UW Gazette, July 9, 1997
                                     
     Future optometrists, doctors, dentists, physio
therapists, occupational therapists, nurses and pharmacists
are among the many prospective health professionals for
whom a new "pre-optometry/pre-health" program has been
designed at UW.
     Scheduled to begin in September, the program replaces
the former pre-health professions BSc program offered by
the faculty of science.
     While the overall number of courses required for the
new program will remain about the same, the number of
mandatory courses will be cut almost in half.
     The reason, according to Dr. Morton Globus, is
flexibility. "The former program was very constrained."
     In designing the new program, Globus and optometry
professor Dr. Graham Strong "looked at putting together a
core of courses required by most health professions and
consistent with what is offered in similar programs in
Canada and the United States," said Globus.
     By removing many mandatory courses and replacing them
with electives, the program allow students to gear their
courses to the admission requirements of particular
schools.
     "Our objective was to build a program with a common
base for students to move in any direction they choose.
     "Students were telling us they felt constrained by the
number of required courses," Globus added, admitting that
the inflexibility could have had a negative impact on
enrollment, which, while consistent, has not been large.
The faculty hopes the new program will attract more
students.
     In addition to some 18 mandatory courses, students
will be offered three tiers of electives including science
courses, complementary courses and free electives.
     According to Strong, the school of optometry "needs
people coming in with more skills and a different kind of
background than in the past. The new program provides both
a more diversified and a more specialized background" for
students applying for admission to optometry.
     While the number of electives available from other
faculties provides diversity, he explained, having more
choices within science ensures that students will be able
to adapt to changing admission requirements on the horizon
in optometry.
     "Because optometry is the local health offering at
Waterloo, it was important to have a stream that leads in
that direction. The former program was not really suited
for someone looking to enter the optometry program," he
added, predicting that a greater number of optometry
students would come out of the new program in the future.
     Other pre-health profession options offered at UW in
applied health sciences (in both kinesiology and health
studies) are "quite different" from the new science
program, said Globus, noting that each program is built
around the strengths of the individual faculties.
     Although information on the honours science pre-
optometry/pre-health program was not available in time for
inclusion in the new UW calendar, details are being sent to
prospective students in offers of admission from the
science faculty.
     The new program will be available not only to first-
year students, but to current students who wish to transfer
from the old program, as well, said Globus.
     "There's going to be a pretty open-door policy," in
regard to transfers, he added, noting that current students
may opt either to switch to the new program, or to complete
the requirements for the previous pre-health program.