How can an international doctor of optometry practice in the United States?
As passage of the NBEO is
required for licensure, any foreign optometrist who wants to practice in the US
needs to pass NBEO to become licensed. You can’t just sign up for NBEO exams on
your own – you need to be sponsored. For students in US schools of optometry,
they get permission from their school to take NBEO. Foreign students either
need to get a US school to or a state board to sponsor them. From what we understand, the
latter is rare and to get a school to sponsor a person, that person may need to
participate in an Advanced Standing program, which is where they might get
‘credit’ for some courses and experience previously completed, but still need
join a cohort maybe 2 years in, for example, and graduate from that US-based
program.
The web site of the
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) includes the following
FAQ on its web page. “As a graduate of an international program, how do I
become eligible to practice in the United States?” The website addresses
the options for an internationally trained individual to become eligible to
practice in the United States. For ASCO contact information, please visit this link.