discussion of basic and clinical science teaching in optometry in the next decade looks at the changing role of primary care and specialist optometrists, the training needs of current and future faculty, recommended curriculum changes, and decision making about delivery of this training. The roles of graduate training, residencies, and…

Outlines the functional standards for didactic and clinical optometric education adopted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, including specific abilities in the areas of: observation; communication; sensory and motor coordination; intellectual-conceptual, integrative, and quantitative skills; and behavioral and social…

The development of the New England College of Optometry's fourth year into an entirely clinical program is described, including its new focus on increased patient load and mix, student social awareness and conscience, and varied practice mode and management options. (MSE)

Remediation of at-risk senior optometry students is discussed, looking at possible reasons for remediation need and the design of a program to effectively address students' needs, including program design, student evaluation/placement, development of specific skills, and supervision. The South Boston Community Health Center (Massachusetts) program…

Issues of quality in clinical education that have emerged in the evaluation of colleges of optometry according to new Council on Optometric Education standards are reviewed. Specific standards and problems are cited, and common areas of weakness are summarized. (MSE)