Cornea and Contact Lenses

SEG Logo

Sponsor:  Specialty Eyecare Group, 11830 NE 128th Street Suite 1, Kirkland, WA 98034

Academic Affiliate: Pacific University College of Optometry, Forest Grove, Oregon

Mission

SEG’s Residency Program in Cornea and Contact Lenses is to provide optometric residents an opportunity to become leaders in their specialty while helping to: “Enrich patient lives so that they can succeed to their greatest potential.” Residents will obtain advanced competencies in the optometric management of anterior segment diseases and specialty contact lenses through one-on-one mentorship with specialists on staff.

General Information

Residency Program Coordinator: David Kading, OD
Length of Program: 13 Months (July 1st through July 30th)
Number of Positions:  1
Salary: $42,000 – not contingent upon productivity of the resident
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with occasional on-call duties

The Specialty Eye Contact Lens and Corneal Resident wil learn to apply handle complex contact lenses cases, myopia management patients, advanced dry eye mixed into primary care in a private practice setting.

Most weekly hours will be approximately 40 hours of clinical care and may include additional hours as needed. This is dependent on the clinic schedule of patients. The clinics are available for patient appointments 9am to 5pm. Residents are expected to arrive at minimum 15 minutes before the office opens for a brief all-team schedule review and remain in the office until their last patient leaves. Most days there will be a 30-60 minute break for lunch. There are no weekend hours regularly scheduled for patient care time.

 The resident will be added into the on-call rotation immediately. “On Call” includes evening and weekend hours. If the resident is unavailable, they must give at least 14 days notice so that the other residents or associate doctors can coordinate to take over on-call duties during that time. A phone service will forward urgent calls to the resident’s personal cell phone. The resident will provide the appropriate level of service indicated for the urgent patient. Only current patients are eligible for on-call services. Many calls will be handled simply via phone; some may require an after-hours office visit; some may require that the resident obtain assistance from the team doctors.

Certificate of Completion: A certificate of completion will be awarded to the resident upon satisfactory fulfillment of residency requirements as outlined in the Pacific University College of Optometry residency program supplemental policy manual and Vision Northwest guidelines for residency program completion.

Benefits:

  • The resident shall receive 10 days of leave (includes vacation, sick leave, personal business leave, bereavement leave, etc.)
  • Additionally, the resident has all holidays off that are taken by Specialty Eyecare Group.
  • Professional leave is at the discretion of the residency supervisor, but certain meetings will be required such as American Academy of Optometry and Global Specialty Lens Symposium.
  • For certain professional functions, Specialty Eyecare Group may provide travel stipends. Residents will be encouraged to look into residency travel grants.
  • Specialty Eyecare Group will pay for expenses that allow resident to practice in Washington State including fees for licensure.
  • Specialty Eyecare Group will pay for professional liability and health insurance coverage.

Program Goals

Goal 1: Support the resident’s development of advanced diagnostic and management clinical skills in ocular disease of the anterior segment and specialty contact lenses.

Goal 2: Provide the resident with a practical understanding of a referral-based ophthalmic practice.

Goal 3: Expand the resident’s eye care knowledge base. 

Goal 4: Instill in the resident an appreciation for the importance of research and other scholarly activity.

Goal 5: Assist the resident in becoming an effective educator.

Goal 6: Help the resident gain an appreciation for service to the optometric profession.

Goal 7: Expose the resident to the real-world financial implications of clinical decisions in a private referral-based practice.

Eligibility Criteria 

  1. Candidates must earn the degree of Doctor of Optometry from a school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education prior to the starting date of the residency program. 
  2. Candidates must have passed the NBEO Part I and have taken Part II by the application deadline. The selected candidate must have passed Part II and be scheduled to sit for Part III. 
  3. The candidate must be a United States citizen. 

Application Procedures

  1. This program uses Optometry Residency Match (ORMatch). Applicants must complete the ORMatch application by the PUCO deadline of January 31, to be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all supporting documentation is submitted to each entity involved, e.g., the College, ORMatch, and the residency site supervisor.
  2. Applicant must have earned an O.D. degree, or will have earned such a degree by the time of matriculation from a school/college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education.
  3. Letter of interest explaining goals and interests in optometry.
  4. Updated CV. Include Education: (institution, dates, major, degree or pending degree)
  5. Brief Essay stating the reasons for applying to this program is required.
  6. Result of NBEO (part I, II, III) and TMOD.  Applicant must pass all parts of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry examinations required for a Washington license and furnish official transcripts. If accepted, the resident is expected to obtain a Washington optometric license.
  7. Applicant will furnish an official transcript from his/her school/college of optometry. An applicant should have a cumulative grade point average greater than 2.3 on a 4.0 scale in the professional optometric curriculum.
  8. Three letters of recommendation are required. (include one from director level of contact lens or anterior segment section).
  9. A personal interview is required.
  10. PUCO affirms that all residency candidates will be evaluated without regard to sex, race, color, creed, national origin or disabilities.

The above application criteria are specified within the program description and include the attainment of the Doctor of Optometry degree from an ACOE accredited institution. Ten pertains to the non-discrimination policy. This policy is updated as needed.

Residents are selected following submission of all required documentation and an interview with the supervisor. After the interview process is completed, the supervisor ranks the applicants and submits this ranking to ORMatch, which performs the matching process.

  1. The resident is required to deliver clinical services at a level that is satisfactory to the Residency Program Supervisor of SEG, the PUCO ERPC and the administration at PUCO.
  2. The resident will be required to write a publishable paper based on original research, literature review or a clinical case for submission to a professional optometric journal.
  3. The resident will be expected to assist in the continuing education programs provided at SEG.
  4. The resident will be expected to perform in a professional manner in the delivery of professional care services and to observe the properties of conduct and courtesies that are consistent with the rules and regulations governing SEG.
  5. The resident will be required to participate in and complete the requirements set forth in the curriculum.
  6. The Residency Program Supervisor and the PUCO ERPC will recommend the granting of certification to the resident through the office at PUCO upon successful completion of the Residency Program at SEG.
  7. Any resident accepted for training can be dismissed by SEG, without receiving a certificate of completion, for infraction of the rules and regulations of SEG, or those set forth by PUCO, or for any action that jeopardizes the safety of patients, personnel or physical facilities.
  8. The resident must prepare and present a Grand Round type presentation on campus at PUCO at the time and date chosen by the school.

The Residency Program Supervisor tracks the resident and ensures he/she attains all criteria. At the end of the year, the Residency Supervisor is required to send a letter in writing to the Director of Affiliated Residency Programs attesting to the fact that the Resident has completed all criteria to the Residency Supervisor's satisfaction and may be awarded the residency certificate. The certificate is mailed to the Resident after July 31 (or end date of the residency).  

Call or Email Today

For additional information about this residency opportunity, please contact:

David Kading, OD

11830 NE 128th Street, Suite 1
Kirkland, WA 98034

425-821-8900 | Residency@Specialtyeye.com