A Day in the Life

MONDAY Andrea Buitrago Antonelli Graduate, Class of 2009 Atlanta, Georgia University of Georgia

Ring! Ring! Ring! It's 6:00 AM in Miami, FL (3:00 AM PST!) and I press the snooze button. I'm slowly getting used to the time change. As a fourth-year Optometry student at University of California Berkeley School of Optometry I'm currently starting my first external rotation at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

It is quite a change from being in school. Throughout my time at Berkeley Optometry, I have been actively involved in student activities; I helped start the Optometric Spanish class now offered between the summer of second and third year, I also was part of the 2007-2008 Admissions Committee, and served as one of the class Co-Presidents during my third year. Additionally, the spring of 2008, I attended the University of California systemwide "Women in Health Services Conference" last year. It was a powerful experience to network with other women in the UC system who are also pursuing careers in the health professions.

Back to my morning! A few moments later, I'm up and getting ready by making breakfast, packing my lunch and preparing for a full day's work. By 7:15 AM, I'm in my car and on my way to pick up my classmate who lives about a mile from my apartment. I pick her up and we are off to the clinic.

Once we arrive, we put on our white coats and begin seeing patients at one of several clinics in the building. It's different every day and from week to week. I could have Primary care one day and Cornea or Retina Clinic the next, just to name a few. Today, I'm in Cornea Clinic and see about four patients before lunch. Two of them have just had LASIK surgery and are being followed post-operatively. The other two had cataract surgery and are being monitored closely as well.

For lunch, I go down to the first floor outdoor courtyard. It's covered from the sun and rain, but you can still feel the Miami heat! I meet up with students in other clinics and we sit down for a quick bite and discuss the morning's patients. After lunch, I head back upstairs and begin seeing more patients. The afternoon included one patient with advanced keratoconus and another with tilted disc syndrome.

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is part of the University of Miami Health System and was ranked the number one eye hospital in the United States by U.S. News and World Report in 2008. Its acclaim makes it a sought-after rotation for many Berkeley students. It is also a valuable rotation because it allows students the opportunity to see many patients with rare eye diseases and conditions. The day wraps up with an evening lecture with the entire group of optometry students and residents.

After the seminar, my classmate and I head out to the parking lot just a few short blocks away. My uncle was generous enough to let me borrow his car for my stay in Miami. It's quite a loud car and can sometimes be a little unpredictable, but today we're off without much trouble and are headed home. Once I drop my classmate off, I make my way back to Brickell Bay Drive, where I'm living with my grandparents.

My husband, who is back in California, was unable to leave his job and come live with me during my stay here. It's not easy being apart, but we talk a few times a day on the phone and see each other through iChat when we can. Our plan is to see each other once a month. Other than being apart from my husband, I'm really thankful for the opportunity to work at BPEI and know it will be of value in my career as an optometrist.

Today I'm home with my grandfather, who is 98 years old and a joy to be around. My grandmother is overseas visiting her great-grandaughter for a few weeks. I make a quick dinner for the two of us and we watch the news. Before bed, I make the last phone call to my husband and set my alarm to get ready for another busy day!

TUESDAY Hector Duenas Class of 2012 Los Angeles, CA University of California, Riverside

4:24 AM. My bed starts to shake and I begin to hear a distant roar approaching. As it draws nearer and nearer, the thundering sound intensifies and then quickly fades away into the night. Not an earthquake, it's the first Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train of the day speeding across its route no more than 100 feet away from my bedroom window. Growing up in Los Angeles, dealing with the daily traffic jams brought much unwanted stress and frustration; now living in the Bay Area, the BART has provided much relief. Also, on the bright side, first BART of the day means I still have two and a half hours of sleep left!

7:00 AM. Alarm goes off. Okay… it's really time to get up! I reluctantly manage to get out of bed and start my daily morning ritual (brushing teeth, shaving, hair, etc.). I make my way over to the kitchen when I realize that my roommate, another first-year Optometry student, is still sleeping. I knock on her door and remind her of the time; she quickly scrambles out of bed. Now onto the "Breakfast of Champions" — Lucky Charms! We live in El Cerrrito, a peaceful neighborhood located only about 5 miles north of the Berkeley campus. Many other first-years also live in our neighborhood, so my roommate and I decided to create a carpool with three other optometry students. We all arrive on campus at about 8am and after a quick pit stop at Peet's coffee, we head over to class.

