The Dalhousie Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences held their Meet the Program event on December 3rd, 2020. There were welcoming messages from Dr. Marcelo Nicolela (Department Head), Dr. Mishari Dahrab (Program Director), and Tomma MacDonald (Education Coordinator.) A wide range of faculty, Dalhousie ophthalmology residents, and medical students from across the country were in attendance. There was a Powerpoint presentation on the program and on life in Halifax presented by the residents and Dr. R. Rishi Gupta, Associate Professor. This was followed by a lively resident only question and answer period.

Here are some takeaways from the event:

• Video showcasing the life of the residents: https://drive.google.com/file/d/114VUG9RW19RLEL6pVXb7bCPTVvSu7Wjt/view?ts=5fbebf69
• Strong commitment to teaching (for example: in clinic, teaching scopes on slit lamps; in OR, dedicated surgical teaching time for residents in addition to teaching during ‘regular’ OR lists)
• Beautiful walkable city, with the Eye Care Centre being in close proximity to green spaces, restaurants, and the ocean!
• Centralized clinic and OR resources, with ophthalmology-only OR’s (not shared with other services) right next to the clinic
• Lots of interprofessional education in pediatrics with orthoptics students
• Residents are actively involved in academic committees and in curricular discussions
• First year rotations = off service + 2 months in ophthalmology, second year = emergency clinic + subspecialty rotations, 3rd year = subspecialty rotations, 4th year = surgery and inpatient consults, 5th year = subspecialty rotations, electives, community placements, and study blocks  
• Buddy call with a senior resident for the first half of PGY2 provides support to new learners
• Residents have 24 hour access to the dry lab and day time access to the wet lab
• Great surgical exposure: Halifax is the main trauma centre in the Maritimes, and residents graduate with ~400 cataract procedures and with exposure to subspecialty surgeries
• Large catchment provides exposure to significant breadth and volume of pathology, preparing graduates well for general ophthalmology, or for getting a head start on subspecialty training prior to fellowship
• Funding, protected time, and full time research staff available for project support. Scholarship available to do concurrent masters during residency

If you have any questions, please email ophthed@dal.ca, and reach out to the residents @dalophtho on Instagram!

Authors: Clara Long & Cody Lo

Clara Long is a 3rd year medical student from Dal and is the Director of Education for the Canadian Ophthalmology Student Interest Group. Cody Lo is a 4th year medical student from UBC and is the Director of External Affairs for the Canadian Ophthalmology Student Interest Group.