William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

Ophthalmology Residency Program

 

Residency in Comparative Ophthalmology

The Ophthalmology Service, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis is announcing a 4-year residency in Comparative Ophthalmology to begin 1 August 2013. The successful applicant will be one of 4 residents (joining 2 second-year and 1 third-year), 2 full time dedicated technicians, 5 ACVO-Diplomates, an ocular pathologist, and has available the resources associated with a large multidisciplinary, NIH-funded vision science laboratory. Al members of our team work in close coordination to provide exemplary ophthalmic care for animals of all species, communicate clearly with owners and referring veterinarians, teach DVM students, and advance knowledge in comparative ophthalmology.

A. Program Description

The ophthalmology residency is a 4-year program designed to provide training in the medical and surgical aspects of veterinary ophthalmology, including large and small domestic animals, animals used in laboratories and non-domestic animals. The program is specifically designed to prepare the resident for a clinical and research career in academic veterinary ophthalmology and board certification through the credential and examination process administered by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. The resident will be responsible for hospital patients and will assist in instruction of professional veterinary medical students and other residents. In addition to clinical mentoring at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), the resident's training includes assistance with ophthalmic screening of mice for the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, development and execution of hypothesis driven research, mentoring in grant development and manuscript preparation, learning research techniques, and diverse opportunities for active interaction through lectures and rounds with the Department of Ophthalmology in the University of California-Davis Medical Center.

B. Goals of the Residency Program

  1. Development of clinical skills to successfully practice veterinary ophthalmology.
  2. Development of a broad knowledge of the eye and its diseases.
  3. Development of effective clinical teaching skills.
  4. Introduction to methods of eye research in vision science including manuscript and grant preparation.
  5. Preparation for the certifying examination of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

C. Duties and Responsibilites

1.  Regular participation in clinical activities of the Ophthalmology Service including evening and weekend emergency duty. Residents must be able to arrive at the hospital within 15 minutes of an emergency call; therefore, residents must plan to live within 15 miles of the hospital. The ophthalmology residents are not obligated to rotate through general veterinary medical after-hours emergency service. 

  • Beginning residents are initially under direct supervision of a faculty member; there is a gradual increase in responsibility thereafter.
  • Surgical training - assist senior clinician in all intraocular and extraocular surgery. Each resident must successfully do intraocular surgical procedures on cadavers before participating actively in operations on patients. All surgery on patients is done under direct supervision of senior staff until resident has demonstrated sufficient skills to justify her or his operating independently.
  • Ophthalmic pathology - residents are required to develop sufficient skill and knowledge of ocular pathology to enable them to interpret gross and histopathologic changes in diseased ocular tissue.
  • The UCD Mouse Biology Program (http://www.mousebiology.org/) is a major participant in the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (http://www.mousephenotype.org/). The UCD Veterinary Ophthalmology Service provides ophthalmic screening of mice for this program, which forms a major responsibility for the first-year resident.
  • Research - each resident must complete a research project in some area related to ophthalmology during her or his training. The expenses of conducting this research and the publication of the information may be borne, at least in part, by the Ophthalmology Service; however the resident is expected to apply for intramural or extramural funds to support their research.
  • Regular participation in seminars, conferences, rounds, and journal club, including those held in association with the UCD Medical School. Presentation at the VMTH House Officer Seminar Day and at least one ACVO Resident's Forum is required.
  • Attendance at two or more meetings of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. University funds may be available to partially subsidize the expenses involved in this, but this is ultimately the resident's responsibility.
  • Teaching - considerable responsibility for teaching students in clinics is expected. The resident may be asked to provide some lectures in our ophthalmology courses to UCD veterinary medical students, at local associations or to veterinary student clubs. Participation in teaching laboratoryies for UCD veterinary student courses is required.
  • All patient records must be completed in a timely fashion.

2.  The VMTH is committed to building strong relationships with its constituents and maintaining excellent communications within its walls. Therefore, a major part of the resident's duties includes timely communication with referring veterinarians and clients. Residents must also establish and maintain cordial relationships with all members of the VMTH community: students, fellow-residents, faculty, staff, referring veterinarians, and clients.

3.  Failure to meet the substantive aspects of the duties and responsibilities will result in termination or withholding of the certificate of residency completion.

4.  Continuation into the second and third years of the training program is contingent upon satisfactory performance.

D. Requirements

1. Graduation from a School of Veterinary Medicine.

2. At least 12 months' full time clinical practice as a veterinarian in a general ("rotating") internship or equivalent private practice experience between completion of the veterinary degree and beginning the residency program.

3. Demonstration of high motivation.

4. Satisfactory ethical standing

5. NOTE: Foreign nationals must be eligible for either a TN or J1 visa without restrictions.

E. Application procedure

Interested individuals should submit the following items so that they ARRIVE at the University of California-Davis no later than 5pm PST on Thursday November 5, 2012. All materials, including transcripts, must be submitted electronically. Early applications preferred. Late applications will not be reviewed.

  • A UCD-VMTH residency application form. This form can be found at: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/residency_info/resapp.html
  • A personal statement highlighting personal background, reasons for applying for the residency, and career goals.
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Three to five letters of recommendation from faculty members or veterinary/medical practitioners. These letters should be emailed directly to UCD by the letter writer to the veterinary ophthalmology faculty in care of dcgomez@ucdavis.edu. Letters should address aptitude and performance in intellectual and creative pursuits pertinent to scientific research, knowledge of veterinary medicine, clinical skills, ability to apply knowledge in a clinical situation, and ability to communicate and work with others in a team.
  • Official transcripts from veterinary school - including grade point average and class rank. An official English translation of these must be included if they are not in English. These should be sent as scanned pdf documents forming part of the electronic application. However, those candidates selected for an interview should expect to provide an original copy from the issuing institution.
  • Application materials and letters of reference should be sent electronically to: dcgomez@ucdavis.edu (please enter "Ophthalmology Residency" in the subject line).

F. Review Process:

Written applications will be reviewed and a selected number of applicants will be invited for a personal 1-day inteview at the University of California-Davis. The Veterinary Internship/Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) will NOT be utilized.

G. Timeline

  • November 5, 2012, 5pm PST. Final deadline for electronic receipt of all application materials. Earlier applications preferred; late applications will not be reviewed.
  • November 13, 2012, noon PST: Final date on which invitations for a personal, on-site interview will be emailed.
  • November 14, 2012 through Janury 4, 2013 (Nov 14th-Dec 21st preferred): Personal, 1-day interviews conducted. Appointments are assigned in order of request receipt.
  • January 9, 2013: Offer made to successful candidate.

Questions regarding the residency application and review process not addressed on this webpage, can be directed to David Maggs, BVSc, DACVO at djmaggs@ucdavis.edu.

The University of California, Davis, and the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital are interested in candidates who are committed to the highest standards of scholarship and professional activities, and to the development of a campus climate that supports equality and diversity.