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COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY
HISTORY
The first session of the 34th Oklahoma Legislature referred a request for an interim study to determine the need and feasibility of establishing a school or college of optometry at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah to the Legislative Council. The Executive Committee of the Legislative Council in December of 1973 requested the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to undertake a study of the subject so that the results could be repeated the second session of the 34th Legislature.
The Regents published the results of their study in a report entitled, “Optometrists for Oklahoma: A Study of Supply and Demand to 1990,” in May, 1974. The study showed that Oklahoma did need to increase the number of optometrists either through establishing a new school of optometry or through increasing the number of contracts with out-of-state optometry schools. In the study, the Regents noted that individuals with impaired or deficient vision are handicapped in an increasing visual world and it is therefore critical that Oklahoma have access to adequate primary visual care through the provision of adequate numbers of optometrists to serve all the state’s citizens.
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education authorized Northeastern to begin a program in optometric education with the Fall Semester of 1979 and gave formal approval to Northeastern to implement a full four-year professional program in optometry during the Regents’ July 29, 1981, meeting.
ACCREDITATION
NSU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the State Accrediting Agency. All programs offered by the University are approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Regional University System of Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma College of Optometry is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and is a member of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.
OPTOMETRY
Optometry is the third largest independent, primary health care profession in the United States and is the major provider of primary eye care in America. Optometric physicians are independent primary health care providers who specialize in the examination, diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eye and associated structures as well as the diagnosis of related systemic conditions. Within this scope of practice, optometric physicians are dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the quality of our lives and environment.
MISSION STATEMENT
The NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry, as an integral part of the overall mission of the University, provides an educational program leading to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Vision Science and the Doctor of Optometry Degree, post-graduate clinical residency certification, and continuing optometric education.
The primary mission of NSUOCO is the education of excellent optometric physicians who emphasize a caring and ethical commitment for the welfare of patients. Students in the optometry program are engendered with the desire and ability to pursue the scientific knowledge, clinical competence, and professional standards necessary to diagnose, treat, and manage the broadest scope of eye and vision conditions as well as to diagnose and manage systemic disease as manifested in the visual system.
In pursuit of its goals, the College provides an educational environment conducive to learning, motivates students to make a commitment to life-long learning, and challenges students to contribute to society through community involvement. The College is committed to excellence in academic and clinical instruction and to the delivery of clinical services.
The primary responsibility for influencing the quality and character of graduates resides within the faculty. The College strives to support programs which enhance faculty development and which nurture independent critical thinking, research, and scholarly development.
GOALS
To implement its mission of excellence in teaching, research and service, the following goals provide direction for planning, administration and implementation of the professional program at the Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry:
-Provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art educational program which supports the profession of optometry as an independent, primary health care profession.
-Provide an educational environment which challenges and motivates students to prepare themselves personally and professionally for careers as outstanding optometric physicians and citizens.
-Provide faculty of the highest caliber as teachers, clinicians, and scholars.
-Maintain standards and practices which result in the recruitment, enrollment, retention and graduation of students who are highly qualified and who contribute to the cultural and social diversity of the student body and the profession.
-Provide optometric students with a quantity and quality of clinical experiences necessary to develop the professional competence to diagnose, treat and manage eye and vision conditions to deliver care and services unique to the profession of optometry.
-Periodically evaluate plans for the funding of programs and the development and utilization of facilities which enable the College to address both present and future needs of the professional education program.
-Maintain positive relationships with the community and region in which the College is located, alumni of the College, the optometric profession and the public at large.
-Provide high quality continuing education programs for optometric physicians and other health care providers.
-Provide high quality post-graduate and residency programs to enhance the clinical and specialty skills of optometric physicians.
-Continue to review, assess and revise periodically the mission statement, goals, objectives and long-range plan of the College.
FACILITIES
The College of Optometry Building is located two blocks north of the main campus. Administrative and faculty offices, lecture halls, laboratories, and the Contact Lens, Vision Therapy and Specialty Care Clinics are located within this building. The majority of the clinical facilities are located at the Chester H. Pheiffer Optometry Clinic in the W.W. Hastings Indian Medical Center in Tahlequah. Students also rotate through the Rural Eye Program Clinics of the Cherokee Nation. These include Jay, Salina, Stilwell, Sallisaw and Muskogee.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
The College of Optometry offers work leading to the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Vision Science and the Doctor of Optometry degree which is a prerequisite to take the State and National Board Examinations. State Board Examinations are prerequisite to the practice of optometry in a given state.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
In order to be eligible for admission to the Professional Program in Optometry Education, a student must meet the following criteria and standards:
1. Applicant must have completed a minimum of ninety semester hours of work at an accredited college or university whose credits are acceptable toward a degree at Northeastern State University; however, a degree is preferred.
2. Applicant must have completed the following courses in pre-optometric education (or be scheduled to complete them at the end of the spring semester of application):
Semester hours
Mathematics (College Algebra & Trigonometry or Calculus) 6
*applicant must present transcript credit which demonstrates proficiency at the level of trigonometry or higher at the college level
General Chemistry I and II (with lab) 8
Physics I and II (with lab) 8
General Biology/Zoology (with lab) 4
Organic Chemistry (with lab) 4
Microbiology 3
Biochemistry 3
Statistics 3
General Psychology 3
English I and II (grammar/composition) 6
Other areas of study which are strongly recommended include: Experimental Psychology, Social Science, Humanities, Computer Science (especially data and word processing), Public Speaking, Analytic Geometry, Basic Bookkeeping or Accounting, and Human Anatomy and Physiology. Students admitted to the College of Optometry who have not yet completed a bachelor’s degree must meet the general education requirements of Northeastern State University. The student must complete these requirements by the end of their second year. The student will be responsible for knowing and meeting the general education requirements in existence at the time of the student’s first enrollment at Northeastern State University. Students should refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for Northeastern State University for a list of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree.
