Macuhealth

SERIOUS???????

Kent Jensen said:
Thought UIW was suppose to fill the need for more ODs in South Texas



https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2024...oves-proposal-for-new-school-of-optometry.htm
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lol...the acceptance rate is nearly 1:1 as it is now. I guess we're shooting for too many seats for the number of applicants. Optometry's approach of "anyone can get in SOMEwhere" is not doing us any favors at all. If only we had some board that confers accreditation to these schools that could make some formal declaration that "we're not accrediting any more institutions and we're looking at pulling some that are already in place," maybe we could fix some of this.

This is just more people realizing that the REAL money in optometry is in making optometrists because apparently there's no ceiling to what we'll pay to become one. I'm sure getting another school will really help the plummeting board scores....
 
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Steven E. Nelson said:
lol...the acceptance rate is nearly 1:1 as it is now. I guess we're shooting for too many seats for the number of applicants.

This is just more people realizing that the REAL money in optometry is in making optometrists because apparently there's no ceiling to what we'll pay to become one. I'm sure getting another school will really help the plummeting board scores....
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sell the shovels, don't pan for gold

yeah dude like I pointed out waaay before and again on Steven Faith's thread, a large minority of OD students do not have any debt.

when you are in a culture where you need that white coat for Mrs (ok, and Mr, just so I don't get deleted) purposes (not naming a specific culture of course), selling just half a years' big tech RSUs to pay for your kid's degree so they're marriagable is nothing

no shortage of people buying the degree that never really plan to use it seriously

which might actually mitigate the issue
 
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"This is just more people realizing that the REAL money in optometry is in making optometrists because apparently there's no ceiling to what we'll pay to become one. "
 
Derrick Randall said:
I'm just sure all of those students (if they can pass boards) will just go to all the rural locations in Texas, and not flock to places like Dallas, Austin, and Houston like the rest of the graduates from other schools.
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It'll be nice because I'm 100% sure that THIS will be the school that solves that "no rural doctor" problem. I mean, the first 4 didn't, but THIS one will for sure.

In real life, until someone starts offering tuition repayment for settling in areas less than X population, nobody is going to go there.
 
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Steven E. Nelson said:
It'll be nice because I'm 100% sure that THIS will be the school that solves that "no rural doctor" problem. I mean, the first 4 didn't, but THIS one will for sure.

In real life, until someone starts offering tuition repayment for settling in areas less than X population, nobody is going to go there.
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This
 
Quick question. Why is the threat of a "shortage of optometrists" so scary to people? How the hell else do we become "in demand?"

We've been acting as though this "shortage of optometrists" is some sort of Doom of Damoclese we're all just about to suffer from. Yeah, it's not the greatest thing for the PUBLIC, but it would be amazing for us.
 
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as long as ODs are willing to refract everybody, and always bill "routine" for a crisp $50, there will ALWAYS be a "shortage". I mean thats so cheap why NOT have a sucker...cough...cough...I mean OD, on every corner?
 
Here is a bit of info. We already have 2 optometry schools in Texas - UHCO and UIW. But supposedly we are needing more ODs for Texas. Yet the most recent data has 20-25% of UHCO students are OUT of State and 50% of UIW are OUT of State. Why? Can't find enough qualified Texas students? If so, a new school will change that??? The claim when UIW was founded was to provide ODs to the under served areas of Texas.

I particularly like that the TOA doesn't even have the press release (dated May 9) on its website. Any wonder why I am no longer a member


More info: UIW listed projected cost for the first year of optometry school to be about 75k not including healthcare insurance (tuition, books supplies,living expenses ect). No wonder a new grad wants(needs) so much straight out of school ------- 300k in debt!!!!!!!! Luckily the Vision Plans have increased reimbursement

I truly feel sorry for the new grads and current students. That is a deep hole to dig out of. Scholarships from the Military, Indian Health ect seems to be the only way to afford the profession unless your family is footing the bill
 
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Kent Jensen said:
Here is a bit of info. We already have 2 optometry schools in Texas - UHCO and UIW. But supposedly we are needing more ODs for Texas. Yet the most recent data has 20-25% of UHCO students are OUT of State and 50% of UIW are OUT of State. Why? Can't find enough qualified Texas students? If so, a new school will change that??? The claim when UIW was founded was to provide ODs to the under served areas of Texas.

I particularly like that the TOA doesn't even have the press release (dated May 9) on its website. Any wonder why I am no longer a member


More info: UIW listed projected cost for the first year of optometry school to be about 75k not including healthcare insurance (tuition, books supplies,living expenses ect). No wonder a new grad wants(needs) so much straight out of school ------- 300k in debt!!!!!!!! Luckily the Vision Plans have increased reimbursement

I truly feel sorry for the new grads and current students. That is a deep hole to dig out of. Scholarships from the Military, Indian Health ect seems to be the only way to afford the profession unless your family is footing the bill
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That's what makes this whole board passage rate thing such a big deal. I mean, can you imagine graduating with $250-300k in student loans and not even being able to make the $100k that would allow you to at least live in poverty after your loan payments? Imagine having that debt load making $50k as a "super tech" or whatever the hell people are calling them.
 
