Vision Rehabilitation - Pediatric Optometry
Sponsor: Bright Eyes Vision Clinic, 15704 90th Street NE, Otsego, MN 55330
Academic Affiliate: Pacific University College of Optometry, Forest Grove, Oregon
Mission
The Vision Rehabilitation with an emphasis in Pediatric Optometry Residency Program at Bright Eyes Vision Clinic provides qualified graduate optometrists with advanced clinical experience in the diagnosis and management of pediatric eye diseases, binocular vision disorders, visual-perceptual dysfunctions, acquired brain injury, and other functional vision deficits. The learning objectives are achieved through patient care, case studies, presentations and seminars which will facilitate the resident’s development into an expert clinician in the areas of pediatric optometry, binocular vision, vision development, neuro-optometry, and vision enhancement.
General Information
Residency Program Coordinator: Jill K. Schultz, OD, FAAO, FCOVD, FNORA
Length of Program: 54 weeks, typically June 15th through the following June 30th
Number of Positions: 2
Salary: $43,000 – not contingent upon productivity of the resident
Hours: Approximately 40 hours per week will be assigned. After hours on-call assignments will be made on a periodic basis. The resident will be given a specific schedule each quarter. Participation in community screening activities will be required on a periodic basis. The Resident will gain clinical experience at Bright Eyes Vision Clinic. Modern diagnostic instrumentation is readily accessible, as are Faculty who are experienced in all aspects of vision rehabilitative care. The resident has the opportunity to see patients at external multidisciplinary clinics in addition to the clinical experience available at the Bright Eyes Vision Clinic. These locations provide exposure to a wider variety of conditions. The exact schedule for these visits will be determined by the program supervisor.
Health, Professional and Leave Benefits: Resident is eligible for medical insurance plan for the length of the program.
The resident will be provided with professional liability insurance by Bright Eyes Vision Clinic.
Reimbursement for approved education meeting will be provided up to $1,200. The resident will be provided with up to 8 professional days (to attend approved professional meetings such as COVD, NORA, Academy, etc).
The resident will be provided a total of 19 days of regular scheduled paid time off for personal leave, holidays, professional leave as outlined above. Request for additional days off must be approved by the Residency Coordinator. Equivalent time is subject to be made up for time off beyond the allotted time.
Certificate of Completion: A certificate of completion will be awarded to the resident upon satisfactory completion of residency requirements as outlined in the Pacific University College of Optometry Administrative Guide for Affiliated Residency Programs and Bright Eyes Vision Clinic guidelines for residency program completion. The resident will present a lecture at the annual Northwest Residents Conference at Pacific University. The resident is expected to attend and encouraged to present scholarly work at COVD and NORA conferences.
Program Goals
Goal 1: Enhance the resident’s examination skills in vision rehabilitation.
Goal 2: Strengthen the resident’s expertise in the diagnosis and management of vision problems in binocular, perceptual vision and vision rehabilitation.
Goal 3: Expand the resident’s knowledge in managing patients with acquired brain injury and developmental delays.
Goal 4: Expand the resident’s knowledge of binocular and perceptual vision problems.
Goal 5: Develop the resident’s communication skills that are required for successful provision of services in vision rehabilitation.
Goal 6: Develop the resident’s understanding of the business and accounting aspects of successful management of a practice devoted to children, rehabilitation, and vision therapy.
Goal 7: Develop the resident’s skill in presenting topics to fellow professionals.
Goal 8: Instill in the resident an appreciation of the importance of scholarly activity.
Residency Experience
Strengths of the Program
A unique component of this program is equipping the resident with the necessary practice management skills to operate a private practice and successfully market its unique services. The resident will also learn to interact and co-manage patients with other optometrists, child development specialists, educators, and rehabilitation professionals.
This residency program is based at Bright Eyes Vision Clinic, the private practice of Dr. Jill K. Schultz located in Otsego and Minnetonka, MN. The practice focuses on providing excellent patient care in Pediatric Optometry, Vision Therapy, and Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation. The residency is a full-time, formal, supervised program consisting of direct patient care, didactic education, teaching experience, and scholarly activities.
In addition to standard optometric equipment (exam chair and stand, phoropter, M&S Visual Acuity System, slit lamp biomicroscope, Goldmann tonometry, blood pressure measuring devices, binocular indirect ophthalmoscope), locations are equipped with lensometers, iCare tonometers, Cardiff Acuity Test, Lea pediatric visual acuity cards, movies and toys to capture our patient’s attention and several types of prism, lenses and filters to more easily assess areas of functional vision. Both offices have an automated visual field analyzer, autorefractor/keratometer, fundus camera, Diopsys Visual Evoked Potential test, Optos California, 5M Keratograph (topographer, anterior segment photography and meibomography) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The Minnetonka office also has the Diopsys electroretinography (ERG) test..Specialized instrumentation for pediatric optometry, vision therapy and neuro-optometry includes the RightEye electronic eye movement recorder, Fitlights, Senaptec sports vision Sensory Station, Visagraph eye movement recorder, Cardiff preferential looking cards, Nike Sparq strobe glasses, Wayne Saccadic Fixator, Space fixators, VisionDisks, Sanet Vision Integrators, Pegboard Rotators, VTS3 and VTS4 Computer Orthopics systems, Tooties, Wachs Cognitive testing, vectograms, tranaglyphs, lenses, prisms, a variety of vision therapy charts and full battery of visual processing assessments. The equipment enables the resident to receive the practical experience during patient evaluation and treatment so as to fulfill the missions, goals, and objectives of the residency.
