More Information: On-Campus Residency Program

Duration of Agreement

The program is 53 weeks in duration and runs from the end of June to the beginning of July. Exact start and end dates vary slightly from year to year.

Orientation

There is a one-week overlap with the previous year’s residents and the current residents. The new residents will use this time to become familiar with the administrative organization of the clinic and the paperwork associated with patient care.

Clinical Privileges

Residents are required to have their charts co-signed by a mentor until they obtain their California license to practice optometry. Residents do not independently sign spectacle or pharmaceutical prescriptions until they have a California O.D. license. The independence of the resident follows a natural progression based upon their licensure, clinical skills, experience, proficiency, and specialty. Residents should look to their Chief Mentors for the particular requirements of their specialty area.

Patient Confidentiality

It is extremely important that patient confidentiality be honored at all times. Discussion of patients at conferences and other educational events should protect their identity by referring to them by initials or pseudonym.

Annual Stipend ($30,000)

The stipend is not contingent upon productivity of the resident. For US residents: no taxes are withheld from the stipend. Residents can find information about taxes owed for stipends and estimated taxes at the IRS website. The university has a policy that no tax advice be given to students. International students will have taxes withheld from their checks to pay US taxes at the end of the tax year.

Special Note: International students must re-file their paperwork in December with the campus or their January check will be delayed.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees are paid for by the program.

Health Insurance

All residents are required to have major medical health insurance. If they do not have medical coverage, they must participate in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). SHIP provides major medical insurance coverage to supplement the campus primary health care services available through University Health Services (UHS) and is underwritten by Blue Cross. SHIP coverage begins on August 15 and ends on August 14 the next year. Residents may purchase additional coverage for the time period of July 1 – August 15, and for dependents. See www.uhs.berkeley.edu for more details.

Immunizations

The residency program has adopted the immunization requirements for the optometry students. See optometry.berkeley.edu/student_life/students_immunizations.html.

CPR Certification

Residents are required to be certified in both infant and adult CPR.

Professional Liability Protection

The resident is covered under the auspices of the University Eye Center for patient care while fulfilling the requirements of their program. If a resident takes employment at another location in addition to the residency duties, they are not covered by the university and should investigate malpractice insurance options either on their own or through their employer.

Professional Benefits

Supervision Policy

Residents are required to have their charts co-signed by a mentor and all their prescriptions reviewed by a mentor during entering summer session and until they are licensed to practice optometry in the state of California. The independence of the resident follows a natural progression based upon their licensure, clinical skills, experience, proficiency, and specialty. The residents' increasing responsibility is documented using the clinical competency form in their binders that reflect their primary and secondary areas of study. Residents should have these procedures signed off by their mentors as they perform them. Competency forms should be turned in with patient logs for evaluation.

Clinical Practice Protocols

AOA guidelines to clinical practice protocols can be found bookmarked on all clinic computers.

Continuing Education

The resident is strongly encouraged to attend the annual American Academy of Optometry Meeting or other national meeting. Residents receive 7 continuing education leave days. They must submit a request for leave from clinic four weeks prior to the event.

Publications

Residents must submit a publishable quality paper as a requirement of the residency program. A topic must be submitted by the end of March, a first draft must be ready for review by the end of April, and the final paper is due the end of May. See Resident Conference Schedule for exact dates. If a resident opts to do a research project (10% time), their final paper must be on their area of research. Residents may look at case reports in journals such as Optometry and Vision Science or Ophthalmology for guidance as to formatting and referencing materials.

Library Information

UCBSO residents have access to all libraries on campus. The Fong Optometry Library is located on the 4th floor of Old Minor Hall and is a great resource for journals and textbooks. Librarians are on staff to assist residents in their searches.

Presentations

Residents give a presentation at each of the quarterly Optometry Resident Lecture Series. Each resident will also be responsible for preparing topics to facilitate discussions at the weekly Resident Conference. They may also be required to conduct seminars in their clinics as required by their day mentors.

Missed Presentation

If a resident is unable to present during one of the Resident Lecture Series for whatever reason, they will have to make up the requirement by:

1. Presenting their talk ahead of time in front of a group of mentors to be videotaped for presentation at the regularly scheduled lecture series.
2. Writing up a case report of publishable quality to be submitted by the date of the presentation to their Chief Mentor.

