Primary Eye Care - Sepulveda VAMC '02-'03

• Briefly describe the patient population and types of disorders that routinely present at your clinic. Also, provide the typical number of patient encounters you have in a day.
  • There is a predominance of geriatric male patients (>60yo), although an occasion 26yo is seen. Typical cases involve diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy including vessel occlusions, glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, various conjunctivitis, as well as binocular diplopia. There is an average of 10 pts/day. The range is from 9- 15 pts/day.

• Describe other activities that you are available to participate in besides direct patient care. (i.e. Grand rounds, internal lectures, interaction with other health professionals, staffing of student interns)
  • There is a one-hour discussion every morning to discuss ongoing cases and new articles.
  • We meet once a weekly with West LA and downtown LA residents for Grand round where lecture and rounds patients.
  • There are numerous opportunities for consults to ophthalmology next door, primary care and other specialties within the entire medical building. There is a 6-wk course in working as an interdisciplinary team with other professions. We also observe endocrinology fellows/residents during patient exams and offer our input when needed. There is also 1 session /wk for 4 month rotation in flouroscene angiography, Nursing home, and performing Goldman visual fields within our eye clinic.

• Briefly describe the setting of the clinic and the surrounding area.
  • The eye clinic consists of 3 optometry rooms and 2 ophthalmology rooms sharing the hall and waiting room. There are 2 technicians that help screen patients, eye glass adjustments, and run Humphrey visual fields.

• What are some strengths of the program and what areas do you feel need improvement.
  • There is an excellent working relationship the ophthalmology for quick consults and referrals. There is an excellent patient population and a variety of cases. Dr. Ferrucci is a definite plus to the program. He has a great amiable personality, constant encouragement, and continual availability whenever needed makes learning easy. The experience here is excellent. There is no improvement needed here.

• Briefly describe the geographic location/area of your residency program (what should one expect).
  • The Sepulveda Eye clinic is located in Northridge, CA, close to Cal State Northridge. It is approximately 20 mins from West LA VAMC. The eye clinic is located in the main building along with the medical clinics, pharmacy, laboratories, etc.
  • The facility is very well kept, plenty of parking, and safe. The instruments in the exam room are well maintained. The optometry clinic and ophthalmology clinics are located in the same area, side by side.

• Has your residency thus far been what you expected?
  • The residency has fulfilled my expectations and more. Through the cases seen here, I have gained a great deal of confidence to diagnose and management cases appropriately.

• What were your reasons for applying for a residency and have they been addressed?
  • Some of the reasons for completing the residency are to gain confidence, broad my knowledge of various ocular disorders, to gain experience in therapeutics, and to be current on various issues. Thus far, they have all been addressed.