EMILY HOOK
How I Got Here
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is probably the question we are asked the most as we get older, but it also is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Like most children, my response to this question was constantly changing, but they all had one thing in common- they were focused on science. When I began applying for college I was still unsure of what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing, but I knew I wanted to enter the medical field. After my first year at IUPUI, making the decision to pursue optometry was incredibly easy.
I had been interested in this career path because I have worn glasses or contacts for as long as I can remember, so I’ve had my fair share of experiences with the profession. I knew that this career would not only allow me to help people but also make a difference in their lives because that was the experience I had. I don’t think I will ever forget the day I got my first pair of glasses, I could see everything in so much more detail than I had ever been able to before.
Posing with my first pair of glasses
As a freshman, I had my first experience job shadowing an optometrist. Although I was a little upset that the doctor I shadowed did not see that many patients that day, it gave us plenty of time to talk about her experiences and the opportunities within the profession. The one thing making me a little hesitant about optometry was that the days would get monotonous, doing routine eye exams day after day. I left with a completely different outlook after learning that this doctor specialized in ocular diseases and hearing about some of the patients she treats. This experience was very meaningful for me and is the moment I decided that I did want to pursue optometry.
My Experience at Indiana Eye Doctors
During my junior year, I got the opportunity to work as an optometric technician at Indiana Eye Doctors. Although I had already made the decision to pursue optometry, this job made me confident that it is the right career for me. Working as an optometric technician allowed me to gain valuable insight into the profession and the day-to-day life of an optometrist. I have been able to gain invaluable experience with patients while pretesting them, teaching them how to use contact lenses, and checking them in and out of their appointments. I am also responsible for filing insurance claims, entering checks from insurance companies, and placing contact orders. Although these tasks are not the most exciting, they have taught me the behind-the-scenes of how an office runs.
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The doctors I work with are very supportive and have taught me more than I could have ever imagined. They always will answer any questions I have whether it's about a diagnosis, their experience with optometry school, or their previous jobs. I have learned about a variety of eye diseases and conditions because the doctors will show me abnormalities on retinal images or topographic corneal maps. Because of what they have taught me, I can now identify a handful of retinal diseases when I am taking those images of patients during the pretest. I truly believe everything I have learned from this job and from the amazing doctors I work with has set me up for success in optometry school. I am excited about my future as an optometrist and hope I can one day influence a student like the doctors I have interacted with did for me.
This is where I spend most of my day at work. I greet patients, answer phone calls, and do work on the computer.
Here are three of the pretests I do on patients. From left to right these are an eye pressure test, an autorefractor, and a visual field test.
This is where I do contact lens training. I teach patients how to safely insert, remove, and clean their contact lenses.
This is where I spend most of my day at work. I greet patients, answer phone calls, and do work on the computer.