Optometry Residency

The mission of the Gundersen Health System Ocular Disease Residency Program is to provide advanced competency in eye care in the areas of ocular disease and primary care, through education, patient care and scholarship. Upon completion of the program the resident will be qualified to pursue professional opportunities which require a high level of clinical proficiency in the treatment and management of ocular and associated systemic conditions. In addition, the Residency will provide research and teaching opportunities in order to instill a desire for lifelong learning in the resident.

The primary goal of the Gundersen Health System Optometry Residency is to provide a highly educational experience that exposes the resident to cutting-edge technology in a highly respected Ophthalmology/Optometry Clinic within a large, multidisciplinary healthcare setting.
 

Goal 1
To provide the highest quality of ocular disease care utilizing currently accepted standards of care, techniques and technology.

Objectives for Goal 1

1. The resident will provide patient care consistent with the American Optometric Association Optometric Clinical Practice Guidelines and practice evidenced-based medicine. Please see Appendix SS: AOA Optometric Clinical Practice Guidelines for specified guidelines.
2. The resident will learn to use current technology to aid in the diagnosis and management of ophthalmic disease, including the OCT, digital photography, visual fields, fluorescein angiography and B-scan ultrasonography.

Goal 2
To expose the resident to didactic and teaching experiences which will serve to prepare the resident for careers in advanced areas of optometric practice and/or academics.

Objectives for Goal 2

1. The resident will be required to participate and lead the department in journal club. 
2. The resident will be required to give one or more lectures during an Optometry department meeting.
3. The resident will remain current with the ocular disease specialty by attending continuing education classes and seminars related to ocular disease topics, reviewing pertinent articles and books, and actively engaging in discussions of relevant topics with other providers.
4. The resident will attend at least one scholarly meeting devoted to ocular disease, such as the AAO, AOA or the Optometric Glaucoma Society Meeting.
5. The resident will be required to complete a final project. They will be encouraged to develop an original research or QI project and either write a paper or give a presentation related to their research topic. A case report will also fulfill this requirement. They will be able to use the Gundersen Medical Library and Gundersen Medical Education resources to aid in their research.

Goal 3
To attract a large, diversified and well-qualified applicant pool, and to select the best applicant from that pool.

Objectives for Goal 3

1. The current resident will correspond with applicants for the following year’s residency to discuss the program and their experiences.
2. The residency program will be promoted in appropriate optometric publications each year.
3. The residency program will be listed and described on the Gundersen Health System and Indiana University School of Optometry website.
4. As of Oct. 2015, to be considered for the program, each candidate must apply through the Optometry Residency Matching System (ORMatch) and submit the following by the application required deadline:
   • Letter of intent stating reasons for applying to the program.
   • Curriculum vitae or resume
   • Official transcripts from all optometric education and other graduate school work. Scores from Parts I II, and III if completed, of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry
   • Letters of reference from three faculty or adjunct faculty members who are familiar with the applicant’s clinical performance, and the applicant’s professional abilities and academic performance.
5. To be considered for selection, all qualified applicants must be interviewed by the residency coordinator, and when available, pertinent Ophthalmology/Optometry providers and administration members. This group will rate each applicant in the areas of didactic/clinical experience, interpersonal skills, knowledge, patient management skills, integrity and motivation.
6. The selected resident will have a GPA of at least 3.00 out of a 4.00 and have passed all parts of National Board Exams by the start of their residency year.

Goal 4
To provide administrative support commensurate with the needs of the program and the resident.

Objectives for Goal 4

1. The resident will have a designated office space for their use. When necessary, the resident will have an examination room available for direct patient care.
2. The resident will be provided with a computer for the exclusive use of the resident. It will be used for academic pursuits such as poster presentations, continuing education classes, residency logs, student’s grades and writing papers and/or abstracts and any other academic pursuits the resident or coordinator deem necessary.
3. The resident will be provided with the clinical equipment necessary for primary care optometry and ocular disease diagnosis and treatment.
4. The resident will be provided with reference material for study and research through the Gundersen Medical Library, clinical staff and online resources.

Goal 5
To provide adequate record keeping to help document the performance of the program in meeting the above goals and objectives, as well as any other basic record keeping requirements of the program.

