{"id":1092,"date":"2015-04-23T19:50:22","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T02:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stagewp.westernu.edu\/optometry\/?page_id=1092"},"modified":"2025-06-16T20:17:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T03:17:46","slug":"externship-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/academic-program\/externship-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Externship Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"hero-secondary\">\n  <div class=\"relative bg-black\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"adhere object-cover\" src=\"\/media\/optometry\/images\/092916-westernu-campus-hec-sunset-print-40x20-2.jpg\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The sun sets along the Esplanade at WesternU framed by the HEC and the Daumier buildings. Photo taken\">\n      <div class=\"adhere gradient-overlay\"><\/div>\n        <div class=\"relative container pt-56 md:pt-112 pb-144 md:pb-192\">\n      <div class=\"md:flex md:justify-between px-12\">\n        <div class=\"sm:w-8\/12 md:w-6\/12 xl:w-5\/12 px-12\">\n                      <div class=\"mb-20\">\n              <div class=\"block font-sans font-bold text-14 text-white leading-130\">\n  <span class=\"inline-block\">\n    <a href=\"\/\" class=\"block hover:underline\">WesternU<\/a>\n  <\/span>\n      <span class=\"inline-block mx-6\">\/<\/span>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\" class=\"inline-block hover:underline\">College of Optometry<\/a>\n          <span class=\"inline-block mx-6\">\/<\/span>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/academic-program\/\" class=\"inline-block hover:underline\">Academic Program<\/a>\n    <span class=\"inline-block mx-6\">\/<\/span>\n    <span class=\"inline-block\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>            <\/div>\n                                        <h1 class=\"t-h1-sans  text-white\"><\/h1>\n        <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"relative my-48 md:my-72\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n    <div class=\"lg:flex px-12 lg:justify-start\">\n              <div class=\"w-full lg:w-5\/12 2xl:w-4\/12 -mt-80 md:-mt-112 mb-48 px-12 lg:pr-32\">\n                              <nav class=\"py-28 px-40 2xl:px-64 rounded-5 md:rounded-8 bg-gray-darker text-white mb-40\">\n            <ul>\n                                              <li class=\"block my-8\">\n                  <a class=\"text-22 font-normal leading-130 tracking-20 text-white hover:text-yellow transition-default\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/academic-program\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Academic Program<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                                              <li class=\"block my-8\">\n                  <a class=\"text-22 font-normal leading-130 tracking-20 text-white hover:text-yellow transition-default\" href=\"\/optometry\/programs\/doctor-of-optometry\/curriculum\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Curriculum<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                                              <li class=\"block my-8\">\n                  <a class=\"text-22 font-normal leading-130 tracking-20 text-white hover:text-yellow transition-default\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/academic-program\/externship-program\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Externship Program<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                                              <li class=\"block my-8\">\n                  <a class=\"text-22 font-normal leading-130 tracking-20 text-white hover:text-yellow transition-default\" href=\"\/optometry\/programs\/doctor-of-optometry\/clinical-experience\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Clinical Experience<\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                          <\/ul>\n          <\/nav>\n                            <\/div>\n      \n      \n                  \n                  \n      <div class=\"w-full px-24 wysiwyg-content lg:w-7\/12 2xl:w-7\/12\">\n        <h2>Hands-on Clinical Experiences<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Fourth-Year Externship Program \u2014 Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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 <strong>100% clinical rotation externships<\/strong>, gaining extensive hands-on experience across a broad spectrum of eye care environments.<\/p>\n<p>Participants work alongside seasoned optometrists and ophthalmologists in diverse clinical settings, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Private Optometry Offices<\/li>\n<li>Ophthalmology Practices<\/li>\n<li>Veterans Administration Clinics<\/li>\n<li>Indian Health Service Facilities<\/li>\n<li>Armed Forces Medical Centers<\/li>\n<li>WesternU Specialty Clinics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This immersive training model allows students to manage over <strong>1,700 patient encounters<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n<p>The program also includes a <strong>distance-based Practice Management course<\/strong>, designed to prepare students for the business and administrative aspects of optometric practice.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether, this transformative final year bridges the gap between classroom learning and independent clinical practice\u2014empowering graduates to enter the profession with skill, confidence, and a deep commitment to patient care.<\/p>\n\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"my-48 md:mt-96 md:mb-72\" vue-app>\n  <div class=\"container\">\n    <div class=\"app-gutter\">\n      <div class=\"relative md:flex md:justify-end\">\n        <div class=\"app-gutter\">\n                                  <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"md:absolute md:-top-32 md:left-0 w-full md:w-5\/12 lg:w-6\/12 h-240 sm:h-320 md:h-full object-cover rounded-t-5 md:rounded-8\" src=\"\/media\/optometry\/images\/optometry_2023_marketing0625.jpg\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"(min-width: 768px) 50vw, 100vw\" alt=\"A doctor examines a male patient&#039;s eyes in a clinic, lifting his eyelid while the patient looks up.\">\n                  <\/div>\n        <div class=\"md:w-8\/12 xl:w-7\/12 app-gutter\">\n          <div class=\"p-32 sm:p-40 md:px-0 md:py-80 rounded-b-5 md:rounded-8 bg-red\">\n            <div class=\"md:ml-1\/8 lg:ml-1\/4 xl:ml-1\/7 md:px-40 lg:px-80\">\n                              \t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"text-lockup text-lockup--red\">\n\t<h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"t-h2-serif  block text-yellow\">Externship<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"t-h2-sans  block text-white\">Programs<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wysiwyg-content t-p2 mt-24 text-white\">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.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThe students\u2019 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.<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n                          <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3916,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-1092","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1092"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6059,"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1092\/revisions\/6059"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westernu.edu\/optometry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}