Zadnik Karla, Reich Lewis N
Southern College of Optometry, Memphis, Tennessee.
Optom Vis Sci. 2019 Sep;96(9):637-646. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001424.
The interplay of applicants to optometry school and matriculants has not been explored systematically. It is vital that the profession examines these trends to ensure a viable pipeline of future doctors of optometry.
The purpose of this study was to describe the demographics and academic qualifications of entering optometry classes from autumn 2010 through autumn 2018 of U.S.-based optometric institutions' application pool and matriculants (enrollees).
Data were gathered from reports generated from accredited schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and compiled by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (publicly available) and the Optometry Centralized Application Service. Metrics included the annual number of verified applicants, the annual number of matriculants, the home region of U.S.-based applicants, and the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) performance and grade point average of verified applicants.
The number of verified applicants for autumn 2018 was 0.95% higher than that for autumn 2010, yet the number of matriculants in 2018 compared with 2010 increased by 11.2% with an applicant-to-matriculant ratio in 2010 of 1.53 compared with 1.39 in 2018. Grade point average and academic average OAT scores were stable from 2010 to 2018. The ratios of verified applicants with an academic average OAT score of at least 300 to matriculants were 0.87 for autumn 2018 and 0.92 for autumn 2010. The ratios of verified applicants with a grade point average of at least 3.00 to matriculants were 1.13 for autumn 2018 and 1.23 for autumn 2015.
Evidence supports the conclusion that the applicant pool has remained essentially flat for the last decade, whereas the number of matriculants has increased substantially; thus, the number of qualified applicants to matriculants has logically decreased. In the last 2 years, optometric programs have responded by decreasing their institution's number of matriculants to accommodate the national trends.
尚未对验光学校申请者与录取者之间的相互作用进行系统研究。该行业审视这些趋势以确保未来验光师有可行的人才输送渠道至关重要。
本研究的目的是描述2010年秋季至2018年秋季美国验光机构申请库及录取者（入学学生）中进入验光专业班级的人员的人口统计学特征和学术资格。
数据收集自美国验光专业认可的学校和学院生成的报告，并由验光学校和学院协会（公开可用）及验光集中申请服务机构汇编。指标包括每年经核实的申请者数量、每年的录取者数量、美国申请者的家乡地区，以及经核实申请者的验光入学考试（OAT）成绩和平均绩点。
2018年秋季经核实的申请者数量比2010年秋季高0.95%，但2018年与2010年相比录取者数量增加了11.2%，2010年申请者与录取者的比例为1.53，2018年为1.39。2010年至2018年平均绩点和OAT学术平均分稳定。2018年秋季学术平均分OAT成绩至少为300分的经核实申请者与录取者的比例为0.87，2010年秋季为0.92。2018年秋季平均绩点至少为3.00的经核实申请者与录取者的比例为1.13，2015年秋季为1.23。
有证据支持以下结论，即在过去十年中申请者库基本保持平稳，而录取者数量大幅增加；因此，合格申请者与录取者的数量逻辑上有所减少。在过去两年中，验光专业项目已通过减少其机构的录取者数量来应对全国性趋势。
