ICO EXTERNSHIP SITE OF THE YEAR 2018-2019 AND 2019-2020

 Dorn VAMC is a high volume, fast-paced clinic where physicians diagnose and manage a wide variety of ocular diseases. There are six full time optometrists, three residents, and eight students who are responsible for examining nearly two hundred veterans per day. Externs are expected to examine patients from start to finish, affording an opportunity to hone skills for each part of the exam. Technicians perform all OCT and HVF scans. Students consult with preceptors at the end of each exam to form management plans, and preceptors subsequently reexamine each patient. Each Friday all members of the optometry clinic participate in Grand Rounds. The Eye Clinic is situated in a beautiful two story building adjacent to the main part of the hospital that was built in 2001. Dorn VAMC eye services include both ophthalmology and optometry providing veteran patients full service eye care. Specialties include cornea, retina, glaucoma, oculoplastics, and specialty contact lenses. The student can tailor their schedule to include low vision, if they wish. 

Every encounter with our veterans should embody the I-CARE promise: integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, excellence. With preceptor guidance, students are primarily responsible for performing ocular health exams and interpreting special testing as they relate to exam findings. While many of our veterans require low vision and/or medically necessary contact lens exams, our residents are responsible for running these specialty clinics daily. If ICO students are interested in observing/participating in this part of our program, they may be assigned to these clinics several days over the course of the rotation. Dorn VAMC is located 1.5 hours from the NBEO part 3 testing site, should students choose to take their exam during their rotation with us.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Become more comfortable managing complex ocular diseases and systemic conditions with ocular manifestations including microvascular and cardiovascular disease, hemoglobinopathies, and hormone-mediated conditions such as pituitary adenomas and hypoparathyroidism. Further, understand how to incorporate interdisciplinary medicine into a full-scope optometry clinic. Such as, managing patients taking high-risk systemic medications and ordering radiology imaging studies like CT/MRI/ carotid duplex.

2. Present a twenty-minute powerpoint presentation during grand rounds on topic of student’s choice.

3. Feel comfortable performing advanced skills like indentation gonioscopy, BIO with scleral depression, eccentric-fixation 90D, B-scan.