Helpful Courses at the Annual Meeting for Residents and Fellows

by Molly Ritsema, MD
Albuquerque, NM

As a resident, the volume of courses offered at the Annual Meeting can be overwhelming; indeed the meeting has over 2,000 hours of learning opportunities! You could start the morning at a 6:30 am breakfast symposium, attend lectures and skills transfer workshops all day, then finish the night at a dinner lecture, only to start over exhausted the next day. It is helpful to have a targeted approach to choosing courses.

If you are a first or second year resident, consider which skills you would like to brush up on. Not so comfortable with gonioscopy? There is an excellent skills transfer course called "Top 10 Essentials of Gonioscopy: Stereoscopic Viewing and Interpretation" in which you don 3-D glasses to view angle structures.

Want to improve your surgical skills? Then consider one of the resident-only labs on phacoemulsification, refractive or glaucoma filtering surgery.

Curious how the experts handle cataract surgery complications? Then consider attending a panel discussion such as "Clinical Decisions in the Management of Complications of Cataract and IOL Surgery."

If you are a third year ophthalmology resident or fellow, strongly consider taking courses that will help your transition into practice. The "Young Ophthalmologist Program" is a good place to start. This course reviews contract negotiation, buy-ins and other helpful topics that are not taught in residency or fellowship.

Another good course is "Welcome to the Real World of Ophthalmology: Reality 101 for Residents and Fellows." Hear firsthand from your predecessors -- young ophthalmologists in their first few years of practice -- how they decided where to practice, how to negotiate contracts, and other pearls. The Academy also offers courses specifically on ophthalmic coding, negotiating partnership deals and practice building which can be quite helpful as you start your first job.

The Annual Meeting offers something for everyone. Take a look at the Annual Meeting's Online Program (http://www.aao.org/meetings/annual_meeting/program/onlineprogram07.cfm). The courses recommended by the Young Ophthalmologist Committee are a good place to start. Remember, though... leave enough time to meet up with friends and have fun!