The CPMC Department of Ophthalmology is ending its longstanding “staggered start” curriculum. All future residents will proceed on a traditional residency track in which they begin together in July and finish together in June. In addition, we will initiate a joint internship for incoming ophthalmology residents on July 1, 2021. All future residents will be required to complete their internship at CPMC (PGY-1 through PGY-4). Our joint internship with the CPMC Department of Internal Medicine will consist of 3 months of ophthalmology training and 9 months of training in internal medicine. The following is a description of the four-year curriculum that will begin on July 1, 2021.

The PGY-1 interns spend 3 months rotating in ophthalmology, with substantial time at Highland Hospital. During those 3 months they learn basic exam skills, and become familiar with the diagnosis and management of ophthalmic diseases. Interns complete 9 months of training with the CPMC Department of Internal Medicine including core rotations as well as elective time to gain experience in subspecialities such as rheumatology, neurology, and endocrinology.

The year is spent roughly on 2-months blocks divided between Lions Eye Clinic, Highland Hospital, and subspecialty rotations in various orders. At Lions Eye Clinic they serve as the junior resident where they perform minor procedures, learn the basics of corneal surgery, perform intravitreal injections, perform ophthalmic laser procedures, and perform primary pterygium surgery along with some steps of cataract surgery. Rotating with subspecialty faculty they learn the fundamentals of cornea, glaucoma, retina, uveitis, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, pediatric ophthalmology, ocular oncology, ophthalmic pathology, contact lens, low-vision, and refractive surgery. Many of our subspecialty faculty have been with the CPMC Department of Ophthalmology for decades and all are dedicated to resident education.

The PGY-3 residents begin their year with a deep dive into the fundamentals of ophthalmology by spending the entire month of July at the Stanford Ophthalmology Basic Science Course. The PGY-3 residents spend part of the year rotating through Highland Hospital as the junior resident (5 months) where they begin performing phacoemulsification as primary surgeon. The PGY-3 year includes additional 2-month subspecialty rotations including Kaiser Oakland as well as an elective month.

The PGY-4 residents rotate through three locations: Lions Eye Clinic, Kaiser San Francisco, and Highland Hospital. The PGY-4 residents serve as the chief resident at Lions Eye Clinic. In this capacity, they perform a variety of surgical procedures as primary surgeon, including cataract surgery and subspecialty procedures. As the sole resident at Kaiser SF, our PGY-4 residents run their own acute care clinic with supervision by Kaiser faculty and gain experience with advanced cataract surgery techniques. At Highland Hospital they are the chief resident in charge of managing a busy service with complex patient needs involving all subspecialties. During the PGY-4 year, there is another elective month during which residents can choose to do research, international work, or arrange for a tailored clinical experience.

The CPMC Department of Ophthalmology sponsors a full academic year of resident education. PGY-2 residents begin their year by spending the entire month of July at the Stanford Ophthalmology Basic Science Course. During the remainder of the academic year, CPMC holds weekly Grand Rounds at 8:00AM every Monday morning followed by a resident lecture. Monday mornings are protected academic time for all residents. Residents also participate in weekly Friday morning lectures, a monthly Thursday evening oculoplastics lecture, a monthly retina lecture or fluorescein angiography conference, microsurgery lab sessions, and journal club discussions in each of the major subspecialties. We also have a regular yearly series of visiting professor grand rounds and lectures given by well-known ophthalmologists from all over the world.