Externship Site
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
ICO STUDENTS ACCEPTED EACH QUARTER
Essentials
Location
10701 East Blvd.
City:
State:
Zip:
Cleveland
OH
44106
U.S.A.
Country:
Midwest US
Region:
Additional Address Information:
Description
This site is first come first serve as it works with other schools. Here are the updated availabilities for AY 2026-27:
Summer: 1 slot available
Fall: 1 slot available
Winter: 1 slot available
Spring: 1 slot available
State of the art hospital eye clinic constructed in 2010 with updated imaging technology including Spectralis OCT, blind rehab clinic with inpatient population and team of therapists. Opportunity to work with multiple attendings, residents and externs. Half a day of didactic study with rotating lecturers, grand rounds and journal club. Emphasis on student autonomy and applying evidence based medicine to complicated disease cases. Optometry triages all emergencies and seeks complex neurologic cases in an inpatient population, orders lab work and imaging. Technicians perform testing so students are in exam room seeing patients full time. 5 Ophthalmology residents available for consult next door. One on one training with vitreo-retinal specialist during retina clinic hours.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Be able to critically assess and apply evidence based medicine.
Learn better decision making strategies and increase confidence in complex cases.
Develop characteristics of a great doctor.
Number of Student Encounters
Average number of patients per week per student:
35
35
How many are full exams?
How many are special testing?
20
How many are observation only?
Relative Percentage of Student Encounters
20
0
80
5
15
% = Routine Refractive
% = Contact Lens
% = Ocular Disease
% = Pediatric / Binocular Vision
% = Low Vision
Facility Details
Required equipment:
Fundus lenses as desired, PD ruler, Maddox Rod, textbooks as desired. Recommend The Wills Eye Manual and Effective Perimetry by Heijl.
Contact for externship liason:
Piana Simpson
piana.simpson@va.gov
216-791-3800 x 6087
Arrival procedure for students:
A representative from the Surgical Service department at the Cleveland VAMC will contact the student about completing requisite forms and on-line training. They will require that you submit your social security number and date of birth. On the first day, you will need two of the following forms of ID: driver’s license, social security card, passport. Orientation Information packet emailed by Dr. Canania 2 months prior to start date. Orientation is given upon arrival on the first day.
Attending Staff - Full Time:
Scott Anthony, OD (Chief) (Primary Care, Ocular Disease)
Rachael Canania, OD (Ocular Disease, Residency Director)
Piana Simpson (Krymskaya), OD (Primary Care, Ocular Disease, Externship Director)
Dave Roncone, OD (Primary Care, Contact Lens, Ocular Disease)
Cari Nealon, OD (Primary Care)
Sapna Kumar, OD, FAAO (Primary Care, Low Vision Director)
Miscellaneous comments:
Students spend approximately 30 hrs/week performing exams, 4 hrs/week at conferences. Opportunity to observe surgery. Park in the VAMC Administrative Building (EUL) parking garage between East 105th and 108th across from the ER. Medical Center accessible via skywalk.
Additional Information:
Click here to review onboarding requirements. If you do not see your site listed on Sharepoint, contact your preceptor directly.
Student Review
"Great educational experience, get to learn from 5 knowledgable attending doctors as well as 5 residents. Get to work with an OMD retinal specialist for a half day and in low vision for two half days a week. Have weekly conference where you discuss journals and have presentations from various different health care professionals"
Ocular Disease
Facility specialties:
Facility category:
Ocular Disease (Specialty 2)
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Do you provide formal journal club, case discussion, grand rounds?
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Is there on-site parking?
No
Yes
Yes
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No
1
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Yes
Facility website
Student Clinic Hours
4:30 pm
8:00 am
CLOSED
CLOSED
CLOSED
CLOSED
4:30 pm
8:00 am
4:30 pm
8:00 am
4:30 pm
8:00 am
4:30 pm
8:00 am
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Additional Info about Hours:
Students have low vision clinic all day on Mondays and Wednesday morning in conference.
VA
Facility Type