What can an OD not do that an OMD can?

[CNG]

Besides the obvious (surgery) what else can an OD not do? Can they delegate examinations like Ophthalmologists do to their COMT, COT, etc..., can they legally supervise these assistants or even a nurse or PA? Are they legally qualified to provide standing orders at nursing homes. We have always worked with OMD.

Cng

[HarryChiling]

[Fezz]

Double:






:cheers::D:cheers:;)



PS.

Welcome to Optiboard CNG!!

That is one helluva way to get noticed on the first post!!!!!!!

[MarcE]

Sounds like a legal question. The answer to a legal question is always, It depends.

Depends on the state.
Depends on the hospital/care center granting the privledges.
Depends on the definition of "surgery".

A more precise answer is that unlike an MD or DO, all other health professionals do not have an unlimited scope to "practice medicine". Non MD/DO health professionals can only do what their respective boards allow them to do. The board rules are approved by the state legislature.

Welcome to the board!

[opt2012]

CNG I recommend you go to the optometry forums on studentdoctor.net. There are probably a million threads about OD vs. OMD. DON'T start another thread about it though! But those forums have a ton of info on stuff like this. While I LOVE :D these boards, they're more geared towards opticianry (from what I've seen).

[HarryChiling]

Double:






:cheers::D:cheers:;)



PS.

Welcome to Optiboard CNG!!

That is one helluva way to get noticed on the first post!!!!!!!

I see your double and raise you a , plus no backsies.

[Jacqui]

I see your double and raise you a , plus no backsies.

You guys are making me hungry.

Welcome to OB CNG !!

In some states, mine included, OD's cannot presribe most drugs (although a NP or Advanced RN can).

[mlm]

I see your double and raise you a , plus no backsies.

How did you guys get the popcorn smilie?? I want one too!

[Jacqui]

How did you guys get the popcorn smilie?? I want one too!

Then you'll make me hungry too.

[Jacqui]

Besides the obvious (surgery) what else can an OD not do? Can they delegate examinations like Ophthalmologists do to their COMT, COT, etc..., can they legally supervise these assistants or even a nurse or PA? Are they legally qualified to provide standing orders at nursing homes. We have always worked with OMD.

Cng

Being an OD is the easy way to a job. Being an OMD pays better, much better

[CNG]

I will visit them...Thank you.

[IndianaOD]

Being an OD is the easy way to a job. Being an OMD pays better, much better

:finger: The easy way?

4 years of undergrad with significant science requirements
Competitive admissions statistically equivalent to Dentists, DOs, and many MD schools
4 years of doctoral school at approx 22 class hours per semester
$100-200k in debt.

Yup its the easy route, get a life.

I can Rx any topical or oral med except narcotics to treat a condition of the eye and adnexa.

Besides surgeries, the biggest difference is that 4 years of OD school doesn't give you a blank check to do anything you want like 4 years of med school does

[LandLord]

4 years of undergrad with significant science requirements
Competitive admissions statistically equivalent to Dentists, DOs, and many MD schools
4 years of doctoral school at approx 22 class hours per semester
$100-200k in debt.

I'm not sure whether you're bragging or complaining.

[rbaker]

Besides surgeries, the biggest difference is that 4 years of OD school doesn't give you a blank check to do anything you want like 4 years of med school does

Nor does OD schooling train you to do anything you want. Medical school typically trains you to recognize not what you can do but what you can't do. It's sort of like a learners permit. Further training and fellowships prepare the MD to take his/her place as physicians.

[fjpod]

Being an OD is the easy way to a job.

What a strange thing to say. How do you figure? Ditto to rbaker.

[Jacqui]

What a strange thing to say. How do you figure? Ditto to rbaker.

It's easier, shorter and less expensive than MD training.

[Jacqui]

.I can Rx any topical or oral med except narcotics to treat a condition of the eye and adnexa.

As I said in post #7, the OD's here cannot prescribe other than over the counters. Nurse Practioners and some Advanced RN's can actually do more.

[drk]

Yeah, Jackie, but so is a court reporter's academy.

There is no real relationship between optometry and ophthalmology...totally different histories, professions, mindsets, goals, abilities, licensures.

