New England College of Optometry Opens New Student Clinical Training Center

BOSTON, MA – The New England College of Optometry (NECO) is pleased to announce the opening of the new NECO Clinical Training Center for students. The Clinical Training Center (CTC) provides a state-of-the-art training facility with traditional and high-tech optometric equipment and advance technology to enhance learning. The goal of the Clinical Training Center is to prepare students to provide care in all types of clinical practice. The CTC includes two teaching labs, a high-tech classroom with monitors displaying each work space, and twenty fully equipped exam lanes for student training. The lanes include a variety of digital and traditional equipment from multiple manufacturers to expose students to various systems and tools so they will become agile in their approach.

The Clinical Training Center is the final addition to the NECO Clinical Campus at 930 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, comprised of the newly renovated NECO Center for Eye Care which includes Clinical Specialty Services, the Optical Center, and the Clinical Training Center. President Clifford Scott notes, “By locating our Clinical Training Center adjacent to our patient care clinic, there will be a natural blending of experiences through a seamless transition from student-in-learning to doctor-in-training.”

Equipment in the CTC includes slit lamp imaging systems, digital phoropters, digital charts, and video binocular indirect ophthalmoscopes (BIO) from a variety of vendors. In addition to the exam lanes, there are four special testing lanes that will introduce students to up-and-coming technology and new innovations as they evolve. This will allow the NECO Clinical Training Center to remain on the forefront of changes in the field of optometry and to prepare students not only for the present, but also for the future as it unfolds. This intentional exposure to different kinds of optometric equipment, imaging systems, and access to electronic health records helps students better prepare to practice clinically in any location and setting in the NECO Clinical Network and beyond.

New England College of Optometry is committed to incorporating best practices into didactic and clinical teaching. The technology at the CTC allows students and faculty to observe one or multiple lanes in real time and includes recording capabilities to capture student work for self-reflection, discussion and review. This is accomplished through webcams, slit lamp and BIO image capturing systems, overhead cameras, and recording software.

NECO is constantly reviewing and looking forward to best refine and innovate our clinical training program for students. Sandra Mohr, Interim Dean of Academic Affairs, explains, “We are very excited to open the new Clinical Training Center. It was specifically designed to provide students with a robust learning experience that will prepare students for early clinical experiences. The CTC is integrating traditional optometric equipment and new technology into the students learning journey to ensure that basic principles are met with the chance to integrate new tools so that students are prepared to practice in future optometry practices.”

Learn more about the NECO Clinical Training Center.

About New England College of Optometry
New England College of Optometry is an independent graduate college of optometry that educates students for careers in eye care delivery, research, and education. NECO was founded in 1894 as the Klein School of Optics, and is the oldest continuously operating school of optometry in the U.S. NECO prepares the next generation of eye care providers, educators, leaders, and innovators through a rigorous curriculum and extensive clinical experiences. Through a vast network of clinical affiliations, our students put patient care first, providing vision care to children, older adults, the homeless, and individuals with disabilities through our work in our optical centers, school programs, community programs, community health centers, and VA medical centers.

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