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FYI:

  • All federal student loans for undergraduates currently have an interest rate of 5.50 percent for the 2023-24 school year, while unsubsidized and Direct PLUS loans for graduate students have interest rates of 7.05 percent or 8.05 percent, respectively.
www.bankrate.com › loans › student-loans
Student loan interest rates in May 2024 | Bankrate
 
Kent Jensen said:
Here is a bit of info. We already have 2 optometry schools in Texas - UHCO and UIW. But supposedly we are needing more ODs for Texas. Yet the most recent data has 20-25% of UHCO students are OUT of State and 50% of UIW are OUT of State. Why? Can't find enough qualified Texas students? If so, a new school will change that??? The claim when UIW was founded was to provide ODs to the under served areas of Texas.

I particularly like that the TOA doesn't even have the press release (dated May 9) on its website. Any wonder why I am no longer a member


More info: UIW listed projected cost for the first year of optometry school to be about 75k not including healthcare insurance (tuition, books supplies,living expenses ect). No wonder a new grad wants(needs) so much straight out of school ------- 300k in debt!!!!!!!! Luckily the Vision Plans have increased reimbursement

I truly feel sorry for the new grads and current students. That is a deep hole to dig out of. Scholarships from the Military, Indian Health ect seems to be the only way to afford the profession unless your family is footing the bill
Click to expand...
There's always student loan debt forgiveness to hope for!
 
Let's see...

I pay taxes...

Students borrow a jillion dollars from a bank...

...bank gets interest...

...if student defaults, (government) taxpayer pays bank...

...if votes are needed, indebted students vote for loan forgiveness (even if it's ruled unconstitutional)...

...taxpayers pay banks...


Who gets screwed, here?
As always, privatize the profit, make public the losses.
 
This type of post earns a warning. Please stop.
Kent Jensen said:
Watch it Kiener- the powers that be will shut down this thread, sounds politically incorrect
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I have an idea! Put an optometry school near the border where the asylum seekers cross. Lure them into the school for free tuition and room and board on the condition they practice in the Texas rural areas. You won't be able to build enough optometry schools!

Oh wait. They already get free room and board and everything else. Fuhgeddaboudit.
 
Steven E. Nelson said:
In real life, until someone starts offering tuition repayment for settling in areas less than X population, nobody is going to go there.
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That’s exactly what I think. You can open an infinite number of schools, young people still want to be in big cities.
 
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Richard Pagan said:
as long as ODs are willing to refract everybody, and always bill "routine" for a crisp $50, there will ALWAYS be a "shortage". I mean thats so cheap why NOT have a sucker...cough...cough...I mean OD, on every corner?
Click to expand...
Works for dunkin doughnuts!!!
 
Steven E. Nelson said:
That's what makes this whole board passage rate thing such a big deal. I mean, can you imagine graduating with $250-300k in student loans and not even being able to make the $100k that would allow you to at least live in poverty after your loan payments? Imagine having that debt load making $50k as a "super tech" or whatever the hell people are calling them.
Click to expand...
"You can't fix stupid!"
 
Y'all, I just can't.
 
Avg OD income in 1994 was about $130,000. According to links posted on this thread it is now listed at $125,000. If these students would do their own research they would easily be able to determine the avg OD income is stagnant while the cost of obtaining the necessary education to be an OD is up drastically, as is the cost of living, and they would realize something is amiss in the land of the average OD.....

The AOA and the colleges paint a rosy picture for the incoming students and how easy it is to justify the cost of their education - for this, these organizations should be chastised.
 
Brent Swartz said:
The AOA and the colleges paint a rosy picture for the incoming students and how easy it is to justify the cost of their education - for this, these organizations should be chastised.
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Apparently education is just a "business" and they have to keep butts in the chair(s), so they have to continue marketing to get candidates that will fund it with government backed student loans. Who cares how they pay it back once the graduate, and IF they pass those pesky boards.
 
my experience here over the last few years is we dont need more ODs in Texas, just better ones.

sheesh. I cant tell you how many times Ive been triggered on this board, mostly from Texas based ODs
 
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This type of post earns a warning. Please stop.
Kent Jensen said:
Here is a bit of info. We already have 2 optometry schools in Texas - UHCO and UIW. But supposedly we are needing more ODs for Texas. Yet the most recent data has 20-25% of UHCO students are OUT of State and 50% of UIW are OUT of State. Why? Can't find enough qualified Texas students? If so, a new school will change that??? The claim when UIW was founded was to provide ODs to the under served areas of Texas.

I particularly like that the TOA doesn't even have the press release (dated May 9) on its website. Any wonder why I am no longer a member


More info: UIW listed projected cost for the first year of optometry school to be about 75k not including healthcare insurance (tuition, books supplies,living expenses ect). No wonder a new grad wants(needs) so much straight out of school ------- 300k in debt!!!!!!!! Luckily the Vision Plans have increased reimbursement

I truly feel sorry for the new grads and current students. That is a deep hole to dig out of. Scholarships from the Military, Indian Health ect seems to be the only way to afford the profession unless your family is footing the bill
Click to expand...
But that student loan debt will be forgiven by our wonderful leader.:rolleyes:
 
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