Kimberley Brunck
When
this article was written, Kimberley Brunk, Cherokee,
was a third-year student in the Northeastern State
University Oklahoma College of Optometry
program.
Kimberley Brunk’s introduction to optometry altered her
life and eventually drew her into optometry. “When I was in
kindergarten I had trouble seeing the board, so my mother
took me to a local optometrist,” she says. “I distinctly
remember driving home in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas
wearing my new glasses. For the first time in my life, I
saw the birds on the top of tall buildings. It changed my
life because it was like a whole new world opened up to
me.”
Early in her life Brunk decided she wanted to be an
optometrist. “I knew I wanted to do something in the
medical field. I knew the impact my optometrist had on me.
I wanted to do the same for other people. In high school I
did honors classes in chemistry and biology. I had
excellent teachers and got a really good education. My
parents wanted me to have a college education. They let me
choose the career that I wanted.”
Brunk earned her associate degree at the University of
Arkansas. Knowing that she wanted to attend the college of
optometry at NSU, she decided to become familiar with the
campus and so finished her undergraduate degree at NSU, her
father’s alma mater.
On-the-job training
As a third year student, Brunk spends more time seeing
patients than does second-year-student, Christopher
McDaniels. As a
third-year student, she also now has a wider range of
clinical experiences. In the vision therapy clinic, she
typically works with children but also has adult
patients who need exercises for their eyes as part of
their treatment plan. “Often we see patients for six
weeks,” says Brunk. “Then we do a progress exam and,
depending on how they’re doing, we schedule more
sessions or let them graduate from the program.”
When Brunk and her classmates work in rural clinics, they
provide primary care. When they work at Hastings Hospital
or the clinic on campus, they also have opportunities to
provide more specialized care, including working with
contact lenses.
Brunk
examining a patient's eyes.
A
Look to the Future
Brunk
still has classes and labs. She says that the small class
size (26 students) makes it possible for classes to be
interactive. Students learn from each other, for example,
by practicing new skills on each other and discussing their
patients. Brunk says that teachers make classroom topics
come alive by giving class examples. In general, Brunk is
very pleased with the teachers who she says encourage
questions and welcome students into their offices after
class.
When Brunk graduates she hopes to open a practice in her
hometown of Roland, which is home to both her family and
her husband’s family. Brunk loves the people in this town
of about 5,000 people, most of whom are Cherokee. She is
proud of being Cherokee and says that her knowledge of her
tribe was deepened during her high school days in Roland
when she served on the Cherokee National Tribal Youth
Council.
Living in Roland, she says, will make it possible for her
to live out her dream of having both a family and a career.
She adds, “My husband, who is a financial advisor, will be
a great asset when I open my practice.”
Brunk recommends that prospective optometry students
develop good study habits and be prepared for a long
process. She also recommends working for an optometrist so
they can better understand the field of optometry.
This
article was originally published in the Summer 2008 issue
of
Winds of Change.
The cover artist, Brent Greenwood, Chicakasaw/Ponca, lives
in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Update
2010
In 2009, Kimberley Brunk was one of five optometry students
from around the US who received an educational grant from
the America Contact Lens Society. Dr. Brunk completed her
OD and now has her own solo practice in Roland, Oklahoma.
She says that the practice is stressful but very
rewarding.
Kim is on the far right.