Objectives for Goal 5

1. The resident will complete a self-assessment and set goals at the start of their residency year.
2. The resident will perform a review of the Residency Coordinator and Co-Coordinator (when applicable) and the preceptors they work with on a weekly basis quarterly with the MedHub System.
3. The resident will evaluate of the residency program on a semi-annual basis.
4. The residency preceptors will evaluate the resident on a Triannual basis with the MedHub System.
5. The Residency Coordinator and Co-Coordinator (when applicable) will perform three in-person Interim Evaluations with the resident.
6. The residency program will conduct an annual program review.
7. The Residency Coordinator and Co-Coordinator (when applicable) will perform a quality assurance review of the resident to ensure the resident is providing quality patient care on an ongoing basis by reviewing charts.
8. The resident will provide a listing of all patient encounters on an ongoing basis. The Epic Electronic Medical Records Specialists will extract patient encounter information from the Epic Medical Records System. The Optometry Resident will keep a separate log of patients observed in clinic while working with another provider.
9. The resident will provide a listing of the resident’s teaching and didactic experiences with an ongoing Activity Log.
10. The resident will complete an end-of-program self-assessment.

Goals for clinical training that result in the resident’s attainment of advanced competencies in eye, vision and healthcare

Goal 1
To provide advanced clinical training in ocular disease, including the diagnosis and management of ocular conditions, the management of ocular emergencies and trauma, while also gaining exposure to primary care optometry.

Objectives for Goal 1

1. The resident will examine and treat patients throughout their residency. The majority of these patients will be comprised of patients with glaucoma, diabetes, cataracts and macular degeneration. Other areas of emphasis will include surgical glaucoma, peripheral retina, walk-in “red eyes” and primary care examinations.
2. The resident will have their own schedule, but will also have time to work in walk-in “red eye” patients and handle ocular trauma cases.
3. The resident will see patients in the primary care setting and provide diagnosis and treatment plans for their patients.
4. The resident will become proficient with therapeutic agents used to manage and treat anterior and posterior ocular disease.
5. The resident will interact with a variety of ophthalmologic specialists including retinal specialists, glaucoma specialists, pediatric specialists, and corneal specialists. These subspecialty interactions will occur at the Gundersen Ophthalmology/Optometry Clinic in La Crosse. While with these specialists, the resident will get to observe a variety of different surgical procedures.
6. The resident will learn standard protocols for treatment of glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal disorders, and anterior segment conditions.

Goal 2
To provide the resident with the opportunity to learn about and participate in clinical research in ocular disease.

Objectives for Goal 2

1. The resident is required to complete a research paper, literature review or a case report of publishable quality by the end of the program, with the goal of presenting the results as a paper, poster or publishable article during the program year, or within one year of the program’s completion.

Goal 3
To stimulate a commitment to service in the resident.

Objectives for Goal 3

1. The resident will be encouraged to become actively involved in the optometric community by encouraging membership and participation in national, state and local optometric organizations.
2. The resident will participate in various volunteer activities such as various community health fairs and screenings, community educational opportunities and other similar events.

Goals for didactic and scholarly activities:

Didactic goals
It is the goal of the didactic portion of the curriculum to enhance the other aspects of the program. The resident spends the equivalent of one full day each month in didactic studies. The didactic program includes Literature Review/Discussion, Attendance to monthly optometry journal clubs, GME Lecture series when available, and presentation at Gundersen’s Annual Optometric Education Event or Department Meeting. A discussion of each component is listed below.

1. Literature review
   The resident is given current, journal articles on various ocular disease topics by the Residency Preceptors. These articles are discussed at monthly Optometry Journal Clubs held over the noon-hour in the Ophthalmology Conference Room as well as virtual options for regional clinicians.
2. Additional didactic events
   • Opportunity for attendance to Medical Education Lecture series when offered
   • Presentation at Gundersen’s Annual Optometric Education Event or other Department meeting
   • Presentation at IUSO 4th Year Case Conference is required. 
   • Participation and leading in monthly Journal Clubs with the Eye Department
   • Encouraged attendance to one or more professional meetings (AAO, AOA, etc.)
   • Participation in Inter-professional Education Literature review: Journal articles are shared with the resident on a variety of ocular disease topics

Scholarly activity
The resident is required to complete a publishable quality paper or poster in the form of research, literature review or case report at the end of the residency program. At mid-year of the residency program, the residency coordinator meets with the resident to discuss the topic chosen and time line. The paper or poster is due in its completed form at the end of the residency program.

If the resident desires to participate in any research, the resident will have the opportunity to work with Gundersen providers who are involved in research projects. To facilitate this development, the resident has full access to the Gundersen Medical Library, Gundersen’s Medical Research Department, and computer facilities.

The resident is encouraged to present their work at professional meeting such as: AAO, AOA, SECO, COVD and/or ARVO.