2018 NSU Fact Book

57 offered include gross anatomy, histology, neuroanatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. The college also serves to coordinate and provide all basic and medical sciences education to the other division colleges and contributes to the unique interdisciplinary training environment. For example, while all of our students need to be proficient in anatomy, the depth and scope of this exposure will vary from profession to profession. Osteopathic medicine, optometry, and dental students require detailed study of head and neck anatomy, while pharmacy and occupational therapy students do not need this same level of emphasis. Conversely, an extensive study of the extremities is vital to the education of osteopathic medicine and occupational therapy students, while optometry and dental students have less involvement here and, therefore, less of an emphasis. The biomedical sciences have always been an important component of the professional degree programs offered in the Health Professions Division, and the College of Medical Sciences is committed to providing students with the highest quality education as they prepare for clinical, academic, or scientific careers. In addition, as a complement to, and resource for, the division’s other health profession colleges, the College of Medical Sciences is the starting point for the division’s nationally recognized interdisciplinary education programs. College of Optometry One of humanity’s most precious gifts is sight and the optometric physician is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of this gift. The optometric physician, through academic and clinical training, is able to examine, diagnose, treat, and manage disorders and diseases of the visual system and associated structures. The profession of optometry offers many challenges and rewards to those willing to devote themselves to serving others through a lifetime of study and dedication to saving vision. In urban and rural communities throughout the nation, today’s optometric physician serves as the primary eye care practitioner in individual or group practices, hospital settings, public health organizations, educational institutions, and centers for vision research. Nova Southeastern University’s College of Optometry is the only optometric academic institution in the state of Florida. The College of Optometry admitted its charter class in 1989, and its graduates provide primary eye care as well as specialty care in such areas as contact lenses; ocular disease; low-vision rehabilitation; and binocular, geriatric, and pediatric vision evaluation and treatment. Furthermore, the college benefits from the integrated, interprofessional health care programs of the university’s Health Professions Division. The College of Optometry offers a fully accredited, full- time, four-year course of study leading to the Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree. The College of Optometry also has established a five-year, extended program leading to the Doctor of Optometry degree. Students in the extended program take courses with the full-time students, but have a reduced course load. Coursework covered in the first two years of the traditional full- time program is covered in three years in the extended program. The last two years of both programs are identical and are taken concurrently. Two other unique programs in NSU’s College of Optometry are a one-year preparatory optometry program (POP) and a “MBA-Essentials” certificate offered in conjunction with the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The POP program allows motivated postbaccalaureate students the opportunity to learn side-by-side with other health professional students as they demonstrate their readiness for the rigors of optometry school. Since the profession is constantly evolving, optometric physicians require an educational program that meets the challenges of technological and medical advances and supports patient-oriented clinical research. As primary vision care professionals, students are trained in pathology, diagnostic and therapeutic drug therapy, and modern techniques in imaging and lasers. Students also receive instruction in binocular vision, optics, contact lenses, and refraction—fields that have traditionally been the foundation of the profession. The didactic focus of the first two years of study encompasses coursework in medical sciences, optics, and the vision sciences. In preparation for direct patient care, students also study general optometric theory