University of Richmond senior develops an interest in optometry during internship
An internship at the nonprofit San José Clinic confirmed senior George Ruthven’s interest in healthcare — with a twist. He was eager to explore dentistry when he started his internship at the clinic, which provides a range of medical services to uninsured and uninsurable patients in Houston. By the time his internship wrapped up eight weeks later, his career focus had shifted to optometry.
The leadership studies and biology major said he had decided in seventh grade to become a dentist, following in his grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s footsteps. At the San José Clinic, he worked with the dental care team, sterilizing instruments, organizing supplies, cleaning rooms, and shadowing dentists and hygienists.
But the San José staff encouraged him to check out other areas in the clinic. He chose to observe the optometry team because he had had an issue with his vision as a child.
“The muscles in my left eye were weaker than those in my right eye, which made it difficult for me to read in first grade,” Ruthven explained. “My teachers thought I had ADHD, but it was an ocular problem. I received vision therapy to correct the problem. My reading scores shot up in second grade due to the treatment.”
Because of this childhood experience, he said he felt a connection with patients who were having vision issues. He recalled how clinic staff helped an elderly woman with poor eyesight get free eyeglasses that would transform her quality of life. This was one of many examples of compassionate care Ruthven said he witnessed during his internship.
“When I was working in the dental clinic, I watched an oral surgeon extract two teeth from a neurodivergent patient,” the senior said. “The patient was stressed out, and I could imagine how difficult this was for him. The surgeon acted with gentle kindness.”
Ruthven, who received a Burrus Fellowship from the Jepson School of Leadership Studies to support his credit-bearing internship, learned that doctors who work full time at the San José Clinic make about half what they would make in private practice.
“They are willing to take that pay cut to help people who are uninsured,” he said. “For me, that’s awesome!” If he works in private practice in optometry and vision therapy, he added, he would like to volunteer at a nonprofit clinic on Saturdays.
“Volunteering is very wrapped up in my faith,” said Ruthven, who converted to Greek Orthodoxy last April. “Doing things for others is an expression of your love for God.”
He volunteers through the campus chapters of service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and Camp Kesem, a nonprofit that serves children with a parent affected by cancer. As a first-year student, he also volunteered with an underserved Richmond elementary school to fulfill the service-learning requirement for Dr. Thad Williamson’s Justice and Civil Society class.
“If one of those kids at that school had my visual disability, they might not be diagnosed properly,” he said. “That is the kind of person I’d like to help if I worked at a place like the San José Clinic.”