First of all, I would like to introduce myself: I am Resa, a twenty-five-year-old optometry student from Germany. As part of my optometry degree, I am completing a six-month exchange program at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry and Vision Science.
Throughout my three-year ophthalmic optician apprenticeship and the start of my academic studies in optometry at the University of Aalen, in Germany, I have been interested in a semester abroad. One of the elective courses available in my program was "International Optometry" which allows students to gain experience by spending a study semester in another country. After attending an informative and interesting seminar on possible exchange locations, I was very interested in the opportunities for an exchange semester at the University of Waterloo. The School of Optometry and Vision Science was my best choice of location available in the International Optometry program because it allowed me to work at the well-known Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR), and to attend the high quality lectures, for which the School of Optometry and Vision Science is well known.
I have been part of the CCLR staff since the end of February and have now attended lectures during both the winter and spring term. What a great variety! My main focus is working at the CCLR, where I am collaborating on several projects, getting experience in scientific research and also doing various administrative tasks. I also have the opportunity to attend lectures covering a broad range of topics including “Clinical Ocular Pharmacology” and “Ophthalmic Lasers & Refractive Surgery”. An exchange is not only a great chance to build up a network for an international working career in the future, this has also allowed me to connect with colleagues and students from all around the world to further develop a deep understanding of different cultures and people.
The optometry program in Germany is different in some ways to the program here in Canada. In Germany there are four universities which provide an academic clinical optometry program, Aalen, Jena, Berlin and Muenchen. Some of these universities require that applicants have a previous apprenticeship as an optician in order to receive admission. My educational path consists of a general study period of seven terms over three and a half years and to achieve my optometry degree I need a combined total of 210 credits. I receive a specific number of credits each time I successfully write an exam. In my last term I have to write a detailed final thesis about a specific topic including research and statistic work. In my experience, the study contents in Germany have been based more on the business aspects of the profession, such as marketing and product research and development, than I have seen here in Canada. However, some components of optometry in Canada, such as the diagnosing of eye diseases and the prescription of drugs are not allowed in Germany at this time.
In an increasingly globalized world and particularly in a worldwide aging population, our profession as optometrists is more important than ever before. The worldwide connection of optometry is one of the key factors for ensuring the best provision for our patients and customers. In addition a close contact in this specific area of science encourages a significant academic and technical cooperation between Canada and Germany. Every year about two to five German students are completing exchange programs at the School of Optometry and Vision Science. Based on the benefit to both sites and to solidify this cooperation, continued student exchanges are planned.
Last but not least, another important factor in my decision to come to Canada is its fascinating natural and cultural diversity. In my opinion a colourful variety of traditions, languages and conventions make up the wealth of Canada.
If you are interested in more detailed information about the optometry program in Germany, the general process of the exchange program or about German culture, just feel free to contact me <resa.kummer (at) gmail.com>.
