Externship Site

HFO is a primary care medically-focused group optometry practice.  Optimeyes is a part of the Henry Ford Health hospital system which serves the greater metro Detroit area.  Our group is made up of 85 ODs spanning 22 locations, servicing a highly diverse patient population. We are committed to advancing the profession through education and innovation while providing equitable access to eye care. Our clinic has a variety of exams; including but not limited to routine exams, contact lenses, scleral lenses, glaucoma, macular conditions, and a variety of medical visits.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. We encourage Self-assessment & Self-directed learning - allowing the student to delineate their goals early on & throughout their rotation

2. We use Direct questioning & Think Aloud method - develops critical thinking in an open format while in a fast-pace clinic setting

3. We use Modeling - for specific procedures, difficult medical decision making, and billing processes where students benefit from observing the attending's approach

4. We provide Feedback - follow through on student's decisions & performance in a constructive manner

OTHER COMMENTS:

• Multi doctor, medically-oriented primary care clinic. 

• Patients are scheduled every 15 minutes & with technician support the doctors (and interns) see and manage more patients per hour. Depending on patient show rate and efficiency of student clinician, a student could see 20 or more encounters a day. 

• Southeast MI provides diverse patient demographics; this clinic in particular serves a majority of blue collar workers which leads to many foreign body removals and urgent office visits.

• The Taylor site is equipped with OCT, HVF, topography/tomography, fundus camera, iCare tonometry, and pachymetry.

• This clinic emphasizes primary care, soft and/or RGP/scleral contact lenses, pediatrics, diabetes management, glaucoma, and acute disease care

• Once a month, students participate in providing eye exams at a Capuchin soup kitchen in Detroit, located within 30 minutes of the practice.

• The Taylor location hosts ICO students only, while other locations accommodate students from MCO and CCO. We are affiliated with a residency program in Primary Care with an emphasis on Ocular Disease and Cornea/Contact Lenses. Although students do not work directly with residents in clinic, they may have opportunities to attend Grand Rounds and other educational events.