By Tienna Schade
When fourth-year student Brandt Burdeniuk graduates next year, his experiences in the Doctor of Optometry (OD) program will have taken him from coast to coast.
Growing up in Winnipeg and earning a Bachelor of Science from the University of Manitoba meant Brandt had to move almost 1500 kilometers away to pursue optometry at the University of Waterloo.
Now, in his final year of his OD degree, he’ll be on the move once again – this time for clerkship. For his first placement, Brandt got to experience the Maritime lifestyle for the first time as he trained at Island Eyecare in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
With a population of around 30,000, the small-town feel of Sydney is a stark contrast from the nearly 700,000 in the sprawling urban and suburban landscape of Waterloo Region. The charming and tight-knit community made for some interesting and unique experiences that Brandt will fondly look back on for the rest of his career.
His second placement, at the Waterloo Eye Institute, will expose Brandt to a variety of specialty services to help him develop advanced skills. Then, for his last placement, he will head to British Columbia, ensuring he gets a truly national view of optometry practice.
What was it like working in a private clinic compared to your training at the School in Waterloo so far?
Starting at Island Eyecare marked the beginning of my fourth year. My first three years of School training focused on developing the fundamental techniques I need to perform basic eye exams. The exams I performed at the school were very thorough and structured, which was crucial to help me strengthen those essential skills.
In private practice, I’ve really learned to expand my thinking and put more emphasis on considering the specific concerns and testing needs for each patient. I’ve also gotten exposure to the day-to-day operations that occur outside of the exam room, like patient care coordinating, scheduling, running jobs in the lab, dispensing and taking inventory. Learning more about the business side of optometry has been new to me as well.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Once I became accustomed to how the clinic operates, my days have typically consisted of being the primary examiner for six full eye exams. Some days, I get an additional partial exam as well, depending on what’s on the schedule or who walks in the door that day. Occasionally, we get a last-minute triage, and if I have the time, I might be the one to see them too. If I have any spare time in between all of this, I also shadow one or two of my supervisor’s exams.
With each patient, I conduct the full exam and counsel them on the results. Then, I step out of the room and make a case presentation to my supervisor. From there, we step back in and counsel further as needed.
Do you have a favourite condition or demographic to treat?
Since I’m still a student, everything is kind of new to me. Because of this, I like seeing all types of patients and conditions. It’s nice to do that now, since my supervisors act as my safety net. When I’m unsure of what to do next, they can step in and help.
In general, I do tend to see older patients more often. This is intentional so I get more exposure to a wide variety of conditions and diseases. However, I’ve seen quite the range of patients, from 4 years old to 93 years old.
Do you have any especially memorable moments you’d like to share from your clerkship?
There’s always lots of fun stuff going on in the clinic, which is has been great. Partway through my clerkship, someone randomly started putting little cartoon eye stickers all around the clinic. They’d be on sunglass model posters, water bottles, hand sanitizers, light switches and in the most hidden corners you’d never think to look behind. No one knows who the culprit is. I have my suspicions, but I can’t say anything – I’ve got to keep it a mystery for everyone else in the clinic.
When you weren’t working, have you taken the opportunity to explore what Nova Scotia had to offer?
Yes! I’m an outdoorsy person, so Nova Scotia has been awesome. Especially since I’ve been here during the summer. I've gone around the Cabot Trail, which was amazing, checked out a few beaches, gone hiking, whale watching and went on a puffin boat tour. My supervisor also showed me a biking trail, which was fun, and I went golfing with him too. The East Coast has some beautiful courses.
Being from Winnipeg, living beside the ocean is something I’d never experienced. This is the furthest east I’ve ever been so this term was a big adventure. I also took the chance to try all the fresh seafood and experienced a local lobster boil.
What are your plans for your next clerkship? Any plans for after graduation?
I’ll be in Waterloo for the fall term so I’m excited about all the different specialty clinics at the School. After that, I’ll be off to Smithers, British Columbia, for my last clerkship. Smithers has a population of less than 6,000 so it’s even smaller than Sydney. It should be interesting, since we’ll get patients from an even wider geographical area, and I’ll get to compare a different practice model in a new province. I’m also hoping to get lots of skiing in while I’m there.
After graduation, my plan is to take the summer to travel and see friends and family. I’m thinking of doing a Europe trip, since I’ve never been there before. Highlights would probably include Spain, Italy and Greece. Regarding optometry, I haven’t made any concrete decisions on where I want to go or what I want to do. There’s still a lot to think about, which makes this a really exciting time.