Building an Optometry career in Canada requires one to have the necessary educational qualifications and even clinical experience before acquiring a license. Optometrists are doctors with specialization in the medical field and focus on eyes and vision.
As far as Canada is concerned, Optometrists are likely to remain in demand because the healthcare sector is experiencing a shortage. As a result, several international Optometrists have the opportunity to establish themselves in Canada.
Moreover, the Canadian population consists of more than half of the aging population, and most of them are in their retirement age. Besides, several people face eye-related problems, making Optometry a demanding career in this country.
Building an Optometry career in Canada – what is the job of Optometrists?
The job of an Optometrist involves checking up on the patient’s vision and eyes. People come to them for eye-related problems, diseases, or injuries. These types of doctors provide corrective lenses if required. Typically, these doctors carry out their jobs through private practice. They also have nurses and other administrative staff working with them. They might refer their patients for advanced treatments to local hospitals in specific severe circumstances.
They can practice in community health centers, hospitals, clinics, administration, research, teaching, or privately.
Optometrists in Canada will have to do the following responsibilities:
- Conducting eye examinations.
- Taking vision tests of the patients, diagnosing eye-related diseases, and interpreting the outcomes.
- Diagnosis of diseases such as cataracts, near-sightedness, glaucoma, or ulcers.
- Checking if any ocular symptoms occur in candidates and referring them for treatments under general care doctors.
- Checking up on patients facing age-related complications, accidents, or malfunctions.
- Conducting detailed examinations of the internal as well as external eye structures.
Optometry career in Canada – what are the eligibility requirements?
To gain eligibility as an Optometrist in Canada, candidates must attain a minimum of seven to eight years of education at the post-secondary level. Beginning a career as an Optometrist in Canada will also require the candidate to get a degree in Bachelor of Science from an authorized Optometry school in Canada. After this, the candidate must also complete a four-year degree in Optometry from a recognized university and school.
Besides this, they will need to demonstrate provincial licensing from a specific province or territory where they will reside and practice.
Let’s look in depth at the following eligibility requirements for Optometrist’s career in Canada:
Credential Assessment Services
Before a candidate actually applies for licensing in a particular province or territory, they will need to get their Credential Assessment done. This will ensure that your international education is equivalent to the Canadian education standard. Optometrists who have acquired their educational qualifications elsewhere and not in North America will need to reach out to FORAC. It is the Federation of Optometric Regulatory Authorities of Canada to get their academic evaluation done. Even before doing this, candidates must first connect with WES for the evaluation of their university education.
Credential Recognition
It is essential to fulfill a province’s or territory’s licensing requirements and complete the Optometry Examining Board of Canada’s national examination. Any individual who has the authority and license from a governing body of a province or territory will be able to practice as an Optometrist in Canada. Simply completing the exam and acquiring a degree in Optometry is not sufficient.
Optometry schools in Canada
Individuals seeking education in Optometry can study at the University of Waterloo, which is the only English school of Optometry and Vision Science. They can also study at the Montreal school in the French language. They can attain pre-optometry degrees and diploma courses at the following colleges:
- Stenberg College
- University of Alberta
- Dalhousie University
- University of Winnipeg
- Red Deer College
- Douglas College
- University of Regina
- Thompson Rivers University
Career prospects for Optometrists – salary and lifestyle
Optometrists will get jobs in several Canadian provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. These provinces provide jobs on a larger scale for Optometrists. However, other cities also provide good job opportunities, such as Calgary and Edmonton. It is better to analyze the job prospects within your desired province or territory through proper research.
Let us look into the following Canadian firms that offer opportunities to Optometrists:
- Fyidoctors
- LensCrafters
- Pearl Vision
- Hakim Optical
From the salary perspective, Optometrists in this country tend to earn between $27,446 and $167,858 or above that. According to the Canada Job Bank, the average monthly income is nearly $86,000.
In British Columbia, the median income per year for Optometrists is nearly $73,717, while the higher income is around $135,876. On the other hand, the median income in Ontario for Optometrists is almost $86,806, while the higher income is nearly $179,461. Optometrists in Quebec tend to earn a median annual income of $101,485, while the higher income level is $175,448.
Conclusion
Optometrists spend the majority of their time either working independently or for Corporate Vision Centers. Their job requires them to use many specialized tools to evaluate the patient’s vision in a fast-paced environment and busy routine. However, their job involves a lot of detailing and examining, and they also have to connect with their patients personally. Building an Optometry career in Canada also demands individuals to adopt specific techniques in their job search. They must participate in healthcare job-searching or networking clubs by connecting with settlement firms. Additionally, they will have to be a part of job fairs and events, apart from keeping an eye on online job portals.
If you have questions related to the Canadian immigration process, you can access all relevant details through Make Home Canada’s immigration consultants. Write to us at [email protected]
