Medical Student Education

As part of its commitment to education, the Department of Ophthalmology offers several electives for medical students. Courses focus on exposing students to essential skills and knowledge of the different ophthalmology subspecialties and are led by members of our distinguished faculty.

Medical Student Electives 



Information for Medical Students. Visiting students MUST apply through the Office of Student Affairs: Visiting Student Program

OP01P - Clinical Ophthalmology
Course Director: Jason Horowitz, MD

Description
A concentrated clinical experience for students interested in gaining greater exposure to clinical ophthalmology, focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of vision disorders.

Objectives

  • To provide basic skills necessary to evaluate the patient with eye disorders
  • To expose the student to the spectrum of clinical ophthalmology- medical and surgical
  • To provide mentorship for students interested in a career in ophthalmology

Learning Experience
The student will participate in the various subspecialty divisions of ophthalmology and in clinical examinations and surgical cases with resident and attending preceptors. Students will become familiar with specialized ophthalmic diagnostic equipment, be exposed to a wide array of ophthalmic pathology, and begin to formulate treatment regimens. 

Feedback and Evaluation
A mentor will be assigned to each student from the preceptor list on a rotating basis. The student will be required to make a case presentation under the guidance of the faculty member at Grand Rounds or one of the departmental conferences. If applicable, the student will be encouraged to construct a manuscript based on that case for publication in the medical literature; a mentor will work with the student to help prepare the manuscript for publication. 

OP02P - Neuro-Ophthalmology Preceptorship
Course Director: Jeffrey G. Odel, MD

Description
A preceptorship designed for the student considering ophthalmology or neurology. For the pre-ophthalmology student, this elective acts as a bridge between the medical and neurologic history and physical examination as learned in the first clinical year and the approach to the patient with neurological and medical disorders of vision for which specialized tools and skills for examining the eye, such as ophthalmoscopic examination, slit lamp examination, perimetry, eye movement examination and electrophysiology are required. For the pre-neurology student, lesion localization with an emphasis on the visual and ocular motor pathways will be taught with an introduction to the ophthalmoscope, confrontational visual field testing, pupillary examination, and eye movement and nystagmus analysis.

Objectives

  • To provide advanced techniques in history taking and physical examination with an introduction to the visual and ocular motor system examination tools, so that the student will understand what the ophthalmologic examination is and how it can contribute to diagnosis of complex problems
  • To provide mentorship in ophthalmology and neurology

Learning Experience
The student will see patients with Dr. Odel and learn the techniques of history and physical examination one-on-one. He or she will be responsible for working up and presenting patients to the team and researching patient pathology. Extensive readings from the ophthalmic classical literature will be provided, and web-based learning will be encouraged with cases and eye movement videos from the Canadian Neuro-Ophthalmology Group’s website, and lectures and illustrative cases on the web-based Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library. The student will also be guided through the combined literature of neurology and ophthalmology with an introduction to the history of neurology.

Feedback and Evaluation
The student is required to give an in-depth presentation on a neuro-ophthalmic condition during the preceptorship. Participation in neuro-ophthalmology conferences and clinics as well as completion of the assigned reading material is expected. 

OP03P - Glaucoma: Clinical & Research

Description
A concentrated experience in ophthalmology, with a focus on glaucoma diagnosis and treatment.

Objectives

  • To provide basic skills necessary to evaluate the patient with eye disorders, especially glaucoma
  • To expose the student to the spectrum of clinical ophthalmology, both medical and surgical
  • To provide mentors for students interested in a career in ophthalmology
  • To provide the opportunity to pursue research in glaucoma and related neurosciences

Learning Experience
The student will participate in clinical examinations and surgical cases with several preceptors. Goals are to have an exposure to the scope of glaucoma and vision disorders, become familiar with the specialized diagnostic equipment, and understand problems facing the patient with glaucoma. The student can participate in basic, translational and clinical research projects to enhance his or her knowledge and understanding of glaucoma.

Feedback and Evaluation
A mentor will be assigned to each student from the preceptor list. The student is required to make a case presentation under the guidance of the faculty member at Grand Rounds or departmental conferences. Medical students will rotate with the following glaucoma faculty: George A. Cioffi, MD; Jeffrey Liebmann, MD; Lama Al-Aswad, MD, MPH, and Dana Blumberg, MD.

OPN036 – Preceptorship in Ophthalmology (CUMC Medical Students Only)

 Description
This course is a self-arranged preceptorship with a Columbia Ophthalmology Faculty member restricted to Columbia 4th year medical students. Please refer to the Our Providers page for a complete list of available faculty. Often this preceptorship is used to spend time with a faculty member already known to a student from a prior rotation or the MCY clerkship. 

The student will work directly with one faculty member during the elective, performing or observing all the duties of that faculty member.

Once a faculty mentor has been identified, register via User Voice. 

OP950 – Ophthalmology Research (CUMC Medical Students Only)

Description
This course is a self-arranged preceptorship with a Columbia Ophthalmology Faculty member restricted to Columbia 4th year medical students. Please refer to the Our Researchers page for a complete list of available faculty. 

The student will work directly with one faculty member during the elective, performing or observing all the duties of that faculty member.

Once a faculty mentor has been identified, register via User Voice. 

OP04P - Oculoplastics: Clinical Elective
Course Director: Lora Glass, MD 

Description
A concentrated clinical experience for students interested in gaining greater exposure to clinical ophthalmology, focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of oculoplastic and orbital pathology.

Objectives

  • To provide basic skills necessary to perform a routine oculoplastic and orbital examination
  • To define a wide variety of oculoplastic and orbital pathology, and to distinguish between the intricacies therein
  • To incorporate the reading of radiology images and other ancillary testing
  • To provide mentorship for students interested in a career in ophthalmology

Learning Experience
The student will participate in the medical and surgical care of oculoplastic and orbital patients by rotating with several subspecialty attendings. 

Feedback and Evaluation
The student will receive ongoing feedback with regards to oculoplastic and orbital knowledge, professionalism, presentation skills and patient care. Students will also receive a formal summation of feedback from each preceptor on their last day with that preceptor.