During this 2 weeks rotation, your shifts are a mix of office and OR. Sometimes they’ll only ask you to do one day in the OR, observing cataract removal, and give you study time for the other scheduled OR shifts.
There are several different Ophthalmologist in town. You will be assigned the same preceptor for the whole rotation. Make sure to contact your preceptors office before you are assigned to work with them because their schedules can change. As well, double check which days they are in the OR and which OR they work at. Some have OR at the hospital, while other operate at a private surgery center downtown.
Office days are excellent opportunities to hone your slit lamp and direct ophthalmoscope skills. You typically won’t get much time to conduct a history; rather, your time in office is mainly just focused on slit lamp skills, anatomy of the eye, and case discussions with your preceptor. In the OR, you’ll be observing.
No call.
Use a systematic approach when performing the slit lamp exam - Eg. anatomic from anterior to posterior.
Ask ophthalmologists to discuss a topic each day with you, eg. red eye, emergencies, etc. They’re usually quite busy but often find time to discuss a topic with you.