Surveying optometry school alumni: a multifaceted approach

Surveying alumni of a college of optometry provides vital information on the effectiveness of academic and clinical programs which prepare students for the practice of optometry and for advancement of the profession. This University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) alumni study took a multifaceted approach, asking graduates of recent years--1984, 1985, 1986--to evaluate program areas and to tell how they practiced in the first years out. Although most young optometrists worked for someone else in the year after graduation, within 2 years, two-thirds of men and women were self-employed and located primarily in urban/suburban areas. A striking finding was the difference in type of practice entered by women and men: women far more often entered solo practice or, if employed, worked for a health maintenance organization (HMO), while men more often entered partnerships or worked for another optometrist. And, women reported much lower incomes than men regardless of type of practice. These differences merit attention, as does the familiar finding that alumni, although satisfied with their optometric training overall, rated their training in practice management most inadequate.