Milan Eye Center | KYCO Residency | University of Pikeville

Milan Eye Center
Ocular Disease with an Emphasis in Anterior Segment Residency
Cumming, GA
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Program Overview

The residency in ocular disease at Milan Eye Center is designed to build proficiency in the treatment and management of ocular disease and the surgical co-management of anterior segment, glaucoma and oculoplastic surgery. Milan Eye Center is a multi-office, referral center, located North of Atlanta. We have 10 Optometrists and 10 Ophthalmologists on staff at 8 locations. The main focus of the practice is anterior segment and oculoplastic surgery with an emphasis in cataract, cornea and MIG surgeries. The resident will see their own patients as well as see patients with attending physicians in multiple locations. The resident will also be responsible to see emergency referrals from local O. D.s and M.D.s. Residents will work with optometry externs in clinic.

ACOE Accreditation Status
The Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) has granted Milan Eye Center Ocular Disease with an emphasis in Anterior Segment Residency the accreditation status of “Accredited.”
Accredited is a classification granted to an educational program indicating that the program generally meets the Standards for accreditation. For more information, see the ACOE’s website at www.theACOE.org or contact the ACOE at accredit@theacoe.org.

Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
243 N. Lindbergh Blvd., Suite 301
St. Louis, MO 63141
Phone: 1-800-365-2219
E-mail address: accredit@theacoe.org

Program Length: 53 weeks

Typical Weekly Hours and After-Hours Responsibilities: 44 weekly hours and on-call responsiblities. The resident will be on-call a total of 4 weeks throughout the year

Application Materials:
To apply, please send a letter of intent, CV, transcripts and letters of recommendation directly to ORMatch.
Application Deadline: January 31
Number of Positions: 1

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Mission

The Residency in Ocular Disease, at Milan Eye Center, seeks to attract the premier optometric graduates into an enriched ophthalmic private practice setting conducive to the advancement of optometric education
and clinical expertise.
This is accomplished by providing the optometric resident the opportunity to
experience a wide diversity of ocular disease, with an emphasis in anterior segment pathology, through
observation and direct patient care in a referral based, secondary care setting. Education is further
complemented through self learning, didactic education and formal presentations. The residency will
provide advanced training in the clinical diagnosis and management of ocular disease and surgical
co-management of ocular surgeries. The program will allow the residency graduate to deliver the highest
quality in patient care.
The ultimate goal is to prepare the resident for a career in optometric practice which
may include co-management/consultative referral clinics, academic education, or primary care settings, and
to serve the profession as leaders in the optometric community. A commitment to excellence in patient
care, the continual pursuit of knowledge, and the maintenance of the highest ethical standards are ideals that will be instilled in each resident enabling them to meet the everyday challenges of their profession and to serve as emulous examples to their peers, colleagues, and the profession.

Program Goals

Every fourth year optometry student in all schools and colleges of optometry in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico will have access to information on the program through the Kentucky College of Optometry residency website and the ORMS residency directory.
The program will be advertised in at least one optometric publication at least once annually.
All candidates who apply for the program will be contacted personally by the Program Coordinator, either in written or oral form.

Every candidate will be required to submit the following application materials to the Residency Supervisor by February 1 preceding the July 1 start date:
- Letter of intent
- Curriculum Vitae
- Official transcripts from optometry college and any other post-graduate educational program
- Passing scores from Part I of the NBEO, Part II/TMOD and Part III scores shall be submitted as soon as they are available
- At least three letters of reference, two of which must be from individuals who are familiar with the candidate’s clinical skills
Candidates must have at least a 3.0 grade point average or equivalent to be considered for an interview, with the exception of past student externs who have demonstrated above average clinical skills and abilities during their rotation.
Qualified candidates will be required to complete a one-day interview process at Milan Eye Center by February 28 of the interviewing year. Candidates who have been externs at Milan Eye Center may not have to undergo the clinical interview process but will have to sit for the formal interview.
The residency interviews will be scheduled by the Program Coordinator at the Milan Eye Center.
The interview process includes a formal interview conducted by an interview team composed of the Director of Medical Services, Program Coordinator, and other Milan Eye Center physicians. Candidate’s will spend time in the various sub-specialty ophthalmology faculty clinics under the supervision of any of those mentioned above where candidate’s will be required to demonstrate superb clinical skills, didactic knowledge, personal and professional maturity, and a knowledge and understanding of the profession of optometry including current and future issues.
Candidates will have an opportunity to meet with current residents, if possible, during the interview process.
All residency applicants will be evaluated without regard to sex, age, race, religion, color, creed, national origin or non-disqualifying physical disabilities.
Every candidate will be rated and ranked by the Residency Coordinator based upon the merit of the candidates application materials, and the candidate’s performance during the interview with input from the Director of Medical Services and other physicians who have participated in the interview process.

The resident will work with the sub-specialty ophthalmology faculty no more than four (4) days per week and no less than three (3) days per week in the various sub-specialty clinics. These may include external disease and oculoplastics. At least 2 days per week the resident will see patients independently, by way of their own clinic schedule.
The resident will examine or observe approximately 10 to 20 patients per day depending on the sub-specialty service and the type of visit the patient is being seen for (i.e. new, follow-up, post op).
The residents will keep and maintain a daily patient log which will include: the patient’s name, chart #, type of visit, whether the resident looked at the retina, if an impression and plan was written, did they get feedback on their diagnosis, level of involvement (direct, precepting, or observation). Also, was there agreement with the faculty attending, what was the diagnosis and treatment for the patient and what was the level of complexity (low, moderate or high).