Resident Forum

Optometry residents encounter many interesting cases during their year of specialized study. The annual Resident Forum provides an opportunity for the persentation of these cases — see Resident Forum (CE) [opens in new browser window or tab].

Resident Teaching

Each resident will be given teaching responsibilities according to their level of ability. Some tracks will naturally have residents teaching earlier in the year than others. It is to the discretion of the Chief Mentor as to when the resident will assume teaching responsibilities. Residents may have a teaching assignment in spring semester. Residents may have increased teaching responsibilities during the last 6 weeks of their program.

Professional Attitude

The resident must be continually conscious of the responsibilities and duties to and relationship with the general public. The resident is expected to exercise professional decorum and attitude in all relationships with patients, families, faculty and staff. The confidentiality between the resident and patient bestowed by the physician/patient relationship must never be compromised.

Patient Log

The resident must maintain a daily patient care log, in the template provided, which will provide a profile of the resident's patient care, educational and clinical experiences. The log must be available for inspection at any time by the Chief Mentor, Residency Supervisor and/or the Residency Director. The resident will complete a Summary Residency Patient Log quarterly and submit it with a copy of their log to the Residency Supervisor. The following must be included in the patient care log:

1. Patient care encounters must be arranged by level of involvement, either direct or by preceptoring (indirect).
2. Category of condition (e.g., type of ocular disease, BV problem, type of CL visit).

Resident Binder

The resident is required to keep a binder documenting their year of study. It should include, but not be limited to the following:

1. Topics covered at UCSF grand rounds as well as Resident Conferences.
2. Copies of residency presentations with a reference list or copies of articles used for presentation.
3. Documentation of any seminars given or attended during clinic including handouts distributed or outline.
4. Documentation of any CE courses attended.

Note: At the conclusion of the resident year, a copy of the resident binder is given to the Residency Supervisor.

Hours

The resident will be scheduled the equivalent of 5 days per week. Exact clinic hours vary by clinic. Most clinics run from 8AM to 6PM. No administrative time is scheduled for the resident. Chief Mentors of particular tracks may allow time within the daily schedule for the resident to perform administrative tasks. This differs between the different areas of study and is to the discretion of the Chief Mentor. It is anticipated that the resident will have to complete tasks outside of normal business hours (e.g.: paper and presentation research, referral letters, etc.). All residents also participate in the clinic's 24 hour emergency on-call program. Although we cannot anticipate the number of emergency calls, or the severity of cases seen, historically, this has not been an extensive time burden for past residents.

Scheduling

The Chief Mentor, along with the Residency Supervisor, sets the schedule for the resident with the following guidelines:

• 70% Primary area of study (10% of this may be dedicated to research projects — these must be approved by the Residency Director)
• 20% Secondary area of study (if desired, if not, Primary Care will be assigned)
• 10% Didactic (Grand Rounds, and Resident Conference)

Entering Summer: (6 weeks) will be utilized to have the resident work closely with their Chief Mentor and other mentors in their areas of study to learn in-depth about their specialty.

Fall Semester: (18 weeks) Residents will be involved in direct patient care (DPC) in their areas of study, and may begin teaching responsibilities under the supervision of their mentor.

Winter Interim: (3 weeks) Each resident will be responsible for working 11 days during Winter Interim. If the resident volunteers to work on a University Holiday when the clinic is open (12/24 or 12/31), this will count as two days of service. Since the clinic runs on an abbreviated schedule, the resident may be asked to perform more Primary Care or teaching duties during these three weeks than in their previous schedules.

Spring Semester: (18 weeks) Residents will be involved in DPC as well as teaching in clinic.

Old Home Week: (1 week) This is the week before graduation. Residents’ schedules may change somewhat to cover this week of abbreviated clinics. Residents may be involved in proctoring 2nd-year proficiency exams.

Exiting Summer: (7 weeks) Residents will have many more clinical teaching responsibilities both within their specialty area, and in the primary care clinic.

