Study on the training of optometrists at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: Expectations of students in their last semester

Abstract

<em><strong>Objective</strong><em> To identify the professional and career expectations of Bachelor of Optometry students at the Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Mexico. <em><strong>Materials and methods</strong><em> The study was based on interviews that allowed to identify the expectations of students in their last semester of the Optometry program. Participating students were selected for convenience, i.e., three groups in their eighth semester were invited to participate in the research, and they had free choice and no obligations. <em><strong>Results</strong><em> The study showed that students are ignorant of the labor field and, therefore, their expectations are vague additionally, it evidenced the lack of vocational orientation in high school and the lack of guidance regarding their labor projection during the BA of Optometry program, or, worse, that they had low grade averages that did not allow them to study their first choice. <em><strong>Conclusions</strong><em> Students should be informed during the BA program about the labor field they will face and that their training will make a difference in patient care similarly, it is recommended for them to professionalize in order to stay updated, as well as to pursue graduate studies to develop scientific research.