Residency in Primary Eye Care Optometry

SUNY College of Optometry, NYC

SUNY College of Optometry
33 West 42nd Street 
New York, NY 10036

Residency Supervisor
Susan Schuettenberg, OD
Phone: (212) 938-4161
Fax: (212)938-5819 
Email: sschuettenberg@sunyopt.edu

Additional Faculty
Dana Morschauser, OD
Debi Pani, OD
Steven Siegel, OD

Program Description
The residency in Primary Eye Care Optometry provides a broad based clinical experience in all aspects of Primary Care.  The residents expand their clinical knowledge by rotating through the SUNY Primary Care Clinic in order to experience a wide variety of patient types. This includes patients requiring contact lens care, diagnosis of binocular anomalies, diagnosis, management and treatment of glaucoma, retinal disease, and emergency eyecare needs.  In addition, the resident rotates through the SUNY Glaucoma Institute, and experiences urban clinical patient care at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. The resident gains experience in refractive surgery comanagement by rotating through TLC laser center in Manhattan. In a teaching capacity, the resident instructs second-year interns in the Methods laboratory and supervises third-year interns in the Primary Care clinic.  Additionally, the resident can pursue specific clinical interests in vision therapy, low vision, pediatric and infant eyecare, head trauma, retina, neuro-optometry, cornea and specialty contact lens clinics.

Educational Opportunities
The resident is encouraged to attend graduate level seminars and workshops, SUNY sponsored continuing education events and national optometric conferences.  In addition, close interaction with clinical faculty in varied clinical settings provides the resident with enhanced clinical skills and knowledge base.  Moreover, there is the opportunity for optometric research, if the resident desires.

Research/scholarly Responsibilities
Residents are required to present one minor and one major optometric lecture.  The resident is required to write at least one paper of publishable quality by the end of the residency.

Benefits
There is optional participation in a health insurance plan including prescription drug coverage, with a contribution from the employee, depending on the option chosen. Dental care and vision coverage is available through the union representing this position. Residents earn sick leave and annual leave at the rate of 1.25 days per month. Twelve paid holidays per calendar year.

Mission Statement

The Primary Eye Care Optometry residency, at the State University of New York,College of Optometry provides the highly qualified optometrist with the opportunity to advance in all aspects of Primary Eyecare rendered to a diverse patient population. Opportunities are provided to diagnose, treat and manage a wide variety of visual system problems, including ocular diseases, and ocular manifestations of systemic diseases.  The residency program provides:

• A broad-based patient population, with sufficient numbers of encounters to supply a wide variety of conditions.

• A pedagogic component that allows for the acquisition of clinical and classroom teaching skills.

• Scholarly activities and didactic components that allow the resident to increase his/her knowledge base, along with contributing to the literature. 

When the resident completes the program, they will be qualified to provide a high level of diagnosis and management of a wide variety of visual disorders/ocular diseases, including co-management with appropriate physician referrals in both a private or institutional setting.  In addition, the resident will be able to provide advanced care in an institutional and/or academic setting, along with being able to participate and pursue clinical teaching and lecturing.

Goal 1: To attract and select qualified candidates.
Objectives:

1. The program will be announced in the College’s advertisement of all its residencies, in the AOA News, at least 1 time per year.

2. The program will be included in the College’s written material made available at the luncheon for residency networking at the annual American Academy of Optometry meeting, and at the networking forum at the annual American Optometric Student Association meeting.

3. The program will be listed and described on the Residency Page of the College’s website.

4. The selection process will be conducted as specified in the College’s current Manual of Procedures for Residency Programs.

5. The program will be listed and described on the ORMS Web Site.

Goal 2: To provide advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of the wide variety of primary care patients and the procedures associated with their diagnosis and management.
Objectives:

1. The resident will examine, manage and provide patient education to:

   • 100 to 200 patients with retinal disease                                              
   • 150 to 250 patients with anterior segment disease                                  
   • 175 to 250 patients with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma                             
   • 50 to 100 patients with binocular anomalies                                                 
   • 50 to 75 pediatric patients                                                                      
   • 75 to 125 contact lens patients

2. The resident will attend and show proficiency in the procedures covered in the advanced clinical procedures workshops that are offered by the College during the summer academic quarter.
    