Scholarly Activities
The resident will write a paper of publishable quality based upon original research, literature review, or a clinical case that is suitable for submission to a refereed professional journal under the guidance and support of the Residency Coordinator.
The resident will present a lecture at the annual Northwest Residents Conference at Pacific University. The resident is also encouraged to present posters, papers or lectures in other settings such as at the American Academy of Optometry, COVD, NORA, the Minnesota Optometric Association or other local meetings.
The resident will also present at least one community lecture to parents, educators, or other professionals.
Clinical Activities
Clinical experience may include, but is not limited to, the diagnosis and/or treatment of the following conditions* (estimated patient encounters per residency year):
Total patient vision rehabilitation encounters (>1000)
Binocular and perceptual vision encounters (>100)
Including:
- Binocular disorders, strabismus and amblyopia (anticipating 500)
- Visual-perceptual dysfunctions (anticipating 200)
Acquired brain injury (>50)
Pediatric primary care examinations, including infants (>70)
Autistic spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities (>75)
*some patients may present with multiple conditions (e.g. a patient with autism who also has strabismus)
Library & Research Resources
The resident is provided electronic access to the libraries and computer databases of Pacific University. The clinic also has a large assortment of publications and text books to supplement the resident’s experience.
Computer, Email & Telephone Access
The resident’s workspace is equipped with a telephone, computer internet and email access.
Performance Evaluations
The resident will meet on a weekly basis with the residency supervisor for discussion of current cases. The resident will receive quarterly written evaluations from the residency program coordinator. The resident will evaluate the residency program and the residency program coordinator at mid-year and at the end of the year.
Worksite
Bright Eyes Vision Clinic was founded by Dr. Jill K. Schultz in 2006. The practice has two locations. The main facility is located in a free-standing building in Otsego, MN. The 3,700 square-feet facility has four fully-equipped examination rooms, an optical dispensary, a reception area, a multi-purpose room, several rooms for diagnostic testing and several vision therapy rooms. The Minnetonka location is on the first floor of a retail building. It has a similar layout and also includes a spacious reception area, dispensary, four examination rooms, three special testing rooms, a business office and four vision therapy rooms. There is ample space to house all necessary equipment to educate the resident. Depending on the particular day, the resident’s exam room serves also as his or her office for studying and administrative work. The office is equipped with adequate desk space, phone lines, computers and internet access for the resident’s laptop computer.
Application Process | Eligibility Criteria
Applications are processed through the Optometric Residency Match (ORMatch)
- This program uses the Optometric Residency Match (ORMatch). All applicants must complete and return application forms by the ORMatch application deadline. Supporting documents should be submitted directly to the Residency Coordinator no later than January 31. Applicants must complete the ORMatch application and forward it to the ORMatch as directed in the application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all supporting documentation, including the complete transcript of the applicant’s optometric education, is submitted to each entity involved, e.g. ORMatch and the residency site if required.
- Applicant must have earned an O.D. degree, or will have earned such a degree by the time of matriculation, from an ACOE accredited school/college of optometry.
- Applicant will furnish an official transcript from his/her school/college of optometry. An applicant should have a cumulative grade point average greater than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the professional optometric curriculum.
- Applicant must pass all parts of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry examinations required for Minnesota licensure and furnish official transcripts when available. If accepted, the resident must be able to obtain a Minnesota optometry license.
- Three letters of recommendation are required. Two letters must be from faculty members who have been integral in the clinical education of the applicant.
- A letter of intent stating reasons for applying to this program is required.
- A personal interview will be required.
- The resident will be selected from among candidates of whom if hired, can present evidence of legal right to live and work in the United States.
- All applicants will be evaluated for selection without regard to sex, race, color, creed, age, national origin, or non-disqualifying physical disabilities.
Living in Minnesota
Minnesota is the beautiful state of 10,000 lakes! We are known for our fabulous four seasons, chilly winters, warm people, outdoor activities and culture. The Twin Cities boasts a booming economy, amazing food, city offerings, shopping and sporting events. Bright Eyes Vision Clinic has two suburban locations, but is a short drive to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Residents can enjoy fishing, a plethora of outdoor activities to try, a city jog around one of our many lakes, great food of any origin, live music concerts, museums or a Twins game. Minnesota has it all!
Call or Email Today
For additional information about this residency opportunity, please contact:
Jill Schultz, OD, FAAO, FCOVD, FNORA
15704 90th Street NE
Otsego, MN 55330
763-241-1090 | drschultz@thechildrenseyedoctor.com