Numbers of Graduates from Optometry Schools

The sharp increase in numbers of optometrists in the early 1950's was, of course, a result of the G.I. Bill. Following World War II, enrollments in optometry schools, as in other professions, skyrocketed as returning veterans sought careers in the professional fields. Table 3 shows the annual number of graduates from optometry schools since 1941. The magnitude of the explosive post-war production of optometrists is even more dramatically evident in the graphical presentation of Figure 1.

Sources: The Need for Expansion of Physical Facilities of Optometric Education, American Optometric Association, 1964; Health Resources Statistics 1968, U.S. Public Health Service Publication No. 1509; Enrollment survey 1969-70 compiled by Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.

Annual numbers of graduates from U.S. optometry schools since 1941, with estimates for 1970-72.

FIG. 1

From a base-line number of about 350 to 400 graduates

per year during the early 1940's and again during the late 1950's, the schools reached a maximum of 1934 graduates in the 1948-49 academic year--a five-fold increase! During the short four-year period of 1948 to 1951, more optometrists were produced than during the ensuing 14 years.

Some Consequences of the High Post-War Production of Optometrists The introduction of such a large number of new, young practitioners into the profession in so short a period of time remedied the long-standing problem of a shortage in numbers of optometrists, but created many new problems. As the new graduates sought to establish themselves in practice, they often found themselves in competition with older and longer-established practitioners in their communities. Group practices were relatively rare at that time, and openings for associates or partnerships with other optometrists were few and were quickly filled, so most new graduates started new solo practices. Numbers of them found it difficult to earn an adequate livelihood during the first few years of a new practice, and rather than enduring a "starvation period" while developing the practice, they turned to "commercial" practice (employment by optical chains, or optical departments in jewelry stores or department stores) as an expedient, usually with the intention of returning to professional practice as soon as possible.

The graduates of that prolific period are now the successful, well-established, spokesmen and leaders in optometry, but they still bear the scars of those difficult early years and do not want to see those conditions repeated. Hence in spite of frequent warnings in the optometric literature and clear statistical evidence of an alarming deficiency in the rate of production of new optometrists since the mid-1950's, few of the postwar graduates could generate any real concern over the problem. Only in the last few years, as many of them have vainly sought young associates to assist in their busy practices, or as they have begun to look toward retirement, has the crisis finally been acknowledged.

Attrition of Optometric Manpower

Clearest evidence of a severe shortage in the supply of optometric manpower comes from a comparison of the production rate of new optometrists and the attrition rate of those in practice.

Consideration of only the total numbers of optometrists can be very misleading in this regard. For example, according to the Blue Book totals in Table 2, the number of optometrists has varied less than 4% from the mean over the past 18 years. This small variation gives an appearance of great stability which, unfortunately, is quite contrary to the actual state of affairs.

Ignoring for the moment the additional needs imposed by a growing U.S. population and by a growing per capita demand for optometric services, it is obvious that merely to maintain a constant total number of optometrists in the nation it is necessary that the number of graduates each year must at least equal the number of optometrists who die, retire, or otherwise leave the profession.

One estimate of the latter rate can be derived by simply subtracting the cumulative totals of new graduates during some selected period from the annual totals of U.S. optometrists in that same period. This procedure implicitly assumes that all graduates in that period have acquired and maintained registration, that is, that there is no attrition or recent graduates. Clearly this is an unwarranted and unrealistic assumption, for a few die, or fail to pass a State Board examination for licensure and registration, or otherwise leave the profession within the first few years after graduation, but this number is very small and the error introduced by ignoring the few losses is unimportant, at least for relatively short sample periods.

The upper curve in Figure 2 shows the biennial Blue Book totals of registered optometrists from 1950 through 1968. The lower curve was derived by subtracting the cumulative total of graduates since 1948*.

*The 1950 Blue Book did not list those who graduated in 1950, since they took their State Board examination for licensure and regis

2

The attrition of registered optometrists. (upper curve): Total numbers of registered optometrists in the U.S. each biennium since 1950. (Lower curve): Estimate of the number of optometrists who were registered in 1948 and who were still registered in subsequent years. Estimate derived by subtracting the cumulative total of graduates since 1948 from the number registered in 1948.

FIG 2