Substitute Teaching

1. Any clinical faculty member who is in need of a substitute instructor should not approach residents directly. Residents should refer all such inquiries to Clinic Administration.
2. Chief Mentors will determine, in consultation with the residents' other mentors, when residents are able to sub in their clinics. In general, residents will likely only be authorized to teach in clinics in their areas of study. However, it is likely that residents may be able to sub in primary care, even if that is not one of their areas of study. The Chief Mentor of Primary Care, in consultation with that resident's mentors will make that decision.
3. It is expected that residents may be ready to sub as early as Fall semester, while others may not be ready until Spring or later.
4. Residents should ideally be assigned to sub with another experienced instructor.
5. Residents may have their clinical assignment changed to sub for their Chief Mentor's vacations when the Chief Mentors deem that they are ready to do so. This keeps those clinics open, and gives the resident great experience.
6. Residents' assignments may also be changed to sub for their day mentors where appropriate. In other words, if they are assigned to a particular clinic as DPC, and one instructor is going to be out, it might be appropriate for that resident to fill in for that instructor. All these requests need to go through the Residency Supervisor.
7. In most cases, residents will not have their clinical assignment changed to sub in a clinic to which they are not normally assigned. However, the Residency Supervisor may give special permission under unusual circumstances to assist the running of the clinic in general.
8. Residents will be compensated for subbing on their days off by either banking a day in their personal days bank (maximum allowed: 5 days) or by being paid by clinic administration.

Leave

Performance Evaluations

The resident will receive an evaluation both by writing and by meeting with their Chief Mentor at least three times a year. The resident will have the opportunity to evaluate at least semi-annually the residency program, mentors, and the administration.

Ongoing Dialogue

It is expected and encouraged that a daily on-going dialogue between the resident and their mentor take place. Issues to be discussed can include, but are not limited to, progress of the resident, day to day operations of the clinic, changes of the residents' daily/weekly schedules, misunderstandings and other concerns. It is important to keep the lines of communication open in order to promote a harmonious working environment and to ensure meeting the goals and objectives of the residency program.

Receiving, Adjudicating, and Resolving Resident Complaints

If a resident has a complaint about some aspect of their program of study, they should discuss this with their Chief Mentor. Often, small issues are easily and quickly resolved by a simple conversation. If the resident is not comfortable speaking directly with their Chief Mentor, or the issue involves their Chief Mentor, they should contact the Residency Supervisor or Director. If the issue concerns the Supervisor or Director, residents may discuss these issues with the Clinic Director (Dr. Edward Revelli). Any complaints should be documented in writing so that a record can be maintained. These should be filed with the Residency Program Assistant (Ms. Tamara Baltar).

Adverse Decisions

If a resident receives a negative evaluation or reprimand that they feel is not substantiated, they can contact the Residency Supervisor to discuss their situation. The Residency Supervisor will take appropriate steps to confirm or refute the evaluation or reprimand. She may employ a neutral mentor to evaluate that resident's performance in order to reach her decision.

Failure to Meet Deadlines

Resident Conference Schedule distributed at the beginning of the program will have important due dates listed (evaluations, patient logs, paper dates, presentations, etc.). If a resident fails to meet a specified due date, they will be dismissed from their clinic responsibilities and charged with personal days off until they complete the requirement. Due dates are not flexible, and must be adhered to.

Progress and Exit Interviews

The Director of Clinics will meet privately with each on-campus resident to discuss their program once per year at the end of the residency year. The Director will keep confidential which resident made which comment, but a summary will be provided to the Residency Supervisor and Director after the residency year is complete. The Director of Clinics, Residency Supervisor, and Residency Director may meet to discuss the results of the interviews and may invite Chief Mentors, as necessary, for this meeting.

Criteria for Making Adequate Progress Toward Program Competion

Among the factors that will be considered as failure to make adequate progress in program completion and that will subject the student to provisional status or dismissal are:

Academic Clinical Performance:

1. Failing by two or more mentors
2. Failure to meet program deadlines for requirements: i.e.: paper, presentation, pt. logs.