8:10 AM. Geometric Optics, first class of the day. This particular Tuesday happens to be my day for taking co-op notes for Optics. Every day a student from our class is assigned to post up his/her notes online. So I have to pay extra close attention and take great notes because some of my classmates might download my notes and use them later as a study reference for midterms. Aside from co-op notes, we also have online access to recorded audio for ALL lectures. After optics, we have a short break, so I walk up to the Student Lounge and check my mailbox. Nothing there. My next class is Anatomy of the Eye and today we are learning about the magnificent cornea and its many wonders. Class finishes at noon and we have a two-hour break before our next class. A handful of students use this time to work out at the University gym or take a fitness class, while others use the time to catch up on some studying. A few of us decide to grab some lunch, so we walk down campus and onto Telegraph Avenue. I must say that there is really no place on earth like Telegraph Avenue, and that no walk down the street is ever the same. It is the collection of one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, street venders, street performers, and random conversations that make each walk down the street such a unique and memorable experience! We all agree on Naan 'n Curry, an authentic Indian restaurant.

2:00 PM. Last class of the day — Visual Perception. Today we are covering Chromatic Diagrams and Color Matching Functions; a topic that is hard to swallow after such a full lunch. Luckily, Dr. Verdon is kind enough to re-explain confusing topics and loves for us to ask questions. During my undergrad years, most lectures had over 300 people and questions for the professors were likely directed at the teaching assistants. At Berkeley Optometry, having only about 60 students per class has made it easy for me to build a strong working relationship with all my professors and I feel comfortable asking questions during lecture.

4 o'clock is here! I'm done with lectures for the day, but since we have a pre-clinic practical exam coming up, I decide to go the lab and practice on my clinical techniques. Since the very first day of school, we have been learning the different techniques and tests performed during an eye exam. Because the School believes that mastering these skills is crucial, they encourage us to come in and practice practically any time.

6:00 PM. I walk across campus to the student recreational center to meet the rest of my teammates for a friendly intramural indoor soccer game. We are the "FIGHTING SCLERAS," and we are a co-ed squad consisting of all optometry students. Today we are playing a team of physics grad students called "NET FORCE." We lose again. 5-0! We'll do better next week. I get back to my apartment and make myself a quick dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening watching some TV.

I hear that now familiar roar approaching again from the distance. It's the 12:30 AM BART, last train of the night. Its time for bed!

TUESDAY Mark Cheung Class of 2011 Diamond Bar, CA University of California, Berkeley

Today is Tuesday, which happens to be the longest day of the week for me. I wake up at 6:20 AM in order to make it to school for my 8:00 AM class. Waking up early can still be tough, even after taking all those 8:00 AM sciences courses as an undergraduate here at UC Berkeley. Before heading over to Minor Hall, I usually have just enough time to grab coffee at Café Strada. I check my syllabus after I find my seat, and find that today we will be learning gonioscopy, a technique used to evaluate the angle between the lens and the cornea. Most of our professors, knowing that my classmates and I are second years, expect us to know all of the clinical skills that were taught last year; there is little review, if any. However, the small class size ensures that I will be able to have personalized attention in case I do not understand the material.

With a short break for lunch, we finish our barrage of lectures and labs at 5:00 PM. Since I'm on the school's equipment team, I run to the Clinic and check all the rooms and the equipment log to make sure the rooms are functioning and order new supplies, if necessary. I have to try to do this quickly to make my 6 PM Intramural (IM) Frisbee game. Our team is mostly first years, and some second year veterans, but the twelve of us enjoy our weekly games to get some exercise. At 7:00 PM I need to get home and get ready to leave to attend an Alameda-Contra Costa County Optometric Society (ACCCOS) meeting; these occur about once a month and are free to students (and usually has a nice dinner during the presentation!). These meetings are a great way to meet practicing optometrists in the community at-large and learn about the latest techniques and procedures.

On other Tuesdays, I volunteer at the Suitcase Clinic, where we conduct preliminary vision screenings for homeless and low-income patients. After testing these patients, some are referred to the School's Clinic, where they will get a comprehensive eye exam and free glasses, if needed.

There is always a plethora of activities going on here at Berkeley Optometry, whether it be a social event (I'm on the Student Life committee and thus plan many school-wide events), a club meeting or a study group with my classmates. Since I was part of the annual "Eyeball" committee last year, I occasionally give advice to the first year students whose job it is to fundraise and to plan for the event this year. I remember it was a lot of work, but it paid off in the end and everyone who attended had a great time.

Tonight I will make sure to sleep early, as Wednesday mornings play host to "6:00 AM Basketball" – where a group of us optometry students and professors get together to play a pickup game at the University gym before class starts once again.

