Optometry Students Learn and Are Motivated by Volunteer Clinical Experience

It’s cliché to say students in the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University will have many “eye-opening” experiences on their journey through graduate school.

But for Naomi Nixon ‘24OD, that was exactly the takeaway after she and fellow PCO/Salus Doctor of Optometry students volunteered to be part of the staff serving the Remote Area Medical (RAM) group’s mobile medical clinic at the Pennsylvania Convention Center located in Philadelphia for two consecutive days at the end of April.

“It was the first time seeing several of the diseases and there were countless educational moments that will live with me forever,” said Nixon. “I learned how collaborative optometry is, and how patients can benefit from utilizing the strengths of many doctors to provide substantial care.”

RAM is a non-profit provider of mobile medical clinics delivering free dental, vision and general medical care to underserved and underinsured individuals. It provides comprehensive eye exams for individuals, as well as complimentary glasses — all in one day — to hundreds of people. 

The event, according to Nixon, allowed several optometrists and student interns use their different levels of talents to assist many different families and individuals who have been without eye care for years. 

Brandon Butters ‘24OD, said the clinical experience was a great opportunity to hone in on some of the skills PCO/Salus students might not get a chance to utilize as much during their training at The Eye Institute (TEI), the program’s main on-site clinical facility located in the Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.

“For example, not every patient we came across needed dilation, but we still needed to take a look at the back of their eyes to see their ocular health,” said Butters. “This was a great chance to try my hand at direct ophthalmoscopy, which was hard for many of us because our class had not had the chance to fully learn it yet due to starting school during COVID.”

The most valuable part of the experience for Gillian Eastman ‘24OD, was the opportunity for students to conduct multiple exams and apply a lot of what they have learned in their didactic education so far at a faster pace that what they would normally do while at TEI.

“We got to see lots of pathology and various refractive problems, from children to elderly adults,” she said. “We were able to be personable with the patients, and we had no chart to look at to know what to expect; everyone was new, and we had to use our best problem-solving skills to help them.”

The RAM clinic was a local event run by the program’s international organization. Helene Kaiser, OD '89, FAAO, PCO/Salus associate professor, arranged coverage of the vision care component staffed with 36 optometry students and seven PCO/Salus faculty members who volunteered their own time. The group saw 274 patients during the event.

The optometry clinic at the event included autorefractors, lensometers, 20 phoropter stations, slit lamps, and the ability to dilate patients if needed. The success of the event was two-fold - the students who volunteered gained valuable experience while the patients outwardly expressed appreciation for their service and the impact on their overall health.

“All of the patients we encountered that weekend were super-grateful and always went out of their way to thank us for what we were doing,” said Butters. “On the second day of the clinic I was working down the line of patients doing their entrance testing before they could go and get their refraction done. I came across this one woman who was in her 60s and she admitted to me that this was going to be her first eye exam ever.”

One of Eastman’s patients confided to her she too had never had a dilated exam. “She was very thankful that we provided a comprehensive exam and educated her on the affects her diabetes could have on her eyes . . . she had no idea,” said Eastman. “All of the patients were very grateful and excited about getting their eyes cared for.” 

The event was not only a learning experience for the students, but it turned out to be a motivational one as well.

“It definitely put an intense fire under me and re-motivated me to learn all I can,” said Nixon. "I would advise all future optometry students to look for similar events in the future and to join, eager to be inspired by the people around them. They will leave with so much knowledge and inspiration for their future careers and receive the opportunity to serve patients who possibly need you the most.”