Professional Performance: Residents must act in a professional manner at all times. Unprofessional conduct or failure to act in a professional manner will result in an immediate loss of the resident’s clinical privileges and will subject the resident to probation or dismissal. Unprofessional conduct includes, but is not limited to:

1. Illegal, unethical, or immoral acts or actions.
2. Cheating or lying
3. Unexcused tardiness or absence
4. Sexual harassment
5. Rudeness or disrespect for patients, faculty, staff, fellow residents, or students
6. Improper demeanor or attire
7. Poor hygiene
8. Disregard for patient welfare
9. Unauthorized entrance to clinic
10. Unauthorized use of patient parking spaces
11. Consistent poor performance
12. Negligence
13. Non-completion of duties
14. Unwillingness to complete administrative duties
15. Unprofessional conduct

Requirements for Residency Completion and Awarding of Certificate

A certificate of completion will be awarded to the resident completing all requirements of the program. This includes completion of:

1. The required paper by the resident, and approval of the paper by the Chief Mentor and Residency Director
2. Four case presentations
3. Submission of their residency binder
4. Submission of their patient logs and evaluations
5. Favorable recommendation of their Chief Mentor who may consider some of the following: GPA, patient logs, competency forms, attendance, etc.

Probation

Residents may be classified as: 1) in good academic standing, 2) on some form of probation of 3) subject to dismissal. Residents normally are in good academic standing if they are making adequate progress towards completion of the requirements for the Residency Certificate, have a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0, and have not received any poor evaluations by their mentors. Residents who do not meet the requirements or expectations of the Residency Program and the Graduate Division may be placed on probation. Probation is intended to provide students whose performance is less than satisfactory with a period of time in which to raise their performance to a level consistent with the minimum standards set by the Residency Program and Graduate Division. Residents are subject to probation if they fail to meet the following academic, clinical, or professional standards for making adequate progress.

1. Academic Standards: Residents are expected to maintain at least a 3.0 (B) GPA and are subject to probation if at the end of any term their GPA for that term, or their cumulative GPA in the Residency Program is less than 3.0, computed on the total of all courses undertaken in the School of Optometry, not including courses graded S, U, I, and IP.
2. Clinical Standards: Residents are subject to provisional status and may lose clinical privileges if they fail to meet the Criteria for Making Adequate Progress toward Program Completion (below) during any session or semester. Among the factors considered are poor didactic or clinical performance, inadequate clinical knowledge or skills, and inappropriate patient care.
3. Professional Standards: Residents are subject to provisional status if they fail to act in a professional manner. Professional conduct will be evaluated by the Residency Supervisor, in consultation with other mentors. Unprofessional conduct includes any action that may adversely affect patient welfare, the School of Optometry, the University of California, or the profession of Optometry.

Dismissal

Residents are subject to dismissal if a) they fail to correct their academic, clinical, or professional deficiencies after a reasonable period of probation; b) their clinical or professional deficiencies are judged to be uncorrectable; c) they engage in illegal or unethical acts, cheating, or sexual harassment; or d) they exhibit disregard for patient welfare.

Placing a Resident on Probation/Dismissing a Resident

If a resident is at risk of probation or dismissal the following steps will be taken:s.

1. The Residency Supervisor will appoint a committee of mentors to review the resident's case.
2. The committee will submit a written report with recommendations to the Residency Program's Head Graduate Advisor (the Residency Director).
3. If the Residency Director decides on probation or dismissal of a resident the Dean of Graduate Division will be advised of the recommendation. Only the Dean of the Graduate Division has the authority to dismiss an optometry resident from graduate standing or to put them on probationary status.

Appeal

Residents may appeal recommendations made by the Residency Director to the Dean of the School of Optometry. Such appeals must be submitted in writing within one week of written notification of the Residency Director’s recommendation. If the Dean overrules the Residency Director’s recommendation, the Graduate Division will be advised, and the resident will be removed from probation or reinstated into the program. If the Dean of the School of Optometry upholds the Residency Director’s recommendation, the resident may formally appeal the decision of the Dean of the School of Optometry to the Dean of the Graduate Division, according to the Graduate Appeals Procedure described in the Graduate Studies Handbook. If the Dean of the Graduate Division overrules the decision of the Dean of the School of Optometry, the student will be removed from probation or reinstated into the program. The decision of the Dean of the Graduate Division is final.

Director of Residency Programs

Christina S. Wilmer, OD, FAAO (cwilmer@berkeley.edu)

Residency Supervisor

Mika Moy, OD, FAAO (mmoy@berkeley.edu)

Dean, School of Optometry

Dennis Levi, OD, PhD (dlevi@berkeley.edu)

Residency Program Assistant

Ms. Inez Bailey (inezb@berkeley.edu)