insight
By WOVS
Here we are again; another class of bright and eager students have written their Canadian Assessment of Competence in Optometry (CACO) exams and have walked across the stage to receive their Optometry Doctoral (OD) degrees from the University of Waterloo. They will proudly join the profession as newly minted optometrists. While this happens every year, there is always a sense of excitement and achievement felt by the students, faculty and staff alike. Congratulations to the Class of 2016 – we can’t wait to see where your careers take you!
If we reflect back on the last term, and even the last year, the School has been involved in educating more than just our students; it has been providing essential continuing education across Canada. This has come about by the expansion of the scope of practice to include independent glaucoma management and the inclusion of oral medications in Saskatchewan and the Maritimes. Such change in legislation for these provinces helps to bridge the gaps in delivery of vision care across the country. In-depth courses were provided by Drs. Blair Lonsberry, Sarah MacIver and Lisa Prokopich. The courses included thirty hours of self-directed learning modules, followed by two days of live, interactive lectures which concluded with a certification examination.
Through our Vision Science graduate program’s Research Seminar Series, we also offer alumni the opportunity to receive continuing education credit. This program typically runs through the academic year and our speakers come from a variety of disciplines. This year’s keynote speaker was alumnus Dr. Garth Webb who spoke passionately about his new venture, Ocumetics. With initiatives such as this, our Vision Science graduate program continues to strengthen. One highlight this year was the success of GJ Won, winning the National Three Minute Thesis competition. Congratulations GJ Won, this is a tremendous achievement!
The School was also pleased to welcome two new faculty members, Dr. Andre Stanberry, Associate Clinical Professor and Clinic Director and also Dr. Lacey Haines, Assistant Clinical Professor. We are thrilled to have them join our team! This year will see two familiar faces retire from the School; Marilyn Smith, a clinic faculty member for 28 years will be retiring to take on new challenges and adventures, and Dr. Dan Hayhoe, a long time supervisor in the clinic has hung up his white coat and is moving on to new ventures. Their contributions to optometric education are significant, and they were frequently recognized by our students, regularly receiving awards from the graduating class. We wish them both well!
As we look to what is next there is a lot of planning to be done and we will focus our attention on the redevelopment of the curriculum. This is a deep and comprehensive process that has been going on for some time and continues to be a priority for the School. We are pleased to share with you that we have set a goal to have it finalized this coming fall.
Guided by the Canadian Examiners of Optometry’s report in 2015, which establishes the National Competency Profile for new optometrists, the School will focus on increasing patient care exposure for the students earlier in their program. Introducing students to hands-on clinical experiences earlier in the program will accelerate skills and confidence. Each year will lay the groundwork for the next. Updates will also include increased primary care experience concentrated in third year, and then a focus on speciality clinical care in the fourth year. Changes will be implemented starting as early as September 2016, and will be rolled out through to 2020.
Last but not least, this is a reminder to Stay Connected! We have now gone to a digital School newsletter so if you haven’t signed up yet, please make sure you do so that we can keep you up to date with news, events and important information. Adding to this, we have now created a Twitter account and you can follow us at @UwOptometry.