So You’re Taking The Time To Participate In An Optometric Residency/Fellowship?

MissBerbieLeave a comment

This list is tailored to optometric residents but if you benefit from it, cheers! Also don’t limit yourself to certain ones based on residency type. I participated in most of the things listed here.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel! Work smarter and not harder by taking advantage of all the abundant resources available. Why not make the most of it?

Discounts on the Pursuit of Excellence

  1. American Board of Optometry’s Board Certification
    1. Free exam registration and exam fee ($900+ value)!
    2. Recommend scheduling in July or August after residency is over so you will have time to review if needed.
    3. https://americanboardofoptometry.org/become-certified/certification-process/
  1. Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry
    1. Waived One Time Candidate Application Fee: $60*
    2. SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR 2023 OD GRADUATES:
      1. Apply as a Candidate for Fellowship before December 31, 2023, and pay no dues or fees until January 2025!
      2. They might offer this promotion annually for each graduating class.
    3. https://aaopt.org/membership/candidates-fellows/become-a-fellow/#cfig
  1. The ASCO Future Faculty Program
    1. A 3 month virtual program that educates on faculty career topics to optometry residents and students who are enrolled in a research master’s/PhD program. 
    2. Free and meets EOW
    3. https://optometriceducation.org/for-faculty-administrators/faculty-development/future-faculty-program/

Opportunities for Case Report/Poster Submission

(Check for deadline dates for the current Year)

  1. SECO Multimedia Poster Program
    1. https://secouniversity.com/posters-seco-2023/
  2. AOA Optometry’s Meeting
    1. https://www.optometrysmeeting.org/education/call-for-courses?sso=y
  3.  American Academy of Optometry annual meeting
    1. https://aaopt.org/meetings/annual-meeting/
  4. COVD annual meeting
    1. https://www.covd.org/page/Future_Meetings

Pediatric or Vision Rehabilitation/Therapy Focused Residents

  1. Optometric Extension Program (OEP)
    1. Offers free membership during residency year along with huge discounts on curriculum courses that count towards certification. 
    2. Also offers FREE educational seminars on various topics year round.
    3. https://www.oepf.org/
  2. College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD)
    1. Free membership for students and residents
    2. Residents get to take MCE fellowship exam for Free ($700 value)!
    3. https://www.covd.org/
  3. NaturalVue Myopia Certification
    1. https://vtivision.com/practitioner/get-certified/
  4. MiSight Myopia Control Certification
    1. https://web.cvent.com/event/c49706eb-9bc1-41cc-853d-faa8d48ff136/summary
  1. Bausch and Lomb
    1. This was hands down the best conference between Coopervison’s and Alcon’s contact lens student weekend events.
    2. Invitations are usually sent to coordinators. May occur during Fall/Spring. 

Freebies Samples

  1. Allergan® OPTOMETRY JUMPSTART®
    1. “a program specifically designed for newly graduated optometrists practicing in the United States. Members gain access to many exciting resources through a dedicated Allergan® sales representative. We invite current optometry students and recent graduates (up to five years post-graduation) to register for the program.”
    2. https://www.allerganeyecare.com/ecp
  1. AbbVie products
    1. https://www.abbvieaccess.com/

CE/Resources for Improved Patient Care

  1. ODs on Finance
    1. Available to anyone, not specifically residents, however, learn to take advantage of all the free learning opportunities offered by this group. They are serious about financial wealth for the OD. 
    2. https://odsonfinance.com/
    3. They also partnered with EyeDock to provide an advance clinical reference for ODs: https://www.eyedock.com/
  1. Eyes on Eyecare
    1. Available to anyone, not specifically residents. I truly love what they have provided! Great quick clinical guides and summits about various major optometry topics.
    2. https://eyesoneyecare.com/resources/?utm_campaign=desktop_sticky_dropdown
  1. Multilingual resources
    1. UIW RSO – the optometry school that sponsored my residency ♡
      1. Brackenridge Optometry Library: Spanish Language Resources
        1. https://libguides.uiwtx.edu/optometry/spanishresources
  1. Glaucoma Australia
    1. Glaucoma Information – in many language translations
    2. https://glaucoma.org.au/i-have-glaucoma/resources-and-tools/foreign-languages-2