GME: Ophthalmology Residency Program

Touro University, Valley Hospital and Nevada Eye & Ear have joined together to offer an Osteopathic Residency Program in Ophthalmology. The program is open to all Osteopathic Physicians who have completed an AOA approved internship. The program is 48 months in length and provides the resident the didactic and clinical training necessary to become a competent and compassionate Ophthalmologist and successfully complete the certification requirements of the American Osteopathic Board of Ophthalmology. This residency program is affiliated with the Touro University Medical Education Consortium (TUMEC).
Our ophthalmology residents are well prepared to go into private or academic practice due to the fact that Valley Hospital is located in a densely populated urban area. This will expose the resident to a wealth of ophthalmic pathology.

Valley Hospital is the home institution, with 305 operational beds, a new surgery department with 11 operating rooms, a new PACU with 20 beds and a new Outpatient Surgery area with 18 bays. The hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission.

In addition, Nevada Eye & Ear has 3 clinics in Henderson and Las Vegas. There are a total of 22 lanes, 2 OCT, 3 Humphrey perimeters, an argon laser, SLT laser and 2 digital fundus cameras available. The Seven Hills Surgery Center has 2 AMO Phacoemulsification machines and a YAG laser for anterior segment surgery.

It is strongly recommended that interested candidates have a rotation in Ophthalmology at Valley Hospital. Please see the Student Rotation Request Form to submit your request.

Didatics

Grand Rounds take place monthly and all residents are required to attend. The attending staff is also be invited and encouraged to attend these rounds. The senior resident with the approval of the Program Director, assigns a topic and/or case presentation to be discussed and a guest speaker is also be invited. Finally, all residents are required to attend learning lectures and seminars, etc. that are given at each institution on a weekly basis. 

There is a monthly Ophthalmology Journal Club. Each resident is required to review at least one article from the current monthly Ophthalmology journals which include but are not limited to: The American Journal of Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, Survey of Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology. In addition, each resident is expected to review journals and read standard Ophthalmology textbooks. Home study is required for successful completion of the program.  

Each resident is required to complete a minimum 100 hours of basic science studies relating to Ophthalmology. This study course will be arranged and approved by the Program Director.

Each resident must complete the Ophthalmology Home Study course given by the American Academy of Ophthalmology by the end of their second year. The course is designed to provide a framework of essential knowledge in Ophthalmology. The residents will be informed that personal initiative and self-education are essential to the success of the entire educational program. The course is reviewed at least twice during the three-year program, Due to the fact that the residents will be at different levels, they will derive incremental benefits, consistent with their seniority from the same subject matter. The residents are strongly encouraged to review the course in a group fashion. Weekly seminars geared to the Home Study Course will be arranged by the Program Director.

Each resident is required to take the annual Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP) examination in each of their years of residency training. This examination tests the knowledge learned from the Ophthalmology Home Study Course, lectures and clinical patient care. Each resident is graded against other residents in the same academic year throughout the nation. The Program Director will review the results with each resident in a constructive manner, identify areas of deficiencies and take appropriate action to strengthen these areas. The OKAP results are used as a guide to evaluate the residents and the overall program.

Each resident is required to submit a formal paper, suitable for publication as outlined in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association during each of their second and third years. In lieu of one paper, the resident may develop one of the following alternatives as outlined in the AOA Basic Standards for Residency Training in Ophthalmology: “(A.) Poster Presentation at the annual clinical assembly, reviewed and approved by the Program Director. An abstract of the poster presentation must be reviewed by the Council of Medical Education or the Council on Postdoctoral Training prior to the poster presentation; or (B.) provide documentation of satisfactory completion of a university statistics course.”

Rotation Schedule

Ophthalmology OGME 1

• Internal Medicine – 3 months- Includes one month Night Medicine
• Critical Care – 1 month
• Emergency Medicine – 1 month
• Radiology – 1 month
• Neurosurgery – 1 month
• Neurology – 1 month
• Ophthalmology – 1 month
• Medical Subspecialty – 1 month
• Surgical Sub specialty – 1 month
• Elective – 1 month

Ophthalmology OGME 2–4

• Comprehensive Ambulatory – Refraction, cataracts, refractive surgery, laser therapeutics – 24 months
• Electives – 3 months
• Basic Science Course – 1 month
• Retina – 2 months
• Glaucoma – 1 month
• Cornea – 1 month
• Pediatric Ophthalmology – 2 months
• Oculoplastics – 1 month
• Neuro-Ophthalmology – 1 month