Nigerian Optometry introduces a residency program!

I got the information below from this website: http://www.medicalworldnigeria.com
This is to inform all qualified Doctors of Optometry, wishing to undergo a 4-year post-graduate training, leading to the award of Fellowship of the College in any of the specialties, that the primary examinations for admission into any of the faculties has been scheduled as follows:
DATE: October 12th 2013
VENUE: Department of Optometry, University of Benin, Benin City.
TIME:  11:00am.
QUALIFICATION: Any intending applicant should possess the following
qualifications:
a) A degree of O.D (Doctor of Optometry) from an institution accredited by the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN)
b) A3year Post NYSC clinical experience
c) Must be in good standing with ODORBN
EXAMINATIONS WILL BE TAKEN FOR THE FOLLOWING FACULTIES/SPECIALTIES
a. Primary Care Optometry  b. Public Health Optometry  c. Cornea and Contact Lens Practice
d. Rehabilitative Optometry and Low Vision Care  e. Paediatric Optometry  f. Ocular Health
e. Orthoptics
METHOD OF APPLICATION: Pay an Exam fee of N30,000 (Thirty Thousand Naira) only into:
Account Name: -Nigerian College of optometrists
Account No.  1000957051
Keystone Bank (formerly bank PHB) Asaba Branch.
COLLECT APPLICATION FORM ON PRESENTATION OF YOUR BANK TELLER AT ANY OF THE UNDER-LISTED ADDRESSES:
1. Dr. Mrs. O.U.Amaechi
Department of Optometry
Abia State University Uturu
2. Prof. F.O Iwuagwu
Department of Optometry
Imo State university Owerri
3. Dr. Emma Esenwa
Department of Optometry
Federal University ofTechnology Owerri
4. Dr. E.lyamu
Department of Optometry
University of Benin
5. Dr. (Mrs.) N. Aruotu
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital
6. The Registrar
Optometrist and Dispensing opticians
Registration Board of Nigeria
No.8, Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos.
7. Dr. Damian Echendu
Optometry unit
State House Medical Centre Aso Rock,Abuja.
CLOSING DATE:All completed forms must be returned to the point of collection not later than 5th october, 2013
Prof. Uche Ikonne
Registrar.

Residency in Optometry in Nigeria is a welcome development. But we need to understand the following:



1) NOA website has been suspended, I do not know for how long now. I went to look up the information circulating around on residency in Optometry in Nigeria, but came up with nothing! Why should we not know what is going on? ODORBN website does not have such information too! Then why hastily publishing it to the outside world without communicating in-house first of all? We are in Information Age and ignorance has no place here.
2) If this is residency, why does it take 4 years here while it takes a max of 2 years in the USA to attain fellowship and one year for residency?
3) What is the salary allowance for the residents, just as it is done in MBBs and in American Optometry residency program?
4) How will this program be funded? By who? How will it be sustained?
5) Examinations should be conducted by an independent body made up of technocrats without any partisan sentimentality and whose primary priority is hinged on objectivity!
6) Why is the information so wrapped-up in secrecy to so many of us and only leaked in National newspapers and in the conferences?
We need inclusiveness in this bold step the profession has decided to take into the future. But for christ's sake, we need to understand what is happening. I so believe in Nigerian Optometry that am willing to join hands with all and sundry to make this program work... For it to work though, need more than mere wishful thinking and grandiosity. Long live Nigerian Optometry!

The continuing euphoria of Nigerian Optometry in Residency!

In my last blog, "Nigeria Optometry and the Euphoria of Residency", I ruffled hats, stepped on big toes and even went as far as opening cans of festering worms on which the foundation of this noble profession has been standing on since its inception in this country!

But what is residency in Optometry? Where is it currently practiced? What need is residency to an Optometrist?

Optometry has functionally developed into a medical eye care, with some Optometrists designated as Optometric physicians. In some states in the USA, Optometrists are allowed to perform surgeries! (See my blog: "Optometry and were the future of eye care lies..."). 

Historically, Optometry introduced its first residency program in 1975 and Dr Thomas Stelmack became the first post-graduate resident of Optometry in 1976 at the Kansas city VA hospital. (History of Optometry in the VA. Robert D. Newcomb, OD, MPH).

