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Private Practice Immersion Program

A group of students in the office.
A group of students in front of the clinic.
A doctor and students at the clinic entrance.
A doctor and students at the clinic entrance.

25 Berkeley Optometry OD students completed the Private Practice Immersion program over Spring Break.

Berkeley Optometry’s Private Practice Immersion program started in 2016 with 8 students fully immersing themselves in the world of private practice for two days. This year, thanks to VSP, we’ve grown our participants to 25 and expanded our reach to Southern California.

Over the course of the program, students get acquainted with the professional tasks of joining a practice and learn how to integrate their clinical training into private practice. Additionally, students gain access and knowledge of private practice resources by highlighting successful business practice models, giving students the appreciation and understanding that running a successful business will be integral to their success as practitioners.

Practices that have participated in the past include:

Brookside Optometry
Coastal Vision
Golden Optometry Group – West Covina and Southgate
Mountain View Optometry
Silicon Valley Eyecare

By all accounts, our students enjoyed the experience and found it valuable. See below for what they have to say about it!

“Dr. Calmere was such a great mentor and was so caring about our experience! He allowed us to shadow him during patient encounters, gave us an overview of his business, introduced us to his staff, answered all of our questions, and even let us interview his lead assistant to know the ins and outs of his office. It was very helpful to see the flow of a private practice office!” – Kristina Lin
“I really appreciated the stories that Dr. Hisaka told us, and how we really got to see almost every aspect of his practice. The doctors we shadowed gave us a great perspective on different styles of care and communication and made me think of how I explained concepts to my patients. It was really humbling to see just how much he appreciated his staff and how much they loved him in return. All in all, I thought it was a great experience, very much worth my time.” – Cynthia Huang