First-year residents attend a formal basic science course and, in addition, participate in daily clinics where they learn the principles and techniques of ophthalmic examination, clinical pathology, and minor surgery procedures. Second-year residents have increased responsibility for all general and specialty clinics which include those for cornea, retina, glaucoma, contact lens, motility, and neurophthalmology. They participate actively in patient care, and are provided didactic sessions by supervising attendings. Residents answer inpatient consultations and present them to the supervising attending. Extraocular procedures, such as strabismus and eyelid surgery, are performed under attending supervision starting the second year of training.
Senior residents are responsible for inpatients on the ophthalmology service.
They perform major ocular surgery on the teaching service under attending supervision, and assist in private surgery. Residents rotate through Cabrini Medical Center and Bayley Seton Hospital, where they work with attendings on private and service cases, daily clinics, and answer consultations from other departments. Inpatient rounds on private and service cases are held daily at St. Vincent's. All residents complete the American Academy of Ophthalmology Basic Science Home Study Course. Grand Rounds and structured lectures by attending staff and guest speakers are held weekly throughout the academic year.