It's tempting to compare, but fallacious.

The more you're in the professions, the more the differences are apparent.

We need both.

rbaker, your insight is correct! You know your stuff.

[eyestrain]

It's easier, shorter and less expensive than MD training.

Being able to so definitively compare the two, I assume you have been through both curriculums. Congrats!

By the way, I call out people who say optometry school is just as hard as med school for the same reason. Unless you've done both, you can't make such a statement.

[IndianaOD]

It's easier, shorter and less expensive than MD training.

There is no way you can say its easier. I doubt less expensive either. Don't forget OMDs are paid during residency, usually around $50k +/year.

I'm not qualified to judge either, but many of the OD/MDs I have spoken to say med school and OMD residency wasn't intellectually harder.

ODs get a lot of education that OMDs don't, same goes the other way.

[Jacqui]

My thinking comes from being around both during Grad School. It just seened as though the OD's had much easier academics than the MD's did. This of course is from a MSN student that was mearly observing the two during her clinicals.

[HarryChiling]

My thinking comes from being around both during Grad School. It just seened as though the OD's had much easier academics than the MD's did. This of course is from a MSN student that was mearly observing the two during her clinicals.

How's your Phd coming along?

[drk]

Are we talking core curricula, here?

Is human physiology more difficult in one school than another? Sure. It's more difficult according to professor, institution, year, etc., as well. You tellin' me that a top OD school won't be more rigorous than many med schools? You tellin' me that all profs in all med schools are better than all profs in optometry school? Naw. You know better.

Physiology is physiology; pharmacology is pharmacology, ad nauseum.




Think of it the way rbaker said: the med student does didactic work and very broad clinical rotations during their four years. MD students don't know what specialty they will match with for residency, ergo they get a nice foundation to build upon.

The optometry student does didactic work and narrow clinical rotations during our four years. After four years, an OD student would blow the doors off a newly minted MD, but ONLY FOR EYE CARE. Don't ask an OD grad to know crap about orthopedics, internal medicine, or psychiatry, but an MD will have a working knowledge of all this.

Once an MD matches for ophthalmology, then they get specialty clinical and surgical experience in their residency. Then the big dogs do fellowships where they subspecialize for neuro, glaucoma/uvea, retina/vitreous, peds/strab, cornea/ant. seg.

More and more ODs are doing residencies, but it's a "subspecialization" concept as well...but not really equivalent to MD fellowship training.

So, some similarities, but as many differences.

The best way to generalize is that most ODs mostly do vision care and most MDs mostly do eye disease/injury. There's a lot of overlap, but bottom line is that if you have a tough vision problem, see an OD. If you have a tough eye disease, see an MD.

[Jacqui]

How's your Phd coming along?

December YIPPEE !!!

[NC-OD]

As I said in post #7, the OD's here cannot prescribe other than over the counters. Nurse Practioners and some Advanced RN's can actually do more.

Here, once again, to correct the incorrect and misguided. If you are indeed in MN:

After speaking with a few MN ODs, the above post is totally wrong. ODs in MN can, as in every other state, Rx topical and oral medications for the treatment of eye and adnexa disorders.

"148.576 USE OF LEGEND DRUGS; LIMITATIONS; REPORTS.
Subdivision 1. Authority to prescribe or administer. A licensed optometrist who is board
certified under section 148.575 may prescribe or administer legend drugs to aid in the diagnosis,
cure, mitigation, prevention, treatment, or management of disease, deficiency, deformity, or
abnormality of the human eye and adnexa included in the curricula of accredited schools or
colleges of optometry. Nothing in this section shall allow (1) legend drugs to be administered
intravenously, intramuscularly, or by injection except for treatment of anaphylaxis, (2) invasive
surgery including, but not limited to, surgery using lasers, (3) schedule II and III oral legend
drugs and oral steroids to be administered or prescribed, (4) oral antivirals to be prescribed or
administered for more than ten days, or (5) oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors to be prescribed or
administered for more than seven days. "

We will be expecting a full apology and please in the future, make sure your information is correct so as not to look like a fool. It's very unbecoming of a "PhD" student.