3. The applicant must present transcripts from all institutions attended showing a cumulative grade point average of all course work attempted of at least 2.7, based upon a 4.0 scale.
4. The applicant must have taken the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) and had those scores submitted to NSUOCO.
Applications for admission from all qualified candidates will be considered without regard to age, sex, race or national origin.
Applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree prior to starting the professional program will be given strong preference for admission.
TUITION, FEES AND EXPENSES
All Fees are subject to change without notice
Oklahoma Resident
General Enrollment Block:
Year I (Fall/Spring) ……………………………………………………………………………… $12,000.00
Year II (Fall/Spring/Summer)………………………………………………………………….. $17,175.00
Year III (Fall/Spring/Summer)…………………………………………………………………. $17,175.00
Year IV (Fall/Spring)…………………………………………………………………………….. $12,000.00
NON-RESIDENT
General Enrollment Block:
Year I (Fall/Spring) ……………………………………………………………………………… $24,100.00
Year II (Fall/Spring/Summer)………………………………………………………………….. $34,135.00
Year III (Fall/Spring/Summer)…………………………………………………………………. $34,135.00
Year IV (Fall/Spring)…………………………………………………………………………….. $24,100.00
Application Fee ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. $ 45.00
Acceptance Deposit
Students accepting positions in the entering class must submit a $200 acceptance deposit along with the letter of intent to enroll. The deposit will be applied toward the tuition owed for the first enrollment period.
Student Activity and University Center fees per hour will be charged on Special Studies Courses and in addition to the semester block charge.
Student Activity, Facility Fees & Assessment Fee (per hour)…………………………………………. $ 30.10
Student Identification Card per semester ………………………………………………………………… $ 10.00
Books and Supplies, Equipment*
(All costs are estimates and are subject to change.)
Required Equipment, Textbooks and Supplies:
FIRST YEAR SECOND YEAR THIRD YEAR FOURTH YEAR
$4,200.00 $6,200.00 $2,200.00 $600.00
Students are required to have their own Ophthalmoscope, Trial Lens Kit, Diagnostic Kit, Tool Kit, and Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscope with Teaching Mirror.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants for optometric study in the United States and Puerto Rico use a common application service, OptomCAS. Prospective students file one application which can be sent to multiple schools and colleges of optometry. This application process is more efficient and convenient for the applicant. Applicants pay a fee of $125 to OptomCAS to apply to one school or college and $45 per program for each additional. NSUOCO requires a supplemental fee of $45, payable to NSUOCO.
For additional information go to the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry website at:
www.opted.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=3499.
Applications for admission will be accepted through February 1 prior to the Fall Semester in which the applicant wishes to enter. Applications should be filed as early as possible.
On-campus interviews with members of the Admissions Committee may be arranged with the applicant after receipt of the application and fee. Not all applicants will be interviewed. The Admissions Committee begins making selections for the new class shortly after the fall semester begins for students who enter the following fall semester. Class size is limited and the College is not able to accept all qualified applicants. Notification of acceptance will normally be completed by April.
Students accepted into the Optometry program must submit evidence of rubella immunization and a booster for DT (diphtheria/tetanus) immunization within the past 10 years. Students admitted into the Optometry Program are strongly encouraged to have completed the series of Hepatitis B vaccine prior to beginning the program. Students electing not to be vaccinated are required to sign a waiver indicating their understanding of the risks involved. This documentation must be received prior to enrolling for the fall semester.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Students are encouraged to participate in University and community activities to the extent possible considering the heavy demands of the optometry curriculum.
The Optometric Student Association (OSA) represents the students on various committees of the College and provides other services such as the obtaining of books, equipment and materials. The Association also provides for social activities, representation in the Student Senate of the University, intramural sports, and liaison with the American Optometric Student Association. All optometry students are encouraged to become members.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE
A student who satisfactorily completes the first two years of the four-year professional optometry program, who has met the basic admission standards of the College of Optometry, and satisfied the general education requirements as listed in the NSU Catalog, shall be eligible to receive the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Vision Science.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOCTOR OF OPTOMETRY (O.D.) DEGREE
A student who has earned a bachelor’s degree, satisfactorily completed the full four years of the professional optometry curriculum and met any special requirements set by the dean shall be eligible to receive the Doctor of Optometry degree.
REGISTRATION FOR THE PRACTICE OF OPTOMETRY
“Every person desiring to commence the practice of Optometry upon presentation of satisfactory evidence, verified by oath, that he or she is more than twenty-one years of age and of good moral character and has had a high school education and is a graduate of a standard school of optometry, conferring the degree of Doctor of Optometry or its equivalent, shall, upon application, be examined by the State Board of Examiners in Optometry to determine his or her qualifications, and such examination shall be based upon the subjects taught in the standard schools and colleges of optometry. Every candidate successfully passing such examination shall be registered by said Board as possessing the qualifications as required and shall receive from said Board a certificate thereof.” (Oklahoma Optometry law)
Since the laws differ from state to state, students planning to take Board examinations in other states should review the law for the state being considered.
PROFESSIONAL OPTOMETRY CURRICULUM
Specific information about the four-year professional curriculum, scholarships, awards, and the honors program is found in the College of Optometry Catalog, available by calling the NSUOCO Admissions officers at 918-444-4000. An online request may be made at http://www.optometry.nsuok.edu. Please refer to the NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry catalog for specific course information.
For more information on the NSU College of Optometry, please follow this link to the college web page optometry.nsuok.edu |