Curriculum

PGY1 

Our residency program includes an integrated internship year in partnership with our Internal Medicine residency training program. For the first nine months, residents will have the opportunity to work with internal medicine hospital teams as well as the neurology and ICU services. Additionally, interns are able to rotate in a variety of electives including ENT, neuro-radiology, plastics, and rheumatology. Throughout the first nine months, interns will also spend approximately a half-day each week working with Ophthalmology residents in our Urgent Eye Care in order to start building exam skills as well as have the opportunity to develop relationships with co-residents and faculty. The last 3 months of intern year are dedicated to on-boarding in Ophthalmology. This time is spent honing foundational exam skills as well taking buddy call with more senior residents.

PGY2

The PGY2 year is spent in oculoplastics, pediatric ophthalmology as well as in the Urgent Eye Care and consultation services. During the subspecialty rotations, residents have the first opportunity to enter the operating room and perform extra-ocular surgical cases as well as get exposure to Ocular Genetics. The Urgent Eye Care is a clinic staffed by Flaum Eye Institute faculty and provides our residents the experience of evaluating and managing urgent Ophthalmic patients. Through our Urgent Eye Care, the residents are exposed to a wide breadth and depth of ophthalmic pathology, and have the opportunity to work with colleagues in the Emergency Department as well as on the inpatient wards to coordinate urgent care for our patients.

PGY3

During this year, residents will rotate through subspecialties including Cornea and External Disease, Glaucoma, Retina, Neuro-ophthalmology, and Uveitis. Rotations are designed for an immersive experience and one-on-one mentoring from faculty in both the clinic and operating room. During this year, residents are also trained in the fundamental steps of cataract surgery. Working with cataract surgeons throughout the year, each step of surgery is mastered individually as well as the pre-op cataract evaluation and post-operative care.

PGY4

During senior year, residents focus primarily on anterior segment surgery and honing their clinical acumen as comprehensive ophthalmologists. Surgical volume is high with the average number of primary cataract cases >200, and opportunities to be the primary surgeon in glaucoma cases, including MIGs. PGY4 residents also each take turns acting as a chief-resident, providing administrative support to the residency program and servings as a liaison between junior residents and faculty. Elective time is provided during this last year of training as well to allowed for additional learning in particular subspecialties or to travel to India to broaden their global ophthalmology experience at the LV Prasad Eye Institute.

“I just want to thank you again for all the cool stuff we did in residency. I never would have taken a case like this on without that training.”
-Justin Aaker, MD