News from the AOA's Blog

Natalie Nguyen, third-year student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry, will receive $1,000 at the AOSA General Session for her winning video of the 2010 Optometry’s Meeting®. A shot of the video is shown above.

Optometry’s Meeting® offers students a chance to shed their lab coats, exams and endless hours of study for a few days.

The American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) Awards and General Session features Jason Ryan Dorsey, aka “The Gen Y Guy.” Dorsey will present his unique perspective on Generation Y in a hilarious keynote presented by HOYA. Students can listen to Dorsey’s laugh-out-loud stories to learn how to take advantage of the multigenerational workplace and make it work for their career. Register for function S121.

Essilor is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ever-popular Varilux® Optometry Student Bowl™ in Salt Lake City. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever. Contestants, students from all the schools and colleges of optometry, answer optometry-related questions while their fellow classmates energetically cheer them on wearing face paint and school colors and displaying brightly painted banners.

Don’t miss this fierce optometric competition. The stakes are high — in addition to bragging rights, the winner will take home $1,000 and a crystal trophy; second- and third-place winners receive $750 and $500, respectively.

Everyone is invited — students, ODs, paraoptometrics, and guests. Attend the reception immediately following with great food, drinks, and warm camaraderie. Essilor is committed to helping raise visibility and funds for Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation. Join Essilor in supporting Optometry Cares by attending this popular event where attendees can have fun and contribute to raising funds for Optometry Cares.

Students and their guests will automatically be registered for the Student Bowl™. ODs, paraoptometrics, and their guests should register for function 0180.

TLC invites students to dance the night away at The Depot, one of Salt Lake City’s most unique venues. A DJ will entertain the crowd with dance music on the main level. The Blue Goose Room is a great area to enjoy a cocktail and great conversation with friends. Great food, fun, and friends — an unforgettable evening with TLC! Must be 21 or older to attend.

Students must register and attend the TLC lecture “Buy an Existing Practice or Start from Scratch: Two Strategies to Private Practice Ownership” (#S242) to gain admittance to the student event. Students’ guests must be 21 or older and register under function 0290 to get a ticket to attend.

The AOSA education program is supported in part by an unrestricted educational grant provided by The Vision Care Institute™, LLC.

Sight Quest for students offers a fun, interactive, and different educational experience. Students will be given a game card and instructions during the AOSA General Session on Thursday, June 16. Their challenge is to collect the answers from sponsoring exhibitors while gaining knowledge of products and making industry connections. They will have chances to win American Express gift cards valued from $250 to $1,000! Register for the AOSA General Session #S121. Supported by Abbott Medical Optics, Alcon, CIBA Vision, Essilor, HOYA, TLC, Transitions, VisionScience Software, Vistakon®, Volk Optical, Wolters Kluwer, Younger Optics and VSP. HOYA will be providing the lecture door prizes.

The AOA Practice Management & Career Center, sponsored by CIBA Vision and Luxottica, will provide students with the opportunity to network with professionals representing several ophthalmic modalities, partake in practice management and career-building educational sessions, and meet with potential future employers.

Recruiters will be on hand during the Career Fair on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to talk about opportunities and set up interviews at Optometry’s Meeting®. Kiosks will also be available to search for career opportunities available through Optometry’s Career Center®.

The AOA Practice Management & Career Center Theater will offer three practice transition courses with a student focus and numerous courses on practice management, including billing and coding, staff management, and more for the practicing doctor. There is limited seating for the theater courses, so be sure to register early.

The Optometric Residency Forum offers a chance for students to visit with residency directors about individual programs and application procedures. They can get the “inside scoop” on the programs and people who make each residency a unique, challenging, and diverse experience.

First-year through fourth-year students are encouraged to stroll through the Exhibit Hall during dedicated student focus hours. They can learn about the latest in optometric technology, products, and services and meet exhibitors who will be future business contacts. There will be special giveaways and drawings just for students. Prize drawings will be sponsored by the AOA and the Student/New Graduate Committee.

Travel grants

Allergan Travel Grants make travel to Optometry’s Meeting® more affordable for students from each school and college of optometry in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Two $500 travel grants will be awarded per school. The finalists from each school or college are also eligible to compete nationally for an additional $1,000 for the top three winning essays, determined by a committee established by the AOSA, on the topic: “New combination glaucoma agents: Can these improve patient compliance and outcomes?”

Students can see their AOSA trustee for an application, qualifications, and guidelines, or contact Marlene Burle, AOSA executive director, at 800-365-2219, ext. 4231 or at mburle@theaosa.org. The deadline to submit applications is March 1, 2011.

Allergan Travel Grant Scholarships will be presented during the AOSA Awards and General Session on Thursday, June 16 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Students must be present to claim scholarships.

HOYA Vision Care is offering third-year and fourth-year students the opportunity to win a $1,000 grant, hotel, and airfare to Optometry’s Meeting®. To be considered, students must submit a patient case study involving HOYA products to the faculty judge at their school by May 1, 2011. There will be one $1,000 winner at each school. The winning case studies will then be reviewed by HOYA’s ECP Advisory Board; the overall winner will receive an additional $6,000 scholarship.

Third-year and fourth-year optometry students were invited to submit a 2,000-word (maximum length) case report on patients fit with Varilux® lenses to their school’s clinical staff by Feb. 1, 2011. The student with the winning case report at each school will receive $1,000, plus entry into the national judging. The national award winner and faculty adviser will each receive an all-expense paid trip for two to Optometry’s Meeting®.

The Vision Care Institute™, LLC Travel Grants make travel to Optometry’s Meeting® more affordable for students at each school and college of optometry in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Two $595 Travel Grants will be awarded per school. The finalists from each school or college are also eligible to compete nationally for an additional $1,000 for the best overall winning essay, determined by a committee established by the AOSA, on the topic: “When fitting a patient in contact lenses, would UV protection affect your fitting decision?”

Students can see their AOSA trustee for an application, qualifications, and guidelines, or contact Marlene Burle, AOSA executive director, at 800-365-2219, ext. 4231 or at mburle@theaosa.org. The deadline to submit applications is March 1, 2011.

The Vision Care Institute™, LLC Travel Grant Scholarships will be presented during course S131, “Career Options Expo: From Student to Doctor: Making the Leap with Confidence” on Thursday, June 16 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Students must be present to claim their scholarships.

The AOA and its Student/New Graduate Committee (SNGC) are offering Student Travel Grants to each of the 22 North American schools and colleges of optometry. There will be two $250 SNGC Student Travel Grants offered to each institution. Students must attend Optometry’s Meeting® to receive the travel grant. Rules vary per school. For more information and eligibility details, students can contact their AOSA trustee.

AOA Video Travel Grants offer students the opportunity to create a video highlighting their experience at the 2011 Optometry’s Meeting® and enter to win one of two $1,000 travel grants awarded to students by the AOA. All videos must be submitted to the AOA by Aug. 31, 2011. One winner will be selected by the AOA and the other winner will be selected by an online vote of students’ peers. Winners will be announced in January 2012 and must attend the 2012 Optometry’s Meeting® in Chicago, Ill., to receive their travel grant.

Registration for Optometry’s Meeting® is now open. For more information and to register, visit www.optometrysmeeting.org.