WEDNESDAY Casey Thompson Class of 2010 Sun Prairie, WI University of California, Davis

My Wednesday begins when my alarm sounds at 5:45 AM, but when that doesn't wake me up, my second, much more pleasant alarm, my wife Sarah, wakes me. Once I'm up, I attempt to maintain the mind-body balance with a workout at our apartment in the University Village Family Housing in Albany. We spend the rest of the morning getting ready, making lunch and eating a quick breakfast (and make coffee of course!). We are out the door by 7:30 AM and on our way to the University, which is about 20 minutes from our place. Since my wife works at the Haas School of Business, which is located right next to the Optometry building, we are able to carpool allowing us some much appreciated time together.

My Diagnosis and Treatment of Anterior Segment Ocular Disease course begins at 8:10 AM, and by this time, thanks to my morning workout and coffee kick, I'm awake and ready to go — nothing less will suffice for this class! The class ends at 10:00 AM; the amount of material can be overwhelming, so I spend the next two hours until my next seminar reviewing my notes in the School's Fong Optometry Library. Because I never know what ocular disease may come across my path in Clinic, I remind myself it's not just about passing a test. I have a Binocular Vision seminar from 12:00 – 12:30 PM to discuss with my attending doctors some important binocular vision topics that I will get to apply to my future patients.

After seminar, I have lunch with Sarah on "Minor Beach" (the Optometry School's patio) and enjoy some California sunshine. Even though both our schedules are busy, we are still able to find time to spend together, plus we always have something new to share about our day. Normally, I would be seeing patients the rest of the day, but today is my day off. I use this time to practice scleral indentation with one of my classmates, a technique we just learned in our Advanced Procedures Lab a couple of days ago. Practicing with my classmates is one of the many ways my class works together as a team, one of the main reasons I have enjoyed Berkeley Optometry so much!

Today I leave for home earlier than Sarah, so I take the AC transit bus with other graduate students who also call University Village home. Once there, I do some research on the externships for my fourth-year rotations, as we will be picking them soon and I want to know which ones fit my areas of interest. Since Sarah doesn't have her night class tonight, we have dinner together when she gets home. After dinner, we both hit the books and relax a bit to prepare for our very busy Thursdays.

Well, that's my day; it's not as interesting as an episode of "24," but I get to do what I love … and I couldn't ask for anything more!

THURSDAY Alana Brown Class of 2012 Lakeland, Florida Florida Southern College

It's 7:15 AM and I'm pressing the snooze button for the first of many times this morning. My bed always seems so much cozier on Thursdays, since it's the fourth time this week I'm waking up for an 8:00 AM class! I get dressed in five minutes flat, record time for a girl, put on makeup, throw my backpack by the door and brush my teeth while I toast breakfast. Although I'm a straggler in the morning, I do love waking up to the cool breeze floating in through my window. Florida was so hot and muggy; I adjusted to the Berkeley weather quickly and happily.

I make myself a bagel with butter (yummy!), wrap it in a paper towel, and head across the hall to meet my friends at 7:55 AM. Thank goodness we live in Jackson House, an apartment complex for graduate students on the UC Berkeley campus! I love our five-minute walk to class. We make it to class in time to get our coveted second-row seats and settle in for Optics, complete with Dr. Harvitt's witty banter. Only he can make topics like accommodation funny.

During our break between 9:30 and 10:00 AM, my friends and I run home to print the anatomy and perception notes for later that afternoon and grab some snacks and coffee at Café Strada. Back to class by 10:00 AM; two hours seem to last forever. Thank goodness for a five-minute break halfway through! Anatomy ticks by and then it is decision time for our two-hour lunch break.

Since there are so many choices for delicious food, I always want to go somewhere on Telegraph for lunch, but today I need a studying lunch break, so I head home to make communal sandwiches with other Jackson House optometry students. Boring turkey sandwiches are always more fun with friends, and studying together makes it more enjoyable!

It's 2:00 PM and the two-hour lunch break is over. I get out my freshly printed Powerpoint slides for perception and furiously write notes in the margins as I listen to Dr. Verdon's pleasant British accent patiently explain the material. I'm trying to interpret a graph when he turns out the lights. It's demonstration time! Apparently blue and yellow lights make white, not green. Who knew? Apparently vision scientists!

After two hours of perception, it's time to head home for the third time today. I study for a while and then check the clock to see if I still have time to call my parents. I usually call them at least three times a week. I'm family oriented, so it's important to stay in touch with people who connect me to my southern roots. Since I'm from Florida, making sure I account for the three-hour time difference is crucial; I've woken my parents up a couple of times by mistake!

