Off-Campus Residency

Veterans Affairs Central California Health Care System Fresno

Primary Care Optometry Residency
(2 positions)
July 1 to June 30

The Department of Veterans Affairs is an Equal Opportunity Employer

(Affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley
School of Optometry)

Application Deadline: February 1

Description

The residency program in Primary Care Optometry at VA Central California Health Care System (VACCHCS) in Fresno is a fully accredited one-year program that provides highly motivated post-graduate optometrists advanced hospital-based clinical training that is stimulating, challenging and exceptional. Graduates are well prepared for career positions in hospitals, secondary medical and surgical care practices, multidisciplinary health care centers, and as faculty in optometric schools and colleges.

Program Review

A primary goal of the program is to graduate optometrists who can competently, confidently and independently diagnose and medically treat and manage a wide variety and complexity of ocular disease. Residents learn the indications for and the utilization of advanced medical diagnostic procedures including MRI, CT, microbiology and the clinical laboratory. The resident will learn to work within a team of physicians and providers.

Instruction is intimate and immediate; residents work closely with the faculty optometrists with gradually increasing autonomy. The resident will work within therapeutic privileges that are amongst the most comprehensive in the country. The resident will have the opportunity to perform advanced eye procedures, such as intravenous fluorescein angiography, minor lid lesion removal, and chalazia removal. While the curriculum is structured, enough flexibility exists for residents to emphasize specific areas of professional interest.

The academic component of the program is designed to develop the decision-making skills (especially critical thinking and the use of medical literature) necessary to independently manage complex problems. The residency will provide the foundation to be an effective life long learner, writer, speaker and professional leader.

Requirements for Residency Completion and Awarding of Certificate

Optometry serves as a true primary care gatekeeper for all ophthalmic problems, including glaucoma, retinal disease, refractive correction and ophthalmic emergencies. Two patients per week are currently scheduled for a low vision evaluation. The resident will have the opportunity to rotate through specialty clinic services within the hospital, including Medicine, Dermatology, and Laboratory. For half of the training program, one day per week is spent with a private practice ophthalmologist to gain extensive experience and perspective in the management of complex ocular disease.

Expected weekly hours: The resident is expected to be in clinic five days per week, Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. There are no after-hours on-call duties.

The resident is required to attend and participate in all didactic activities, including weekly slide quizzes and journal clubs, Fluorescein Conferences, and the quarterly Resident Lecture Series. Additional optional educational opportunities include the UCSF School of Medicine Lecture Series and optometric continuing education seminars held both locally and at UC Berkeley, School of Optometry. The resident is expected to author a manuscript suitable for publication by the end of the residency year. Four hours per week is reserved as professional developmental time for reading, research, and presentation preparation. The resident will receive instruction in clinical teaching and methods and have increasing responsibility in supervising the instruction of student interns from UCBSO, NECO, and PUCO.

The newly expanded optometry section consists of eight examination rooms, one of which is dedicated for each resident. Diagnostic equipment includes a Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer, Ocular Coherence Tomographer, digital fundus camera, and handheld topographer.

The city of Fresno, situated in the center of the San Joaquin Valley, is blessed with a mild Mediterranean climate and over 300 sunny days per year. Rain is rare between April and November and snow makes headlines in the winter.

Despite a population of approximately 500,000 people, traffic is rarely congested. It takes less than 20 minutes to get from one side of Fresno to the other.

Fresno is home to excellent theater, music, museums, and great ethnic cuisine and was recently selected as an All-American City. It is one of the most affordable and fastest growing areas in California.

Fresno is within easy driving distance of some of the most spectacular places in the country. Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks are all within a two-hour drive, as are the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. San Francisco and Los Angeles are approximately three hours away.

• Yearly stipend of $30,099 with benefits. This amount is not contingent upon productivity of the resident.
• No tuition or fees
• Approved leave for educational meetings
• Health benefits through VACCHCS Fresno or UCBSO
• Professional Liability Protection provided
• Residents earn thirteen days paid annual leave and thirteen days paid sick leave per year. There are also ten paid Federal holidays.

• Doctor of Optometry degree from an ACOE-accredited institution prior to residency start date
• Cumulative GPA 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for their optometric and undergraduate education preferred.
• Candidates must have passed Parts I, II, and TMOD of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) examinations prior to the ORMS match.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs is an equal opportunity employer for all qualified persons.
• By congressional law, candidates must be citizens of the United States.
• If male, registered with Selective Service prior to their 26th birthday
• Candidates must be eligible for licensure as an optometrist in a state, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

• Curriculum vitae
• Official transcripts of NBEO scores
• Official transcripts of optometric education and undergraduate education
• Three letters of recommendation
• Brief statement regarding desire to complete this residency program.
• Apply online for admission through the UC Berkeley Graduate Division (only for candidates not currently enrolled at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry)

NOTE: For information on nondiscrimination in federally conducted education and training programs, see VHA Directive.

For more information please contact:

VACCHCS Fresno
2615 East Clinton Avenue
Fresno, CA 93703
Voice: (559) 225-6100, ext. 5101
Fax: (559) 228-5309

Optometric Residency Program
inezb@berkeley.edu
c/o Inez Bailey, Residency Program Assistant
527 Minor Hall, School of Optometry
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2020