Goal 3: To provide the resident with advanced education in Primary Care Optometry.
Objectives:

1. The resident will complete readings of journal articles, textbooks and electronic informational services assigned by the residency supervisor.

2. The resident will attend at least 1 scholarly meeting devoted to advanced concepts in primary care.

3. The resident will attend the required number of Grand Rounds of the SUNY Friday Program, as specified in the College’s Manual of Procedures for Residency Programs.

4. The resident will attend the required number of minor and major presentations of the SUNY Friday Program, as specified in the College’s Manual of Procedures for Residency Programs.

Goal 4: To provide the resident with experience in clinical and didactic teaching.
Objectives:

1. The resident will give 1 minor presentation in the SUNY Friday Program, and be formally evaluated.

2. The resident will give 1 major presentation in the SUNY Friday Program.

3. Under the mentorship of the program supervisor and other selected faculty, the resident will provide clinical instruction to optometric interns rotating through the Primary Eye Care Service for up to 3 sessions per week per academic quarter, starting with the winter quarter.

4. The resident will supervise second-year interns in the second year Optometric Procedures Laboratory, during the fall, winter, and spring quarters.

Goal 5: To provide the resident with scholarly activities opportunities.
Objectives:

1. The resident will complete a publishable paper in accordance with the policy contained in the College’s Manual for Procedures for Residency Programs.

2. The resident will be provided the opportunity, based on interest, to participate in clinical research.

Goal 6: The resident will be scheduled for 12 sessions per week that will consist of a combination of direct patient care in the Primary Eye Care Optometry Service (Group Practice), along with other clinical service exposure, teaching and professional development.
Objectives:

1. The resident will be scheduled for approximately 4 Primary Care Optometry sessions per week, each quarter.  The resident will also spend 1 session per week in the Glaucoma Institute, each quarter.  Due to the diversity of the SUNY patient population, the resident will experience pediatric cases, contact lens cases and retinal cases while rotating through the Primary Care clinics.

2. The resident will rotate through a laser center to gain experience in pre-postoperative care in refractive surgery.

3. The resident will be scheduled to provide patient care in a hospital eye clinic in order to practice hospital-based optometry and emergent eyecare.

4. The resident will have the opportunity in each quarter to elect and participate in one session of a specialty area outside of Primary Care, such as Low Vision, Vision Therapy, Specialty Contact Lens, Cataract/Cornea, Head Trauma, Infants Vision, Neuro-optometry, and Oculoplastics, etc. or participate in laboratory instruction in a course.

5. The resident will participate in the SUNY Friday residency program and scholarly development for approximately 2 sessions each quarter. The Primary Care resident is required to attend at least 45 hours of programs, but encouraged to attend more, given the excellent learning opportunity.

6. The resident will maintain a patient log that summarizes the various types of patient encounters.

Goal 7: Patient care rendered by the resident will be monitored through the QA&I process.

Goal 8: To provide the faculty the administrative support commensurate with the needs of the program.
Objectives:

1. To provide at least 0.1 FTE administrative support for the program.

2. To provide at least 0.1 FTE secretarial support services for the program.

Goal 9: To provide facilities and equipment appropriate to the needs of the program.
Objectives:

1. To provide an office for the resident’s use.

2. To provide a computer for the resident’s use.

Goal 10: Individuals who successfully complete this residency will have potential careers in a wide variety of primary care practices, providing the highest level of diagnostic and treatment and management to a broad spectrum of patients.  They will also have a broad based background to successfully play a role in optometric education.
Objective:

1. At 7-year intervals, a questionnaire is sent to all former residents to ascertain practice setting and duties, history of scholarly pursuits, and participation as a provider of optometric education.

Primary Eye Care Residency Curriculum