After that, it's study time again and then dinner. Tonight, I eat with the girls across the hall and we invite a few opto friends over to make fajitas and watch the Vice Presidential debate. It's nice that we can put our opposing opinions aside and just make dinner together. After eating a delicious meal, we decide to go out to "Double Vision," a School-wide bar night, since none of us have to be in pre-clinic lab before 10:00 AM the next day. After a night of dancing and socializing with classmates from my own year (and some second and third years), I get home and grab some much needed sleep for another busy day tomorrow.

THURSDAY Kim Tran Class of 2010 San Gabriel, CA University of California, Los Angeles

My alarm wakes me at 6:00 AM and I know the day ahead of me will be challenging. I open the window in my apartment and let the bright sunshine into my room at the University Village housing in Albany. The brightness of the sun reminds me of home in Los Angeles and the days I attended UCLA for undergrad. I pour a cup of coffee and grab my lunch in the fridge before I rush off to my 8:00 AM class.

In Binocular Vision (BV) class, I start to see double (just a little optometry humor). Dr. Portnoy is discussing intriguing eye conditions and it reminds me of why I chose the profession of optometry. I love interacting with patients and solving challenging cases. In optometry, we take the time to really understand and treat people's needs. My interest was inspired by two great women optometrists in Los Angeles, CA who served as role models to me. They introduced to me the intricacies of Primary Care and Vision Therapy.

My passion for the profession also stems from my background in outreach. As an undergraduate, I worked with the Career Based Outreach Program to mentor high school students about going to college. While at Berkeley Optometry, I was a counselor for Opto-Camp; Opto-Camp is an innovative program founded by the Admissions and Student Affairs office (ASAO) here at the School. The program is geared toward preparing first generational undergraduate pre-optometry students for the admissions process. I decided to pursue a career in optometry because of the profession's compassion toward people and the numerous opportunities for outreach. Anything from participating in school screenings, to treating county hospital patients, is available.

After class, I stop by the Student Lounge to check a few emails. I only have a few minutes before Binocular Vision (BV) seminar and Clinic begin. I open my account and see that my inbox is flooded with messages. There are a few academic emails, along with a few student activity notices. There is also a request from ASAO to lead a Friday Visitation tour. As a Berkeley Optometry Ambassador (BOA), I lead tours for prospective students and their families a few times a month.

Before checking the rest of the emails, I notice the clock says 10:10 AM and I should be in BV clinic to review charts and prepare for my afternoon patients. I stop by the records room in the Clinic to pick up some files. I spend a lot of hours there since I have a part-time job scanning charts into the electronic medical record. Many part time jobs are available for students. I also work for the School's Facility Manager by assisting her with different "handy work" projects. The jobs are very flexible, and I have enjoyed meeting lots of people at Berkeley Optometry.

In BV, my partner and I have three appointments today. We keep in mind the complexities of the cases and remember to take our time analyzing each bit of data collected. We collaborate with our attending doctors to best serve the patients. We know it will be a long and exhausting day, but in the end we will have so much more hands-on experience working with BV anomalies.

While in the clinic, I run into Paul Peng, OD. Dr. Peng is part-time faculty at the School, as well as the Optometry Alumni Association President. He reminds me that the Alumni Association board meeting is on Saturday at a local restaurant. As the student body Communications representative, I facilitate relations between the students and Alumni. It is a very rewarding position as I am afforded the opportunity to meet active members of the optometric profession.

At 8:00 PM, we finally finish seeing patients and completing charts. I say goodbye to my partner and I head to the gym. There is an intramural volleyball game at 9:00 PM. At Berkeley Optometry, we form teams in volleyball, soccer, softball, etc. I feel it is important to study and equally important to have fun. As students, we strive to have a work-life balance … although it never seems like there are enough hours in the day!

At 10:30 PM, I finally go home. I keep in mind I must be in class by 8am the next morning. Although I'm exhausted, the experience I have gained was worth every moment.

FRIDAY Joy Harewood Class of 2011 Toronto, Canada University of Toronto

It is 5:00 AM and I am woken up by the sound of my alarm clock wailing in my ear. I gingerly roll out of bed and start my Friday morning workout. I tread carefully so as not to wake my three other roommates. By 6:00 AM, I am energized for the last day of the week. After shoveling a quick breakfast into my mouth, I set out on my morning walk to school. I have treasured my twenty minute jaunt to campus since I moved to Berkeley from Toronto, Canada. Although the temperate climate in the Bay Area suits me most of the time, I can't say that I don't miss the snow once in a while.

