As the saying goes – sometimes when a door closes, a window opens.
For fourth-year student Austin, this is especially true when he reflects upon the impact COVID-19 had on his clerkship journey. While arranging his travel to his first clerkship in Oklahoma, Austin suddenly found his plans in jeopardy after the global pandemic hit in March 2020.
“After the American border closed, it was clear that my clerkship was going to be cancelled,” said Austin. “There were twelve of us who were all in the same boat, feeling like our whole plan for fourth year was being taken away from us.”
Knowing what was at risk for these students, the Canadian optometry profession immediately stepped up to ensure Waterloo students could fulfill their clerkship requirements here at home. After learning that students were now without clerkships, current partners willingly welcomed more students to their clinic and six new clinics across Canada applied to join the program.
Within a month, all twelve students were able to quickly pivot to Canadian sites without any delay to their education.
Now over a year removed from the original disappointment, Austin is grateful to have ended up on a different path – leading him to Waterloo alum Dr. Pamela Giles and Aurora Eye Care in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
“Despite all the uncertainty around whether I’d be able to continue with my clerkship in the United States, I ended up being super lucky,” said Austin.
“At Aurora, I had the chance to manage a variety of acute diseases and I loved the opportunity to be part of a rural clinic. I learned so much, and it was a really nurturing environment.”
For Dr. Pamela Giles at Aurora Eye Care, joining the clerkship program has been a fulfilling experience for both her and her colleagues, too.
“Welcoming [Waterloo] students has truly been a shining light for our clinic over the past year.”
Giles sees the clerkship program as the perfect way to give back to the profession she loves, while also cultivating a collaborative approach to patient care in her clinic. “I think to be a good health practitioner, you need to have that collaborative mindset to ensure you’re providing your patients with the best care. Working with our students has really woken up that mindset for us here.”
Dr. Giles and her team at Aurora are excited to continue welcoming students to their clinic in the future, providing guidance for the next generation of optometrists.
“I always want [our students] to be amazing at and passionate about what they do. The more they can feel that early on in their career, the more engaged they are going to be within our professional community,” said Giles.
“I love that I get to welcome them to the profession through the clerkship program – how cool is that?”
Are you interested in hosting a University of Waterloo student through the clerkship program? Please contact optclerk@uwaterloo.ca for more information.
