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WesternU / College of Optometry / Academic Program / Externship Program

Externship Program

Hands-on Clinical Experiences

Fourth-Year Externship Program — Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry

The fourth-year externship program at Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry offers an exceptional opportunity for students to elevate their clinical competence and confidence in real-world settings. Throughout the year, students engage in 100% clinical rotation externships, gaining extensive hands-on experience across a broad spectrum of eye care environments.

Participants work alongside seasoned optometrists and ophthalmologists in diverse clinical settings, including:

  • Private Optometry Offices
  • Ophthalmology Practices
  • Veterans Administration Clinics
  • Indian Health Service Facilities
  • Armed Forces Medical Centers
  • WesternU Specialty Clinics

This immersive training model allows students to manage over 1,700 patient encounters, exposing them to a wide range of ocular conditions and patient populations. In addition to developing strong diagnostic and treatment skills, students cultivate adaptability, interprofessional collaboration, and effective patient communication.

The program also includes a distance-based Practice Management course, designed to prepare students for the business and administrative aspects of optometric practice.

Altogether, this transformative final year bridges the gap between classroom learning and independent clinical practice—empowering graduates to enter the profession with skill, confidence, and a deep commitment to patient care.

A doctor examines a male patient's eyes in a clinic, lifting his eyelid while the patient looks up.

Externship Programs

Externship practice settings provide a diverse patient base, emphasizing patient management in primary care, vision rehabilitation, pediatrics, ocular disease, and surgical co-management. The international site selection provides students an opportunity to also explore locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.

The students’ formal optometric education culminates with the fourth year externship and it is expected that students will reach proficiency in optometric scope of practice that will fully prepare them for graduation, residency training, and licensing anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.