Fastest Growing Careers: #20

 

This post is for helping students to find the accredited program of fast growing occupations. The post is based on data from department of labor. Many time student get lured into wrong schools by deceptive advertising, aggressive marketing and lead generation websites run by money hungry and greed driven companies and diploma mills. Reading this blog will always help you to find the accredited programs to dodge diploma mills. This blog help students to save tuition in thousands of dollars and attain degrees and diplomas which are recognized by potential employers, government, veterans and universities for post graduate studies and credit transfers.

20 occupations with the highest percent change of employment between 2014-24.

 #20. Optometrist

2015 Median pay:          $103,900 per year ($49.95 per hour)

Job Outlook:                

Employment of optometrists is projected to grow 27 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Optometrists examine the eyes and other parts of the visual system. They also diagnose and treat visual problems and manage diseases, injuries, and other disorders of the eyes. They prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses as needed.

How do I become an Optometrist?

Optometrists must complete a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree program and obtain a license to practice in a particular state. O.D. programs take 4 years to complete, and most students have a bachelor’s degree before entering such a program. Applicants to O.D. programs must have completed at least 3 years of postsecondary education. Required courses include those in biology or zoology, chemistry, physics, English, and math. Most students have a bachelor’s degree with a pre-medical or biological sciences emphasis before enrolling in an O.D. program.

Applicants to O.D. programs must also take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT), a computerized exam that tests applicants in four subject areas: science, reading comprehension, physics, and quantitative reasoning.

O.D. programs take 4 years to complete. They combine classroom learning and supervised clinical experience. Coursework includes anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, optics, visual science, and the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the visual system.

After finishing an O.D. degree, some optometrists complete a 1-year residency program to get advanced clinical training in the area in which they wish to specialize. Areas of specialization for residency programs include family practice, low vision rehabilitation, pediatric or geriatric optometry, and ocular disease, among others.

Licenses, Certifications and Registrations:

All states require optometrists to be licensed. To get a license, a prospective optometrist must have an O.D. degree from an accredited optometry school and must complete all sections of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry exam.

Here is the link for Directories of Accredited Program.