Many work Saturdays and evenings to suit the needs of patients, but emergency calls are few. Employment Optometrists held about 31,000 jobs in 1992. The number of jobs is greater than the number of practicing optometrists because some optometrists hold two or more jobs. For example, an optometrist may have a private practice, but also work in another practice, clinic, or vision care center. Although many optometrists are in solo practice, a growing number are in partnership or group practice.
Some optometrists work as salaried employees of other optometrists or of ophthalmologists.
Some optometrists are consultants for industrial safety programs, insurance companies, manufacturers of ophthalmic products, HMO's, and others. Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement All States and the District of Columbia require that optometrists be licensed. Applicants for a license must have a Doctor of Optometry degree from an accredited optometry school and pass both a written and a clinical State board examination. In many States, applicants can substitute the examinations of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, usually taken during the student's academic career, for part or all of the written examination. Licenses are renewed every 1 to 2 years and in most States, continuing education credits are needed for renewal.