Each resident will examine patients who are referred with ocular disease in the ophthalmology subspecialty clinics. These may include external disease and oculoplastics. The comprehensive examination includes:
- Chief complaint, ocular and medical history
- Visual acuities
- Neutralization of glasses
- Manifest refraction
- Confrontation visual fields
- Pupil testing
- E.O.M. and cover test
- Slit lamp examination
- Applanation tonometry
- Gonioscopy
- Dilation
- Fundus exam utilizing slit lamp and binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy
- Impression and plan
- Other testing as indicated, i.e. color vision, order and interpreting visual fields, photography, fluorescein angiography, corneal topography and serology.
The optometry resident will have the opportunity to compare their diagnostic and management skills to the attending ophthalmologists. The resident may also see patients who are referred to the ophthalmologist because of problems requiring advanced care.
The resident will examine and follow patients by way of their own, independent, clinic schedule. On all their patients the resident will make the final decision regarding the impression and plan. The resident will have a senior physician available in the clinic to provide guidance, as needed, at all times.
The resident will attend educational conferences to supplement their clinical education which include:
- Optometric Staff Lecture
- Local CE Meetings
- GOA, SECO, AOA, AAOpt, VEW, VEE
The residents will be granted therapeutic privileges after successful completion of the Georgia State Board Examination, and the Program Coordinator feels he/she has demonstrated the necessary clinical skills and decision making abilities necessary to best serve the patient. The Coordinator will make this decision based upon a clinical skills test, chart review, and feedback from other physicians in the practice.

Residents will participate and attend the following didactic course:
- MEC Grand Rounds 4 times per year
- GOA CE Dinner meetings 4 times per year
- GA Retina CE Dinner meetings 2 times per year

Each resident shall prepare and deliver lectures at 4 OD Grand Rounds meetings throughout the year and 2 MEC Grand Rounds meetings. These lectures will be approximately 30 minutes long.
The resident will be critiqued by the Program Coordinator regarding preparation, style, content, and thoroughness of the lecture.
The resident will participate in clinical education and teaching of fourth year externs who work-up patients in their respective clinics and who work with them in the ophthalmology subspecialty faculty clinics.

The resident will work with the ophthalmologist while in the faculty clinics. The ophthalmology attendings are available to answer questions regarding patient care.
The program coordinator is available at all times for consultation, case discussion, and clinical assistance with patient care in both optometry and ophthalmology faculty.

The resident will be assigned space for personal belongings in addition to a phone with voice mail capabilities.
Computers and a printer are available with software enabling the resident to prepare lectures and other presentations.
Residents have access to the office photographic records.
All exam rooms are equipped with state of the art clinical equipment and are available for resident use.

Each resident shall prepare a manuscript of publishable quality with feedback and guidance provided by the Coordinator. The resident may seek guidance and assistance from any of the ophthalmology or optometry staff. A rough draft will be due by April 1 of each year, with the final draft due by June 1.
The resident will be given a reading list by the program coordinator. Papers will be presented from recent journal periodicals such as the Journal of the American Optometric Association, Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology, and Survey of Ophthalmology. Discussions about these journal articles will take place periodically throughout the year.

Each resident will gain necessary inter-professional skills from the following experiences:
- Playing an integral role in the setting of the various subspecialty ophthalmology schedules.
- Working with Ophthalmology Subspecialty staff during subspecialty clinic times.
- Through direct consultation with ophthalmology staff regarding the management of challenging patients presenting to the optometric resident’s primary care clinics.
- By direct referrals to ophthalmology staff from the resident’s clinic.
- Attending various in-house educational conferences and interacting with ophthalmologists.
Further inter-professional skills with other non-eye care physicians will be developed through the following means:
- Referral notes back to the patient’s primary physician. Many of the patients are referred by their general physician for eye care and to rule out the presence of ocular disease.
- Direct patient care as many doctors, nurses and other allied health professions utilize Milan Eye Center
- Interacting with ophthalmic nurses in Milan Eye Center ASC settings.
Each resident will gain necessary intra-professional skills from the following experiences:
- Working and interacting with externs, and optometric supervisors within the office throughout the year.
- Teaching and interacting with optometric externs in clinical and didactic settings.
- Residents are encouraged to attend local professional society meetings during the residency year.
Residents will be given administrative leave to attend a selected professional meeting (i.e. American Academy of Optometry, Southern Educational Congress of Optometry, Georgia Optometric Association annual meetings). Which meeting they may attend will be on a case-by-case basis and given after the needs of the office and optometric staff are met.

Requirements for Residency Completion

Completion of clinic duties including patient care, and on-call after hours care including communication with referring doctors and staff.
Complete patient care logs commensurate with the amount of patient encounters to reach the goal of the program.
Complete quarterly evaluations, as required by the program, listed in Meditrek.
Participate in CE meetings organized by MEC and other co-managing practices.
Participate in discussions concerning the Resident Reading List which includes educational journal articles to enhance didactic knowledge level.
Completion of one journal paper of publishable quality.
Presentation of at least 4 lectures or posters, throughout the year.

Application & Selection Process

The Program Coordinator and the Residency Committee at Milan Eye Center will conduct interviews of selected candidates. Interviews will be by Zoom or in person, depending on circumstances. They will order prospective candidates based on multiple criteria and submit their order to ORMS for matching.

Candidates must meet these requirements:

Application information sent to OR Match website
Interview with program director, coordinator, and/or faculty
O.D. degree from a school or college accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
Competitive GPA
Eligible for a Georgia state optometric license

Salary and Benefits

$40,000
Insurance: Health and Dental
Full liability coverage
Annual vacation/sick leave/professional development

Please contact the Program Coordinator, Dr. Charlie Ficco, or the Director of Residencies, Dr. Eilene Kinzer.

See Residency Brochure

Milan Eye Center is an equal opportunity organization and does not allow discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.