Aloha from Honolulu on the island of Oahu! I’m very lucky to be spending my fall quarter fourth-year rotation in this magical place. A big thanks to the US Air Force and Navy for such a great opportunity!
You may or may not already know that fourth-year optometry students rotate at different externship sites during this last year of their graduate education. ICO is one of the few schools that has sites for students in almost every state as well as international locations. We complete four rotations, three outside of the Illinois Eye Institute and one internal.
Hawaii was one of my top choice locations, not just because of the obvious living in paradise factor, but because the site offers a lot of the extra experience I am looking for. I am rotating through the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam clinic and I’ve been able to work with both Navy and Air Force optometrists. One aspect of this work that I was looking forward to was more experience with contact lens exams and refractive surgery.
During the week, my fellow extern from Pacific University College of Optometry and I work hard seeing patients all day. During the weekends, however, we are able to explore this breathtakingly beautiful island. Basically, I never want to leave!