Program Supervisor: Nadia Zalatimo, O.D.
Established: 1999
Program Site: Manchester VA Medical Center
Manchester, New Hampshire
Positions: One
Accreditation Status: Fully accredited by the ACOE. This program is sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and is affiliated with The New England College of Optometry.
MISSION:
The mission of the Optometry Residency program at the Manchester VA Medical Center is to produce optometrists with clinical expertise in the diagnosis and management of ocular disease. The resident will gain experience in low vision and pre and post ocular surgical care. The resident will develop expertise in the management of patients with multiple medical problems within a multidisciplinary health care setting. This program will provide the resident with the academic knowledge and clinical expertise necessary to excel in the profession in academics, clinical teaching, or clinical care.
RESIDENCY GOALS:
To provide diverse, advanced clinical experience in the diagnosis and management of ocular disease, including, but not limited to: glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal vascular disease, cataract and anterior segment disease.
To provide advanced clinical experience in the care of patient’s pre and post ocular surgery.
To provide the resident with clinical experience in low vision.
To provide the resident with clinical and didactic teaching experience.
To develop the resident's ability to function as a member of a primary care team through participation in a multidisciplinary setting that provides the opportunity for the resident to provide care to patients with multiple medical problems.
To provide the resident with participation in scholarly activity to stimulate academic contributions to the profession.
The resident is expected to be engaged in residency-related activities for 40 hours per week. These activities include the following:
Direct care for outpatients and inpatients exhibiting a variety of ocular diseases including, but not limited to: glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal vascular disease, cataract and anterior segment disease.
Pre and post-operative care for cataract, glaucoma, and refractive surgery patients. Residents will have the opportunity to observe cataract, glaucoma, refractive and retinal surgery.
Evaluation and care for low vision patients.
Rotations with ophthalmologic sup-specialists for advanced training and experience including retina, neuro-ophthalmology, glaucoma, cornea, refractive surgery.
Teaching Activities:
Specialty workshops in advanced clinical skills to optometry students
Education of physician assistants, medical residents, other medical professionals
Supervise forth-year optometry students in clinical care of patients during the second half of the year.
Opportunity to teach ocular disease lab at NECO
Didactic Teaching:
Weekly VA Optometry Conferences/Journal Club
VA Medical grand rounds
NECO Conferences
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Scholarly Activities:
Formal lectures to the VA Optometry service
Original case report or research project suitable for publication
Opportunity to lecture at regional continuing education meetings
Other scholarly pursuits are encouraged
This is a one year residency that begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. There are no on-call hours.
The current annual salary for this position is $32,097 paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Leave:
Vacation time: 13 days, accrued at the rate of 4 hours every 2 weeks
Sick leave: 13 days
Administrative leave is available for official business
Professional liability coverage: Provided for all official duties by the VA through the Federal Torts Reform Act.
Health Insurance: Health insurance is offered.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Application instructions can be found at the Optometric Residency Matching Services, Inc. (ORMS): www.optometryresident.org or from Dr Zalatimo. The application deadline is Feb 1st each year
Applicants must hold an O.D. degree from an AOA/ACOE accredited school or college of Optometry prior to beginning the program.
Applicants must have successfully completed the TMOD and Basic and Clinical Science portions of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry and furnish official copies of the results.
Preference is given to United States citizens. Foreign citizens can be considered if no qualified US citizens are available to fill the position.
Applicants are expected to seek state licensure prior to the start of the residency.
Three letters of recommendation are required. Letters should be from faculty members or preceptors the applicant has worked with in the clinical setting.
Official transcripts from the school/college of optometry are required.
A personal interview is strongly encouraged.
The Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates applicants without regard to gender, race, color, creed, age, or national origin.
RESIDENCY COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS:
The resident is required to deliver patient care services at a level satisfactory to those responsible for the supervision of the program.
The resident is expected to perform in a professional manner in the delivery of patient care and to observe the properties of conduct and courtesies that are consistent with the rules and regulations governing each clinical facility at which the resident is assigned.
The resident is required to keep a detailed log of all program activities, including patient care encounters, which will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator and the Director of Residencies
The resident is required to write a paper suitable for publication in a refereed optometric journal.
The resident will participate in periodic evaluation of resident, faculty and program performance. Upon evidence of satisfactory performance, the resident will be awarded a Certificate of Completion by the New England College of Optometry.
For further information on the program, please contact:
Dr. Nadia
Zalatimo
Residency Program Director
Manchester VA Medical Center
718 Smyth Road
Eye
Clinic (112)
Manchester, NH 03104
Phone: 800-892-8384 x6675
Email: nadia.zalatimo@med.va.gov
or
Dr. Douglas Hoffman
Director of Residencies
The New England College of Optometry
424 Beacon Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Email: hoffmand@ne-optometry.edu