Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Contact Person & Clinical Teaching Faculty:
Geeta Girdher, OD, FAAO geeta.girdher.civ@mail.mil

Other Mentors:
LTC Ina Lee-Wharton, OD
CDR Jacqueline Anderson, OD; Mimi Lum, OD; Joshua Walek, OD; Joseph Rispoli, OD
Type of Practice: Military Treatment Facility

Demographics

• Active duty military members, their families, and retired military.
• Average approximately 8-12 patients per day, depending on student’s skill level.

Prerequisites for Student Interns

• Must be a US Citizen; no dual citizens
• CPR certification and current immunizations (current PPD, Hepatitis B, MMR and Varicella) desired, otherwise provided.
• Bring shot records.
• Bring/send Certificates of HIPAA training.
• FBI and Department of Justice background checks.
  • Paperwork will be mailed to students and must be completed and submitted one month before the start of the rotation.
• Please see Externships Documentation and Immunization Requirements page for additional requirements.

Patient Services Provided

• Predominantly primary care, including some pediatrics, ocular disease, TBI eye exams, low vision and specialty contact lens fitting.
• Observation of various surgeries (retina, refractive, glaucoma, etc.).

Educational Objectives

• Acclimate students to a wide variety of patients (pediatric to geriatric) and ocular conditions.
• This is NOT an “over the shoulder” or “be my technician” type of rotation. Students perform the exam and think through each patient encounter, from start to finish.
• Fine-tune examination skills and diagnostic acumen.
• Efficient assessment and evaluation of patient cases is expected.
• Expect ability to perform examinations efficiently in a fast-paced, team-approach designed clinic.

Student Responsibilities.

• Punctuality and a willingness to learn.
• Seminar and case discussions.
• Ability to work efficiently and cooperatively with attending OD and other students.

Faculty Responsibilities

• Provide a safe, friendly, personalized educational opportunity for each student.
• Facilitate efficient patient flow among doctors and students.
• Provide direct patient care as necessary.
• Mentor student in patient care.
• Evaluate student clinical performance.
• Seminar, grand rounds and case discussions.
• Please know that there are many providers at this site other than the clinical faculty. You will be working with the clinical faculty person(s) and the other providers in patient care.

Miscellaneous Information

• Due to the recent integration of Walter Reed with Bethesda Naval Hospital, parking on base is no longer an option for students. Students are encouraged to choose housing with easy access to the metro or bus.

Other Schools

• Marshall B. Ketchum, ICO, Nova, Salus, The Ohio State, SUNY, University of Houston.