Curriculum
The curriculum is based on a three-step outline. The first step gets residents familiar with a general ophthalmology clinic setting; the second step provides exposure to subspecialties; and the third step prepares proficiency in ophthalmic surgery.
The first step is typically accomplished during the first year of residency (pgy2). In this first- year residents are exposed to the wide variety of pathologies which are presented to the state-of-the art residency clinic. This first year provides an excellent foundation. During this first year, our residents become proficient in all the things necessary to be practicing ophthalmologists. In addition to the clinic experience, residents get exposure to a tried-and-true didactic program which consistently produces residents who outscore their peer groups. Residents also start their surgical exposure during their first year, becoming proficient in most office-based surgeries and lasers. They also get experience doing intraocular surgery in a last-is-first technique, and by the end of their first year most residents have done almost all the steps of cataract surgery. Throughout residency they also have the ability to practice on a state-of-the art surgical simulator. At the end of their first-year residents take the basic science course in Ophthalmology. During this five-week course the residents' only responsibility is to learn.
After returning from the basic science course, residents will start with step two of our curriculum, which is exposure to subspecialties. Residents spend most of their second year in private practices throughout the city learning the ins and outs of each of the subspecialties. Further expanding their general ophthalmic knowledge and possibly fostering their own interests in subspecialization.
By the time our residents reach their third and final year of residency, they are typically ready to practice as medical ophthalmologists. Thus, the third step in our curriculum is becoming proficient in intraocular surgery. Our residents hone their surgical skills in their third and final year and help teach the medical sides of ophthalmology to their junior residents.
Educational Opportunities
Along with spending time in numerous local clinics and hospitals, our residents have many other opportunities available to them:
Textbooks
Our residents all receive numerous textbooks, in addition to their American Academy of Ophthalmology Basic Science book series.
Meetings
Residents are provided with the opportunity to attend national meetings every year. Some of these include- the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology's (AOCO) annual clinical assembly, the AOCO's mid-year meeting (now held every other year) the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting, the Telling Like It Is annual conference and a board review course.
Equipment
In addition to accessing new clinical equipment and the surgical simulator, our residents are also provided with their own portable binocular indirect ophthalmoscope and lenses necessary for an ophthalmologist.