[MUSIC PLAYING] TARA MCGEHEE: Here, at UVA our ophthalmology residency program really aims to graduate comprehensive, well trained ophthalmologist. So, we hope that the minute our residents leave here, if they want to go straight into a practice setting it's a really easy transition and if they choose to go on to further training they're well equipped to train in any subspecialty area. 

ARTHI VENKAT: This program really attracts extremely bright and extremely talented residents who are just very interested in learning. 

LESLIE OLSAKOVSKY: The backbone of the residency program, which makes it such a strong place to be for three years, is that we still have a resident run clinic with continuity of care where they have their own patients and can care for them for three years. Being a product of this residency program, I know how important it is to be able to care for patients over a period of time. 

ABDULLAH ABOU-SAMRA: From day one you get your own resident clinic where your name is on the door, and the patients walk in expecting to see you from the very beginning, and you do everything for them. You're their doctor. You diagnose them. You treat them. And then they follow up with you whether it's three months, six months, or a year. And it really provides good continuity of care and you get to build relationships with these patients. 

CHRISTINA RODRIGUEZ-MCKENNA: The resident run clinic is just amazing. I think that that kind of springboards you into independence as a practitioner. You really have to take ownership of your patients. 

LESLIE OLSAKOVSKY: There's, sort of, a very logical progression of autonomy. There's always backup, always coverage for complicated patients that come in, but when you're doing your residency you want to be able to, eventually, start making your own decisions about patients. 

TARA MCGEHEE: We value surgical training significantly. So, while we do spend a lot of time in the clinic, probably 40% to 50% of training is spent in the operating room, as well. 

MARC ODRICH: So the residents rotate through all of our different clinics. I have a refractive surgery clinic, an ocular surface disease clinic, and they come stay with me. They go watch me do surgery. They participate in the surgery. 

CHRISTIAN CARTER: When we're in the operating room, you're not just observing me operating. You're going to have the opportunity to do it. And we do that piecemeal. There's certain parts of the case that you begin to do. Once you're comfortable with them we'll go on to the next stage of the case. If we need to spend more time on one of those stages, we have weeks and weeks to do that together. 

CHRISTINA RODRIGUEZ-MCKENNA: We start surgery as a second year or PGY 3, we finish with well over 200 cataracts. We also have access to very experienced glaucoma surgeons that you can sign up cases with. We have very experienced retina faculty as well. 

TARA MCGEHEE: The breadth of clinical education and exposure that residents gets here is really remarkable and is great for training. They get to see 10 years worth of diseases in only three or four years and really get a very solid clinical foundation from being able to see so many different things. 

PETER NETLAND: We are proud of the department and our training programs. We have worked hard to expand our volumes and clinical experiences for the trainees. And we've also made an effort to expand the breadth of the program so that they can experience the whole spectrum of activities that we do. 

TARA MCGEHEE: For trainees within our department we have four residents in the ophthalmology residency program each year. We have one retina fellow who's here for two years. We have a glaucoma fellow. And then we have one optometry resident. 

EVAN KAUFMAN: A residency in optometry allows graduating optometrists that could go right into private practice and give them more training in a structured educational environment. And so basically, it makes good optometrists better. 

CHELSEA JOHNSON: They've graduated optometry school and they now already know what niche, what field, they want to work in. And so, what's pretty neat is we can help them grow that niche. Whether it's specialty contact lenses, to ocular disease, to pediatrics, to whatever they want. 

LAURA COOK: We have a relatively small department and so the residents and the attendings know each other well. None of the residents are going to go unnoticed or slip under the radar. 

TARA MCGEHEE: All the residents work with each faculty member. Most have each faculty members cell phone number and call and text whenever they have a question or a concern. 

HANH VO: I love my relationships with my faculty. Every single person here has been so incredibly supportive and so incredibly approachable. And I've never felt lesser for not knowing the answer to some things. 

CHRISTINA RODRIGUEZ-MCKENNA: I'm constantly texting them when I see a patient that, if it's somebody that has a corneal issue I'll text one of our corneal attendings and say, hey, do you mind if I just chat with you really quickly and talk over this case. I'd really love your opinion on it. So, they're all very supportive, and eager to teach, and really rooting for your success. 

LESLIE OLSAKOVSKY: Well, I think the feel here is very much a family. 

MICHAEL KRAUSE: I think that the culture at UVA is really special. Really it's the people that make the department. Coming from the chair down it's just a very friendly, sort of, collegiate environment, which makes the difference when you're a trainee. Very supportive of each other. When someone gets sick or someone needs something all the other residents stand up and help. 

MATT ROLAIN: I've loved working with my fellow residents. I think that's one of my favorite parts of the program. I feel like all of us get along really well together. We do a lot of stuff outside of work. Hangouts on the weekends and going out to dinner. It's a really fun group to be a part of. 

ARTHI VENKAT: I think Charlottesville has everything you need and nothing you don't. It's got a nice city feel without all of the negative aspects of a big city. 

MARC ODRICH: Oh, I love Charlottesville because I can get in my car and in 10 minutes I can be in my office. I used to live in New York City and it used to take me an hour and a half to drive the same distance. Imagine finding 3 hours every day that you're not in your car. 

CHRISTIAN CARTER: There is a lot of culture in Charlottesville. There's no shortage of it with a university that's as large as UVA and that's exciting. 

MICHAEL KRAUSE: You know, it's in the mountains so you're really close to a lot of beautiful national parks. It's two hours from DC so it's really easy to go there for a weekend. And then, the restaurant scene is absolutely fantastic here. 

LAURA COOK: I think applicants should strongly consider this program because they will be well clinically trained with excellent surgical volume, access to great equipment, in an environment that makes it a good place to learn. 

TARA MCGEHEE: I think our program draws residents and candidates who really value patient care, who really want to do the best work clinically and surgically that they can, and who are really patient focused. 

PETER NETLAND: We do produce strong clinicians and we're proud of that, but we really want people to be able to reach their potential so that they can become the best clinicians, best investigators, best educators that they can possibly be. And that's really what we shoot for. 

[MUSIC PLAYING]