It all started in the USA, the Veteran Administration hospitals. Before 1972, optometry schools had virtually no interface with medical hospitals and clinics and teaching clinics were in the schools or clinics serving the poor, blind or homeless. Founded in 1930, the Department of Veterans Affairs was swamped with returning WWII veterans in 1946 and first given congressional mandates to affiliate with medical, dental and nursing schools and tie into their student and residency training programs. This was a boon to the medical schools, giving them access to large inpatient populations and funds to support faculty and residency training programs while the VA gained skilled, board certified physician specialists and medical students and residents who rendered considerable patient care as part of their training.  In effect, in 1946 the Congress directed the VA to reorganize its hospitals as “teaching hospitals”. Soon almost every medical school was affiliated with a VA hospital and most medical students and residents rotated through them.  VA physicians were required to be board certified in a specialty. 

Congress,in 1973, enacted legislation (PL 93-82) requiring the VA to establish an optometry program.  An expanded mandate was given in 1976 (PL 94-581) which was the equivalent of the 1946 mandate for medical and dental care by calling for the VA to increase its number of ODs and establish teaching affiliations with optometry schools. A pilot student Optometry training program begun in 1973.  The development and growth of VA Optometry training programs were the result of policy arising with the congressional committees with VA oversight that determined an optometry service within VA hospitals with students and affiliated schools were the best means to meet unmet needs for eye care. This integration continued to accelerate while VA worked to define areas of residency training within its hospitals in cooperation with the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and to create an accrediting process for the new optometry residency programs in cooperation with the American Council on Optometric Education.
(Culled from "ABCMO - Overview of ABCMO and History of Board Certification.")

The current pattern of Optometry residency in the USA, requires:
a) American Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) to accredit the candidate's Residency
program.

b) National Board of  Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) to administer the candidate's specialty examination.

c) American Board of  Certification in Medical Optometry (ABCMO) to give recognition to granted specialized "board certification".

Note: 

ACOE is the only accrediting body for professional optometric degree (O.D.) programs, optometric residency programs and optometric technician programs in the United States and Canada. ACOE, formerly referred to as Council on Optometric Education, was first established in the 1930 Boston AOA. In 1934 it was ratified. In May 2001, it became recognized by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

NBEO is a body required by the American Optometric Association (AOA) to administer board certification examinations for licensure, license renewal and for specialty examination to enter into residency program. It was formed in 1951 by Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO) and Association of schools and colleges of Optometry (ASCO).

ABCMO is a body created to provide practitioners, medical facilities, government and state agencies and  the general  public a uniform national standard to identify optometrists with advanced competence in the medical diagnosis, treatment and management of primary and secondary disease and dysfunctions of the human eye, adnexa and visual tracts. It was established in 2009.

Residency in Optometry is a one year program designed for Optometrists who have graduated with an OD. A residency allows the doctor to gain specialized skills and information in a specific area of Optometry.
Residency in Optometry is a teaching hospital based program aimed at providing the OD physician with advanced skills and knowledge in medical eye care. We are living in times of advanced medical care, technologically, ethically and ideologically. It behoves of the profession to take the bull by the horn with the aim of advancing eye care to embrace the realities of 21st century.

Do not forget this:

Residencies have many benefits. To start with, a residency is known to increase the knowledge, skills, clinical experience and self-confidence in the O.D. physician. On top of that, the O.D. practitioner should be able to build relationships with professors, mentors, other residents and students, Optometric legislators, industries, clinicians, as well as other healthcare professionals.

(Residency Programs Grow: Amber Hirley, ASCO NL, UAB)

Truth is that the Optometrist is trained to become a general eye care practitioner, but specialization in eye care community has shown to hugely benefit us especially in area of competence and actualization of vision 2020: The right to sight.
Nigerian Optometrists are called on today to put it out to our law makers within the profession and in our state and National houses of Assembly to develop a residency program which has been shown to help in research and advanced competency in the profession, but above all, it has shown to have a tremendous effect in main stream eye medical care sector!