OPT-8801 Externship 2
Clinical externships of the Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) are a series of clinical rotations to various sites for patient care. The intent of the externships is to provide the optometric student the opportunity to be trained by outstanding practitioners in primary and/or secondary eye care. Externships are an integral part of the curriculum and are designed to transform the optometric student into a complete health care professional who can apply scientific knowledge in concert with clinical insight and overall concern for the patient. The University is committed to providing students with the highest quality education.
Clinical externships begin in March of the third year and proceed through the entire fourth year. Clinical externships are the culmination of the patient care preparation programs of Salus University. The on and off-campus clinical experiences at the University (Professional Practice 1-7) during the first 2-1/2 years of the core program prepare the student in the basic clinical skills so that the student can assume the more intensive clinical demands of externships. The first externship (spring semester) of the third program year is a primary care off-campus rotation. The remaining 12-month period (fourth professional year) includes four (4) rotations of three or six month duration. Three of the rotations are predominantly in off- campus private practice, group practice and/or hospital settings. Externships are classified into four categories, each with specific associated educational objectives: The Eye Institute, interprofessional/collaborative care hospital-based site, ocular disease and private practice contact lens/specialty/primary care.