Before I started my optometric studies at Berkeley Optometry, I specialized in "Genes, Genetics and Biotechnology" at the University of Toronto. I took a year off to work at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario as I applied for optometry school, and missed school every day. The warmth of the Admissions and Student Affairs Office and the strength of the clinical program made my choice to move away from my family, twin sister, and home country easier than you would think! After practicing in the Pre-clinic and putting a few hours in at the Fong Optometry Library, I run across campus to the College of Natural Resources, where I work part-time as a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR). There is a quick meeting with the class fundraising committee to plan our St. Patrick's Day event — "Shamrock the House. "Even optometry students need to relax sometimes!

I then head home to pack a bag for my Saturday hike through Muir Woods. I am definitely a city girl, but nothing is more breathtaking then hiking through redwood trees that stretch higher than you can crane your neck safely – WOW! At around 10:30 my roommate and I head to San Francisco, a mere 20-minute BART ride, to check out a jazz lounge, then it is straight to bed for me. I haven't reviewed my anatomy notes yet, but that will have to wait until morning since I am already counting sheep.

SATURDAY Dot Nguyen Graduate, Class of 2009 San Jose, CA Marquette University

It's 5:32 AM on a Saturday, and I'm in the shower. "Sailor of the Quarter nominations, Change of Command, Physical Readiness Test, Mobilization..." I run through my checklist of pass-down items for the morning meeting. I towel off, pull my hair back into a tight bun, and put on my uniform. This is my Navy Reserve Drill Weekend. Once a month, I head to Camp Parks in Dublin, CA, Saturday and Sunday. I have to quickly switch my brain from an Optometry intern to Executive Officer, the #2 in command of 46 sailors and officers, and my job is to keep the command running smoothly.

I get to Camp Parks by 7:00 AM, making sure I'm there to set the example for my sailors. We review the status of our unit at the morning meeting: 4 sailors deployed to Iraq, 2 leaving in the next couple months, one just returned, 40 personnel onboard this morning. I spend the rest of the day looking over the Medical Readiness hit list, managing pay issues, proofreading evaluations and awards, and all the while mentoring junior personnel to one day take over for me.

I finally get back home to Oakland at 5:30 PM. I've got a laundry list of things to take care of before the morning, but first I need to do some studying for Clinic. My assigned topic: Differentiate signs and symptoms of and internal versus external hordeolum, and discuss treatment options. At about 7 o'clock I'm ready to start my Navy work, but first we have to eat dinner.

My fiancé Darcy and I mull over some recipes from Rachael Ray's website and finally settle on Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs. He works on the meat and I chop vegetables. Whew! A 30-minute meal done in 45 minutes! I eat quickly as I pull out my laptop.

It's midnight, and I drag my toothbrush over my teeth and wash my face. Finally, time for bed. I've got five and a half hours before I've got to wake up and do it all over again. I fall asleep looking forward to the next time I get to sleep in … in seven more days.

SUNDAY Sheena Nagaraja Class of 2011 Manhattan, Kansas Kansas State University

My eyes open and my clock says 7:42 AM, but it's Sunday, so I refuse to get out of bed before 10:00 AM. I eventually roll out of bed, grab some cereal, and get on my laptop (I'm a little bit addicted to being on my computer). I have a whole routine of checking my various email accounts; I respond to some classmates' emails about getting old exams from the upperclassmen; make a note of an upcoming optometry picnic; and make plans to watch a Bollywood movie with some of my classmates later in the week. I also send out some reminder emails about the Contact Lens Clinic observation schedule, which I coordinated as part of my responsibility as Class President.

Around 1:00 PM, my roommate and I head just down the block to a new (and my now favorite) Indian restaurant, "Rice 'n' Spice," for lunch. I love the spiciness, it's really affordable, and I have plenty leftover, so I'll probably pack it for lunch on Monday. After lunch, we catch the 51 bus up to Shattuck Avenue for some shoe shopping (I need some comfy shoes for clinic attire); we browse the used book store; and then head back to do some grocery shopping at Grocery Outlet. After moving here from Kansas, I've already adopted some Berkeley ways, including bringing my own bags for carrying groceries back to the apartment.

We finally get home around 5:00 PM and I call my parents in Kansas to book my plane tickets home to visit in November. Then I reserve a Zipcar for the following Friday to drive to a friend's wedding in Redwood City. I sold my car in Kansas before moving to Berkeley and I can get most places via public transit, but I also became a Zipcar member to have a car once in a while. I also book some tickets to visit the Exploratorium next Saturday, which is featuring the California state yo-yo competition!

In true student fashion, I wait until 9-ish to start any sort of schoolwork. We had a pharmacology lecture on Friday that had a huge amount of information, so I take advantage of our online lecture recordings and review it to fill in some holes in my notes. I finally turn in around midnight and set my alarm for 8:00 AM (I don't have class until 11:00 AM on Mondays — yay!).