Hitting the books! The Importance of Ongoing Education.
Blog vol 5.45. Hitting the books! The Importance of Ongoing Education.
Part of being a professional is ongoing education, staying current with the developments in your field. No better way than to take an intensive didactic and clinical course on optometry with the professors at the University of Waterloo who are working hard to move our profession to the next level. I have to admit, it is not a quantum leap, like going through wormholes in space and time, but it is very interesting material.
In the USA there are now 20 states that license optometrists to perform laser and minor surgical procedures on the eye and the immediate area around the eye. In the early 1990’s the USA licensed optometrists to prescribe therapeutic medications significantly before those of us north of the border. Ontario optometrists were licensed to treat eye and systemic disease in 2008. With an ever aging and expanding population, there is more need than ever for many types of care.
A fundamental part of my work is learning and education. I have found writing the weekly blogs over the past five years really helpful, always pushing me to stay current and stretching my grey matter. I feel responsible, not only to my patients but also to the fourth year optometry interns that we teach in our clinic, to know what is being researched and what is new in the field of eyecare. Learning is truly one of the joys of life.
This course I just completed was broken up into two modules: the first consisted of foundational online courses in histology, pathology, and lasers; the second consisted of live streamed lectures to apply all this foundational work to the clinical setting. Last weekend we met in person to apply all this head knowledge in a supervised hands-on setting. (I would like to especially thank Drs. Sarah MacIver and Lisa Prokopich for putting together the courses and labs and Dr. Rich Castillo for sharing his knowledge and experience.)
I signed a disclaimer that does not allow me to share the information and trade secrets that I gained over the course. But know this, one can learn a good deal from medical texts and on-line, but the combination of didactic and hands-on was indispensable. We were working with laser procedures like selective laser trabeculoplasty for treating open angle glaucoma, as well as YAG laser capsulotomy, and several surgical procedures for diagnosing and treating lid bumps and growths, including some forms of biopsy. The course was also helpful with procedures that we are already licensed for, like gonioscopy and treatment of open angle glaucomas.
The process and legislation required to make these new procedures a reality may take some time. In the meantime, it is good to know what is available, how it works, and to be able to provide the best care possible to all of our patients.
‘til next week,
the good doctor
