USC Roski Eye Institute grows its residency program to seven trainees per year, representing the first class size increase in more than 30 years

Part of the approval process involved the ongoing partnership between the USC Roski Eye Institute and L.A. County+USC Medical Center (LAC+USC) that began more than 40 years ago, as an extension of the medical training affiliation between Los Angeles County and USC which dates back to 1885. Today, the USC Roski Eye Institute remains the exclusive ophthalmology partner for treating patients and teaching residents at the 633-bed safety-net hospital. 

LAC+USC Medical Center is recognized as one of the largest public teaching hospitals in the U.S. and the largest single health care provider in Los Angeles County. Residents receive an unparalleled hands-on training experience where LAC+USC treats more than 1 million ambulatory patients each year and is known as one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in the country. It is also the host facility for the U.S. Navy's Trauma Training Center.

"Our residency program has excelled in combining superb clinical training at one of the country's busiest hospitals with a rigorous academic program supported by the dedication of our 32 full-time faculty," says Vivek Patel, MD, ophthalmology residency program director at the USC Roski Eye Institute and LAC+USC. "Our program offers comprehensive exposure and education in all sub-specialty clinical and surgical areas within ophthalmology. Each division is led by nationally respected experts in their respective fields."

The criteria for ACGME to approve additional residency spots, of which only a handful are granted each year across all medical specialties, hinges upon a program's commitment by its faculty with respect to clinical training, not just on hospital volume, as well as institutional support for funding the program. Patel notes that the USC Roski Eye Institute residency program is well above the national average in diversity of clinical exposure and depth of surgical training.   The program is recognized for offering its residents more autonomy in caring for patients while learning from world-renowned experts in ophthalmology.

The competition to get into USC's elite ophthalmology residency program is fierce with more than 400 applicants every year. In addition to incredible clinical experiences at LAC+USC, all residents also train at USC Roski Eye Institute's partner facilities, including Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA), a pediatric academic medical center treating more than 500,000 children annually. At CHLA, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 children's hospital in California, USC ophthalmology residents receive unique training in various sub-specialty areas such as retinoblastoma, the most common type of eye cancer in children.

While training of ophthalmology residents takes place at Keck School of Medicine of USC affiliates including LAC+USC Medical Center, CHLA and the Veteran's Administration Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center, USC Roski Eye Institute physicians and residents also treat more than 100,000 patients each year at Keck Medical Center of USC in Los Angeles as well as at its eye clinics in downtown L.A., Arcadia, Beverly Hills and Pasadena.

Learn more about the USC Roski Eye Institute at: usceye.org

Watch the video:  http://eye.keckmedicine.org/usc-roski-eye-institute-adds-first-resident-30-years-highlights-lacusc-affiliation/.

SOURCE USC Roski Eye Institute

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http://www.usceye.org