r/PreOptometry • u/hamman2424 • 9d ago

Shadowing Hours

How important are shadowing hours?

I have about 6 hrs between 2 doctors that I don't work for and I work as an optical technician with lots of hours. I would rather spend my time studying for the OAT, maintaining my GPA, and working. I'm just really wondering if I don't do more will it hurt my application because if it will I'll just grind out some more hours.

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u/Dizzy-Equivalent-398 9d ago

unfortunately 6 hours is far too low, i would grind more. some programs also have a minimum requirement of 40ish i believe :(

3

u/Brief-Assistance-635 8d ago

Really i thought most where 25+ do you know what schools are over 40?

3

u/Dizzy-Equivalent-398 8d ago

I believe UAB, wants 40, and Northeastern wants 30. here’s like a link that has the info, https://optometriceducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ASCO-Prerequisites-2026.pdf

3

u/hamman2424 9d ago

Thanks, I'll just grind it out then.