MSCHE/ACOE Self Study

The fourth year, which commences in the summer following the third year, consists of four clinical rotations with no classes (other than Senior Seminar). Typically, two of the rotations are in the UEC and two are at external sites (discussed in Sections 2.10, 2.10.1, 2.10.2 and 2.10.3). For the UEC rotations students are assigned to the in-house clinics as follows: Fourth-Year UEC Rotations Number of Sessions/Year (approximate) Primary Care 3 120 Ocular Disease 4 84 Pediatrics 36 Vision Therapy 48 Low Vision 15 The student to doctor ratio for the fourth-year students for on-campus rotations is about 4:1 in Primary Care and ranges from 3:1 to 4:1 in the specialty clinics. Information on student-patient encounters can be found in Section 2.8 (page 40). One of the fourth-year external rotations must emphasize primary eye care, while the other may focus more on specialty care (Strategic Plan Goals 1.1 and 3.3). To obtain additional clinical experience in an on-campus specialty clinic beyond that provided by the in-house fourth-year rotations, students may elect to rotate through a UEC specialty clinic as one of their external rotations. Students at SUNY College of Optometry have consistently performed well on Parts II (Patient Assessment and Management or PAM) and III (Clinical Skills) of the standardized national examination administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO). Results on the NBEO are discussed in more detail on page 36. 2.10 Written and signed affiliation agreements between the program and its clinical affiliates or externship sites define, at minimum, the responsibilities of each party related to the educational program for optometry students. The chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences serves as director of the externship program. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) that addresses respective responsibilities of all parties is signed by the College and each externship site. These are housed in the director’s office and available for review. 2.10.1. The program has established criteria for the selection of clinical affiliates or externship sites. Selection criteria for externship sites include faculty qualifications, appropriateness of facilities and patient demographics. Each prospective site is required to complete a detailed application describing, among other information, the nature of the patient care services provided at the site, faculty qualifications 3 Several of these sessions may be in the Eyewear Center, which is administratively part of Primary Care. 4 Includes 12 Ocular Disease/Low Vision grand rounds sessions.

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