Undergraduate teaching in Ophthalmology is part of the Faculty of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (MD) program and is a priority of the department.
Ophthalmology is a key component in both the pre-clerkship and clerkship curriculum.
In pre-clerkship, Ophthalmology teaching occurs over 2 consecutive weeks in the second year of the MD program as part of the Special Senses Unit of the Foundations Curriculum. The first week is titled Anterior Segment and the Red Eye. The second week is titled Posterior Segment and Painless Vision Loss. Learning occurs in the form of pre-week preparatory material (pre-recorded lectures and reading material), in-class lectures, e-modules, case-based learning (CBL), clinical skills sessions and labs.
Ophthalmology is also a core part of the clerkship curriculum in year three. Core clerkship rotations take place at the Ophthalmology Clinics located at St. Michael's Hospital, UHN-Toronto Western Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Mount Sinai Hospital and in clinics associated with the Mississauga Academy of Medicine (MAM). Students may also be placed in the community in private offices of faculty associated with the teaching hospitals. The clerkship rotation begins with a half-day Clinical Skills Review and Orientation session, led by the senior residents at Kensington Eye Institute (KEI), and designed to reinforce the comprehensive ocular examination. Seven half days are available for clinical experience in the office of one of the teaching staff, in the Eye Clinic or in the operating room. The rotation ends with a half day pediatric ophthalmology seminar at the Hospital for Sick Children. Ophthalmology selectives at the teaching hospitals are also available in year four of the MD program.
Curriculum
Detailed information is available on the Clerkship Teaching Curriculum Website.
