Pediatric Optometry - Vision Therapy and Vision Rehabilitation - Brain Injury Rehabilitation

Sponsor: Vision Northwest, 1705 South 324th Place, Federal Way, WA 98003

Academic Affiliate: Pacific University College of Optometry, Forest Grove, Oregon

Mission

The Pediatric Optometry - Vision Therapy and Vision Rehabilitation - Brain Injury Rehabilitation Residency Program at Vision Northwest provides qualified graduate optometrists with advanced clinical experience in the management of vision disorders through both modeling and direct patient contact including cases of amblyopia/strabismus, acquired brain injury, developmental delays and vision related learning difficulties. These experiences will facilitate the resident’s development into an exceptional clinician offering specialized skills in optometric care for vision rehabilitation patients and persons with binocular and developmental vision impairment and those with vision related learning difficulties in reading, spelling and mathematics.

General Information

Residency Program Coordinator: Curtis R. Baxstrom, MA, OD, FCOVD, FNORA

Length of Program: 54 weeks; July 1st through July 14th

Number of Positions:  2

Salary: $42,500 – not contingent upon productivity of the resident

Hours: Expected range of hours of attendance in a typical week of activities is 40-50 hours.  Vision Northwest office hours are typically Monday-Thursday 8:15-5:30 and Friday 8:15-Noon.

Leave: The Resident is entitled to 5 days of paid personal leave that can be used for vacation and/or illness, 8 professional days to attend pre-approved professional meetings such as AOA, AAO, COVD and NORA, and 6 paid holidays during the year.

Professional Liability Protection: Provided by Vision Northwest 

Requirements for Certificate of Completion: A certificate of completion will be awarded to the resident upon satisfactory fulfillment of residency requirements as outlined in the Pacific University College of Optometry Administrative Guide for Affiliated Residency Programs and Vision Northwest guidelines for residency program completion.  Attend and document all assigned clinical, scholarly and didactic activities, author a COPE-approved CE project and present it at the annual Northwest Residents Conference at Pacific University, and achieve "expected" or above ratings on all resident evaluations.

Link to Program Brochure

Program Goals

Goal 1: Enhance the resident’s examination skills in vision rehabilitation

Goal 2: Strengthen the resident’s expertise in the diagnosis and management of vision problems in binocular, perceptual vision and vision rehabilitation.

Goal 3: Expand the resident’s knowledge in managing patients with acquired brain injury and developmental delays.

Goal 4: Expand the resident’s knowledge of binocular and perceptual vision problems.

Goal 5: Develop the resident’s communication skills that are required for successful provision of services in vision rehabilitation. 

Goal 6: Develop the resident’s understanding of the business and accounting aspects of successful management of a practice devoted to children, rehabilitation, and vision therapy.

Goal 7: Develop the resident’s skill in presenting topics to fellow professionals.

Residency Experience

Strengths of the Program

The resident will gain clinical experience in all aspects of vision therapy and rehabilitative care. The resident will meet on a weekly basis with the residency coordinator for discussion of current cases. The resident has multidisciplinary clinics in addition to the clinical experience available at Vision Northwest. These locations provide exposure to a wider variety of conditions. The exact schedule for these visits will be determined by the residency coordinator.

Scholarly Activities

The resident is expected to author at least one poster or manuscript suitable for publication and to present this work at the annual Northwest Residents Conference at Pacific University. The resident may attend Pacific University sponsored continuing education programs and the registrations fees are waived during the residency year. The resident is encourage to attend other educational programs, however, travel, lodging, meals and incidental expenses remain the resident’s responsibility.

Library & Research Resources

The resident is provided electronic access to the libraries and computer databases of Pacific University.

Computer, Email & Telephone Access

The clinic is equipped with computers that have internet and email access. Most rooms have work stations for easy access to electronic health records. The resident has the opportunity to have a personal email account.

Performance Evaluations

The resident will receive verbal feedback and quarterly written evaluations from the residency program coordinator. The resident will evaluate the residency program and the residency program coordinator at mid-year and at the end of the year.

Worksite

The clinic is our main place of experience but the resident is able to observe at several local rehabilitation and children's therapy units to observe and interact with co-treatment of patients. The patient base is primarily based in the area of pediatrics, strabismus, and amblyopia, learning related vision problems and acquired brain injuries. The facilities include two refracting lanes and three therapy rooms. Special testing and therapy equipment includes Diopsys, VEP System, Interactive Metronome, Computer Orthoptics-Liquid Crystal Vision Therapy Automated Vision Therapy, Sanet Visual Integrator, Readalyzer and a variety of other vision therapy equipment.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must earn the degree of Doctor of Optometry from a school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education

Candidate must pass all three parts of the NBEO and attain Washington State licensure prior to the starting date of the residency program.

Vision Northwest affirms that all candidates will be evaluated without regard to sex, race, color, creed, national origin or non-disqualifying physical disabilities.

Application Process

Candidates must apply to this residency program through the Optometry Residency Match (ORMatch) online at natmatch.com/ORMatch.

Contact is made through the residency program coordinator, who will conduct a personal interview.

Through ORMatch: Furnish official transcripts of all optometric and graduate education, NBEO scores, and three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the candidate's clinical and academic performance.

Federal Way is between Seattle and Tacoma in King County, Washington. Its western boundary is Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains are to the east. The area offers a rich variety of activities including sightseeing, hiking, kayaking, beachcombing and restaurants. The area has cultural and community events throughout the year.

Call or Email Today

For additional information about this residency opportunity, please contact:

Curtis R. Baxstrom, MA, OD, FCOVD, FNORA

1705 South 324th Place
Federal Way, WA  98003

253-661-6005 | 253-661-0633 (fax) | baxstromod@gmail.com