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VA Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Clinic

351 E. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 253-2677 x 4624 or 4635
FAX: (213) 253-5123

Clinical Teaching Faculty: Chang H. Kim, OD Chang.Kim@va.gov and Diana Wu, OD Diana.Wu@va.gov

Type of Practice: VA Community-Based Out-patient Clinic

The VA Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center (LAACC) is a multi-disciplinary Community Based Out-Patient Clinic with the following services in its facility: Primary Care, Surgery (general, orthopedic, urology, podiatry), Eyecare (optometry & ophthalmology), Neurology, Ear-Nose-Throat, Dermatology, Audiology, Mental Health (psychiatry, psychology & social services), Dentistry, Pharmacy, Radiology and Laboratory.

Demographics

  • Socio-Economic
    • Many of our patients are comprised of indigent and homeless veterans residing in VA-subsidized housing or shelters within downtown LA
    • Other patients reside in surrounding cities contiguous to downtown LA
  • Age
    • WWII veterans in their late 80s to 90s
    • Korean War and Vietnam War veterans in their 60s to 70s
    • OIF and OEF veterans ranging from 20s to 50s

Prerequisites for Student Interns

  • Has a strong desire to learn, work with others and provide compassionate patient care.
  • Highly recommended to have good didactic understanding of common systemic conditions and associated ocular manifestations; systemic & ocular medications with respect to their usage, contra-indications and adverse effect.
  • Please see Externships Documentation and Immunization Requirements page for additional requirements.

Patient Services Provided

  • To provide care to veterans in need of comprehensive eye examination as well as management of acute and chronic eye disorders.
  • Coordinate eye and systemic care with providers in different healthcare discipline at LAACC, including primary care, dermatology, neurology, mental health and pharmacy.
  • Routine Eye Examinations
  • Glaucoma
  • Macular Degeneration
  • Diabetic Retinopathy
  • Optic Nerve & Retinal Ischemic Events
  • Ocular Infection & Trauma
  • Ocular Surface Disorder
  • Visual Deficiency associated with TBI

Educational Objectives

  • We aim to provide excellent primary and secondary eye care to our veterans in a multidisciplinary clinic based environment. Your goal will be to develop the optometric skills to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with ocular disease or ophthalmic manifestations of systemic disease.
  • Average daily student-patient encounter: 4 to 6 patients ranging from comprehensive eye examination, dilated fundus examination, glaucoma w/u or f/u, visual field, urgent care evaluation (trauma, red eyes, vitreo-retinal anomalies).

Student Responsibilities

  • Professional conduct with patients, staff, and peers is expected.
  • All students are expected to equitably support the efficiency of the Eye Care Team.
  • The student will report any concerns to the clinical faculty or the affiliate institution in a timely manner.
  • Punctuality is expected. Student clinic hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., although later hours should be anticipated depending on variations in the daily schedule and the nature of patient care.
  • Bring normal diagnostic equipments need to provide comprehensive eye exam and limited vision therapy/perceptual evaluation (binocular indirect ophthalmoscope, direct ophthalmoscope, retinoscope, non-contact fundus lenses, trial frame & lenses, etc.)
  • A white clinic coat (jacket length) is required.
  • Student ID from affiliated optometric institution.

Faculty Responsibilities

  • To provide an optimum learning environment for resident and 4th year optometry students with emphasis on management of ocular disease and associated systemic etiology.

Rooms and Equipment

  • 5 Examination Rooms each equipped with:
    • Desk top computer with access to CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System): VA version of EMR which gives access to care provided at ALL VA facilities
    • Full examination lane (phoroptor, slit-lamp, keratometer, automatic projector)
  • VF Room with 2 Humphrey 750i VFA
  • Laser & Ultrasound Procedure Room
  • Digital Fundus Camera
  • Pachymeter
  • Corneal topography, OCT and Orbscan — located at VA West Los Angeles and can be obtained through consult request

Clinic Hours:

  • Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with allowance for students and residents to attend Grand Round lectures at VA West Los Angeles on Wednesday PM (space and time permitted).

Housing Information

  • NO VA-subsidized housing is available; however, there are many apartments available within downtown LA area and immediate surroundings — highly cost variable depending on location.

Location and Transportation

  • Centralized downtown location
  • Easy access via public transportation
    • Metrolink Train — 10-minute walk from Union Station
    • MTA Goldline Light Rail Station — across the street
    • MTA Bus/Shuttle
    • Close to major freeway system — 101, 110, 60, 10, 5
  • Safe and secure location with high law enforcement visibility
  • Across the street from LAPD Headquarter and City Hall
  • Next door to Royball Federal Building

 

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