Being a Wholesome Optometrist

VISION CLUB

There is no such thing as a perfect optometrist. But there should be a desire, a burning one, to try to improve continuously. We may do it not be perfect, but to learn, and do more. In our all capacity we do good; better for us and best for the society that connects to us as clients. That is what is called being a wholesome optometrist. It is easy, and difficult too.

Easy

It's easy to be a wholesome optometrist because you don't have to do anything but be real. It's not about a point when you graduate, the process starts within you the time you join the course. First thing: You don't lie to yourself. To put it another way, only a wholesome individual can lead a journey to be a wholesome optometrist. As told, it is a continuous process, and at each moment in the student or professional life, you have to choose the path that is morally correct.

Difficult

The journey of this wholesomeness that I am talking about might be difficult at times, only when the person in regard is entangled in the circle of confusion. When s/he is not clear on what he is doing or fogged by the influence of others, it becomes flatly difficult.

For example, the crucial time to make a morally and conscientiously correct decision is when you think of choosing a career path of being an optometrist. Gone are the times of yore because nowadays there are a lot of information about the courses. If you really are ready for the jump, then after having a preliminary information from the internet, you can join orientation classes in crammer institutes (if you intend to study in Nepal) or consultancies (if you opt to go abroad) for better brainstorming. There are some instances when you don't like the notion about the course and this is where you have to run off the loop. But since you are reading this, you certainly chose this side of the path. But maybe this could be something you can share an aspirant who wish to come after you.

If you have a sense of general liking to optometry, the foremost thing would be to know about its scope. And how can you learn that? Of course, by finding a way to meet or know a senior who has followed the path. That can be someone from your far relatives or one of family friends or a mentor from a prep classes. Not only about the future landscape, they can also share you the ideas on picking up the colleges for your academic embarkment.

While I might not be the right person here to raise this issue but for the sake of profession we all stand in the same line of discipline. In order to maintain the imagery of our profession intact, unique and to get recognized, we all have to unite to gradually eliminate the blemishes and strengthen the fraternity by whatever means. Quite often than not, I seem to notice some young people hovering with academic credentials issued from the institutions of questionable integrity, regarding the modality of lectures they deliver. Current impression establishes us with the general understanding that to be an optometry graduate one should have completed 4 years long bachelor degree involving dedicated lectures with inclusion of at least a year of clinical exposure at a tertiary eye center. On top, there should be valid credits for core subjects in the concern of the syllabus. Plus, venturing in clinical practice further requires an additional licensing exams conducted by NHPC. It is true that four years is very long time and it is not fair to finger-point the person who has spent whole four years and is now running for the validation. But being a twenty-first century kid when you can get every information with just the taps and clicks−and when you need, with fair duration of discussion from relevant person−this blunder falls rightly over his/her shoulder that s/he is invariably bound to accept. We ourselves are responsible for the consequences of the work we do. So, choosing a career path and how to proceed towards are very paramount and not just a shaggy dog story.

More to it, the job marketplace is already competitive, and we are here to ease people's life−while first easing our own− with our skill, knowledge and service; is not it the right time that we asked the real questions to our inner soul like who am I, what I am for and can I make a difference.

I bet all answers are on the positive sides if you are a wholesome optometrist. Come along in the journey to make this world even more beautiful!

Please feel free to correct me anywhere should I am wrong.
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