Program Overview

School of Optometry

The School of Optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers various programs for students and residents.

Residency Programs

The school provides residency programs in different areas, including:

• Cornea and Contact Lenses
• Pediatric Optometry
• Primary Care Optometry
• Ocular Disease with emphasis in Primary Care Optometry and Retina

Ocular Disease with Emphasis in Primary Care Optometry and Retina

Location

The Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center is the location for this residency program.

Program Details

• The program stipend is $46,050 for a 12-month program.
• Benefits include health coverage, vacation, federal holidays, paid sick leave, and professional liability insurance for residency activities.
• The program duration is 52 weeks with no on-call duty.
• Two positions are available for this program.

Mission

The mission of the Residency in Ocular Disease with emphasis in Primary Care Optometry and Retina is to provide a unique post-doctoral experience in a multidisciplinary setting. The goal is to nurture the residents' development into exceptional optometric clinicians by broadening general skills and mastering additional specialized skills in the areas of ocular disease and primary care optometry.

Current Residents

The current residents in the Ocular Disease with emphasis in Primary Care Optometry and Retina program are:

• Sammy Haskins, OD
• Ashley Price, OD

Program Description

This program is designed to provide advanced clinical training in the diagnosis and management of ocular disease, exposure to multidisciplinary management of systemic disease, and primary eye care in a medical center environment. The program primarily involves direct patient care by the resident, but supervision of student externs is also incorporated.

Accreditation Status

The Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) has granted the Residency in Ocular Disease with emphasis in Primary Care Optometry and Retina at the Tuscaloosa VAMC the accreditation status of "Accredited."

Residency Conference

Residents attend a regularly scheduled weekly Residency Conference, which includes presentations by faculty and guests, grand rounds, case conferences, journal club, records review, and other learning activities. A paper suitable for publication is required to develop the residents' scholarship.

How to Apply

All residency programs utilize the ORMatch Residency Matching Service for application.