1 Introduction
Jeffrey D. Perotti, M.S., O.D.
OPT-V 680 Introduction to Clinic (Summer Clinic) (2.5 cr.)
Prerequisite(s): Students must be in good academic standing, have completed all lecture and laboratory courses with a passing grade through the second professional year of study, and have passed the V 654 competency examination.
Introduction to clinical practice in visual analysis, optometric procedures, case conference; discussion and patient care for three 40-hour weeks during the summer, or the equivalent by arrangement.
OPT-V 786 Optometry Clinic (2 cr.)
P: V 680 with a minimum grade of C. Clinical practice in visual analysis, patient care, and optometric procedures.
Case discussion and student evaluation on a daily basis. Patient care includes assisting patients with selection of suitable eye wear.
OPT-V 787 Optometry Clinic (2 cr.)
P: V 786 with a minimum grade of C.
A continuation of V786. Clinical practice in visual analysis, patient care, and optometric procedures. Case discussion and student evaluation on a daily basis. Patient care includes assisting patients with selection of suitable eye wear.
OPT-V 788 Optometry Clinic (2 cr.)
P: V 787 with a minimum grade of C.
Clinical practice in visual analysis, patient care, and optometric procedures. Case discussion and student evaluation on a daily basis, case presentation by student interns. Patient care includes assisting patients with selection of suitable eye wear.
OPT-V 789 Optometry Clinic (2 cr.)
P: V 788 with a minimum grade of C.
Continuation of V788. Clinical practice in visual analysis, patient care, and optometric procedures. Case discussion and student evaluation on a daily basis, case presentation by student interns. Patient care includes assisting patients with selection of suitable eye wear.
Hi, and welcome to V680 – Introduction to Clinic.
Welcome to the start of your clinical career. The summer sessions are a culmination of all you have learned so far, including basic and clinical science. In clinic, you are expected to take all that you have learned up to now and apply it – in real time – with real patients.
This document is intended to give you a bit of insight into my expectations with respect to clinic, as well as provide you with some items to think about. The document is divided into three sections: an Introduction that covers general examination protocols and best practices for documenting and examination in Compulink, a section on Special Testing and Other Information that covers a variety of special clinical situations, and a Quick Instructions section which provides insights into specific clinical tests. Your primary focus will should be on the first two sections; however, you should be familiar with tests in the Quick Instructions sections in addition to all additional tests you’ve learned in your coursework up until now, including indications and contra-indications as well as how to perform and interpret each of those tests.
As you will soon notice, different faculty members will differ on how to “best” approach patient care (note that this is different from how we might approach a specific condition, where we are all likely citing much of the same evidence-based strategies in our approaches). When your IUSO career is complete, you’ll be forced to review all that has been presented in an effort to synthesize your own patient care strategies and techniques. For now, you should note that knowledge in medicine is frequently guided by the bell curve, and quite often – especially early in your career – I will present the most statistically likely element of that bell curve as an absolute. Realize that the bell curve includes variations and nuances, and that as you move further into your career, we will focus mor on those nuances.
Ultimately, you are to create a well-structured, patient-centered examination that allows you to formulate an assessment and plan that solves any problems they present with, and allows you to uncover other issues that the patient may or may not have been aware of. In short, you are to be the doctor.
I look forward to working with all of you this summer, as it’s my favorite time of the year. The first week is admittedly difficult as you struggle to pull all the pieces together from all the classes you’ve had while also figuring out new pieces related to working in a real clinic. Weeks two and three are where things get amazing – you suddenly put all the pieces together from what you’ve already learned in classes and during week 01, and the progress that you’ll experience is unlike any you’ll experience afterwards.
So hold on and get ready for the ride!
JDP
Learning Outcomes for V680 (as well as V786/V787/V788/V789)
- Perform and completely and accurately document a routine examination in 2 hours or less
- Establish a reason for visit/chief complaint (RFV/CC) as well as a complete history for the RFV/CC, taking into account the patient’s insurance. Establish an appropriate history for all other issues that the patient presents with
- Know the indications and contra-indications of entrance tests, selectively performing them as indicated by the type of examination and/or patient presentation, and be able to interpret those test results
- Accurately and effectively test for, diagnose, and treat minor binocular vision/accommodative issues such as accommodative lag, convergence insufficiency, and accommodative infacility
- Accurately and effectively determine and document an appropriate eyeglass prescription for distance and near
- With respect to the anterior segment, be able to visualize and describe (using descriptors such as size, shape, color, elevation, and location, including depth/layer of an item in the cornea or lens) normal and abnormal findings, and start to associate names with those findings. As you have already had the Anterior Segment Disease course, you should are expected to be conversant with common anterior segment findings
- With respect to the posterior segment (both the posterior pole and the periphery), be able to visualize and describe (using descriptors such as size, shape, color, elevation, location) normal and abnormal findings, and start to associate names with those findings
- Select appropriate ICD-10 and CPT codes for the examination
