ACOE_Self-Study

8.1.1 The clinical patient care program must include an integrated teaching clinic primarily staffed by faculty members who are employed by the program. Students are fully integrated into the UEC’s clinical activities and services. Services are provided under the supervision of about 64 full-time and part-time licensed optometrists, 13 part-time consulting ophthalmologists, 2 full-time psychologists, 1 full-time nurse, 12 full-time and part- time opticians and 1 full-time social worker. All doctoral level clinicians hold faculty rank and are employed by SUNY College of Optometry. This is the case for the College campus and satellite clinics. Effective June 2015, The position of Vice President for Clinical Affairs which oversaw all clinically related programs, was eliminated and responsibilities were divided into two positions: 1) Director for Health Care Development: This individual is responsible for expanding the College’s external partnerships within the New York healthcare community and for advancing the College’s patient care interest in relationship to ongoing health care reform, and 2) Vice President for Clinical Administration: The College’s University Eye Center (UEC) leadership structure was re - aligned such that it is now led by a health care executive supported by a Chief Medical Officer. The new structure is in keeping with common hospital and health center structures. Tables of organization for the UEC may be found in Appendix VIII-5 . Clinic management policies are referenced in the UEC Bylaws (Appendix 3 of UEC Policy and Procedure Manual ) as well as in specific policies and procedures contained within the manual ( Appendix VIII-6 ). The vice president for clinical administration, who also serves as executive director of the UEC, reports directly to the president of the College. Position descriptions for the principal administrative personnel of the UEC are published in Appendix 7 of the UEC Policy and Procedure Manual . Clinic administrators, who are classified as management/confidential employees by the University, are evaluated annually with respect to negotiated performance expectations. Policy and procedural matters related to the UEC, as well as the effectiveness of operations, are discussed at monthly meetings of the Clinic Council. This council, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer, is primarily concerned with the quality of the care of patients balanced with the educational needs of the students. It is composed of the UEC senior administrative staff, chiefs of clinical services, clinical education department chair, the Clinical Vision Research Center director and the Residency program director. Sample minutes of meetings of the Clinic Council are available on campus upon request. The SUNY College of Optometry has professional service contracts to provide faculty and residents to non-profit hospital and health centers (satellite clinics) in the New York metropolitan area. The optometrists who staff these clinics (faculty and residents) are employed by the College. They follow the rules and regulations of the external clinics, and the day-by-day operations of these external sites are not managed by the UEC. 8.2 A coordinated system of clinical governance, administration, management and evaluation must be followed by all clinics managed by the program.

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