Kia ora, from all of us at the NZOSS executive, we hope everyone is well and staying safe. A non-profit society, NZOSS was founded in 2013 and is run by optometry students for optometry students, and is here for those who need someone to talk to about their wellbeing or their university studies.
While a Level 3/4 online-learning style is something we have been through before, it’s still a strain, very demotivating and, at times, dare I say, tedious. However, with the tremendous support and prompt work of our lecturers, teaching fellows and the faculty, the transition to online learning has been a breeze. All have been great at responding to queries and problems, but still we cannot wait to go back to in-class teaching and seeing our optometry colleagues in person again!
The semester break has started for most optometry students, meaning they can now catch up on some lectures and prepare for the upcoming assessments and end-of-year examinations. For final-year students, the schedule doesn’t permit any time off since we spend our final year under supervised clinical practice, primarily at the Auckland University Optometry Clinic. So, unfortunately, the course might be extended to incorporate sufficient clinical exposure, depending on how long we’re in lockdown.
You may have read that some of the optometry laboratories and lecture theatres have been classified as locations of interest. Luckily, all close contacts (after isolating for 14 days) have tested negative, other than the initial student, who I’m happy to say has since recovered and is home with their family.
While 2021 has been a successful and a productive year for NZOSS, this Delta outbreak skewered initial plans for our annual EyeBall, which is now rescheduled for 20 November (fingers crossed!). With an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland theme, this is the most anticipated event of the year and gives us something to look forward to after the exams.
