Columbus Ophthalmology Associates

Goals

• To improve the resident’s skills and clinical judgment necessary to diagnose and manage primary eye conditions in a competent and efficient manner, and maintain the standard of care. 
• To increase the resident’s knowledge of ocular surgical procedures. 
• To provide the resident opportunities and resources to acquire increased knowledge of ocular diseases, as well as communicative and teaching skills, so that the resident is comfortable in an academic and clinical education modality.
• To elevate the resident’s skills in academic pursuits such as lectures or publication.
• To enhance the resident’s ability to teach health care professionals.
• To expose the resident to multiple subspecialties in eyecare as well as other health care professions.
• To expose the resident to optometric organizations.

Commitment

The residency programs lasts 54 weeks, beginning on the first Monday in July

The resident is expected to work from 8 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. (or until last patient, whichever comes later) every weekday, Monday through Friday.

Objectives

• The resident will examine a sufficient number of patients so that he/she can develop his/her clinical skills. This includes the use of special testing procedures and will be evaluated by the residency supervisor and director.
• The resident will observe a sufficient number of surgeries and participate in both pre- and post-operative care.
• The resident is required to attend at least 25 hours of continuing education programs. He/she is also required to present a one hour lecture to Ohio State College of Optometry students, present a poster at the East/West Eye Conference and/or SECO, and help the residency supervisor conduct workshops and/or Continuing Education conferences at Columbus Ophthalmology Associates.
• The resident is required to join the local optometric zone and the Ohio Optometric Association. The resident is also required to attend at least one Ohio Optometric Association (OOA) committee meeting and, if possible, join an OOA committee.
• The resident is required to attend the East/West Eye Conference and is encouraged to attend national meetings.
• To achieve these objectives, the resident will provide direct patient care, attend lectures and seminars, participate in specialized clinical programs, and conduct original research.

Requirements for Completion

Clinical:

The following clinical activities are required of the resident in order to satisfy completion of the program and awarding of the certificate. These requirements are included in the resident’s manual that is given to the resident at the start of the program, and include at least 1800 patient encounters in the following categories:

• 600 Cataract (examples: nuclear sclerosis, anterior or posterior subcapsular, cortical, traumatic, etc.)
• 400 Glaucoma (examples: open angle, closed angle, low tension, neovascular, traumatic, etc.)
• 300 Post-operative (examples: cataract, refractive, corneal, glaucoma, retinal, eye lid, etc.)
• 150 Cornea (examples: keratoconus, dry eye, dystrophies/degenerations, ulcers, traumatic injuries and/or scarring, etc.)
• 200 Retina (examples: diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, tears/holes/detachments, retinal arteriole/vein occlusions, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, presumed ocular histoplasmosis, traumatic injuries and/or scarring, etc.)
• 30 Neuro-ocular (examples: cranial nerve palsies, pupillary abnormalities, papilledema, pseudotumor, grave’s disease, central nervous system tumors, aneurysms, CVAs, TIAs, myasthenia gravis, etc.)
• 30 Iritis (examples: acute vs. chronic, anterior vs. posterior, granulomatous vs. non-granulomatous, etc.)
• 40 Conjunctivitis (examples: bacterial, viral, contact-lens related, allergic, etc.)
• 50 Surgery Observation (examples: cataract, refractive, strabismic, corneal, glaucoma, retinal, eye lid, etc.)

Scholarly Activities:

The following scholarly activities are required of the resident in order to satisfy completion of the program and awarding of the certificate. These requirements are included in the resident’s manual that is given to the resident at the start of the program:

• The resident must complete a manuscript of a case report which is of publishable quality.
• At least once per year, the resident will be required to present a lecture or case presentation to students, staff and/or colleagues at a collaborative venue with the academic affiliate, The Ohio State University College of Optometry.
• The resident will attend and present an article at journal club meetings.
• The resident will have opportunities to supervise 4th year optometry students in clinic Fall, Winter and Spring quarters.
• The resident will complete a clinical poster to be presented at the East/West Eye Conference. When applicable, the resident will present workshops for staff training.

Additionally, the resident will:

• Attend and complete all assigned clinic sessions, conducting him/herself in a professional manner, and remaining until all patients are cared for and he/she is excused by the clinic supervisor.
• Attend and document all other scholarly and didactic activities.
• Achieve "expected" or above ratings in the Clinical Performance and Case Management Skills, Professionalism and Interpersonal Skills, and Teaching and Supervisory Skills sections on all resident evaluations, or successfully complete a remediation program. For "Below Average" evaluations in other areas, improve performance to the satisfaction of his/her mentor and the program supervisor.
• Complete all assigned evaluations of the program and faculty.

Benefits

Current stipend: $60,000.

Additionally, 2 weeks of vacation is provided, along with health and malpractice insurance.

Application Materials and Procedures

Application Deadline: January 15

• Apply through and participate in ORMatch website
  ORMatch # 37524
• Graduate from an accredited school or college of optometry prior to matriculation into the residency program.
• Pass Part I and Part II of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry exams.
• Send the following required application materials to the program coordinator: letter of intent, curriculum vitae, professional school transcripts, and two to three letters of recommendation.
• Residents must be graduates of a school or college of optometry accredited by ACOE.

Selection Procedure and Admission Criteria

Interview Dates: January 2 - February 21

• Application materials are sent to the residency director.
• The residency director and clinical director interview candidates.
• The residency director and clinical director rank candidates based on the application materials and the interview. The list is submitted to ORMatch.
• ORMatch contacts the program with the results of the match.
• The residency director contacts the matched candidate and confirms their enrollment in the program.
• Columbus Ophthalmology Associates is an equal opportunity employer. Employment occurs without regard to race, religion, creed, color, sex, age, disability, national origin or sexual orientation. When making employment decisions, we will consider, among other factors, each individual employee's qualifications, skill, ability, potential, experience, and other factors, which make each employee a valued asset of this practice.

This program is Accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association, www.theacoe.org. To reach the ACOE directly, you may send an email to accredit@theacoe.org.