Residencies at the School of Optometry and Vision Science

What is a residency?

Optometric residencies are one-year, post-graduate, experiential training programs that advance patient care skills beyond entry-level practice. Residents provide supervised clinical eye and vision care services and experience a mix of learning methods including self-directed learning, seminar, workshop and conference participation, laboratory and clinical teaching, and scholarship activities. For more general information about residencies, please see the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) residency information web page.

Our Residency Mission Statement

To provide graduate optometrists with a program of concentrated mentored clinical experience and education designed to produce practitioners with advanced knowledge, skill and judgment in a selected area(s) of optometric practice. This will enable them to deliver advanced clinical care, practice life-long learning, and educate members of the profession.

Background

The University of Waterloo's School of Optometry and Vision Science has offered clinical residency programs for more than 40 years. Please see below for a list of residencies that are currently accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (accredit@theacoe.org) and others that are not accredited.

Our residencies are designed to extend and refine the optometrist’s knowledge and skill in specific areas of clinical practice. Skills will be enhanced primarily through clinical training and enriched by seminars, clinical research, and teaching. The emphasis of our residencies is on clinical training; nevertheless, residents are encouraged to engage in scholarly activity and will be required to participate in the clinical education of optometry students.

Residencies for 2025-2026

All residencies run from August 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026.

Note: For residencies that are fully or partly located at the School of Optometry & Vision Science, clinical work will primarily take place at the interim clinic location, 419 Phillip St., Waterloo, while the Waterloo Eye Institute, our expanded and renovated clinic and research space, is under construction. The interim location is expected to be open until fall 2026.  

Accredited residencies

Non-Accredited residencies

Eligibility

Residencies at the School of Optometry & Vision Science are available to those who have received an OD degree from an ACOE accredited program, and who are eligible to hold a full general license with the College of Optometrists of Ontario. For more information regarding optometric licensure in Ontario, please visit the College of Optometrists of Ontario website. 

In all cases, a general certificate of registration issued by the College of Optometrists of Ontario must be in place on entry to the residency.  

Prior to participating in any of the clinics, all residents must provide up-to-date proof of immunization for:

  • Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
  • Tetanus and diphtheria
  • Hepatitis B
  • Other immunizations as may be required (e.g., in the event of a change in policy or an emergent epidemic).

Residents must also present verification of a tuberculin skin test in the past 12 months.

Application procedure

Please register via ORMatch in order to be considered for a residency position. The last day you can submit applications to our program using the ORMatch Application Service is January 31, 2024. For Canadian-educated applicants: for the OE tracker number, use your OEBC ID, and enter "100P" for the NBEO Examination score. Any other fields that are not applicable may be left blank or you may enter N/A. 

In addition to submitting an application to ORMatch, please send the following by 12:00 PM EST, January 31, 2024:

Make your applications to Dr Lisa Christian (Associate Director for Clinical Education and Professional Affairs), but mail or email your documents to the Administrator for Residencies at the address below. Your application should include:

  • Letter of application/interest (indicate which of the four positions you are interested in)
  • Curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Three letters of reference (Applicants are required to submit one internal reference letter from their school and two additional references that may be either internal or external. A variety of references are suggested)
  • Official Doctor of Optometry transcripts (hard copies to be sent directly from the University/College to the Administrator for Residencies). You may include transcripts for other higher degrees may be included, if relevant. You may send unofficial OD transcripts initially but official transcripts will be required before you are offered an interview. Please note University of Waterloo graduates are not required to provide transcripts as we can access them directly. 

Please send all required application documents to:

optometry.residency@uwaterloo.ca
Administrator for Residencies
School of Optometry and Vision Science
University of Waterloo
200 University Ave. West
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Interviews

If you are granted an interview, you will be notified by email no later than February 8, 2023. Unfortunately, if you do not receive an interview, you will no longer be considered for admission.

 Interviews will be conducted during the week of February 10 to February 21, 2025. The residency interview will consist of the following:  

  • Personal interview with residency supervisors
  • Written assessment of clinical decision making
  • Round table discussion with current and/or past residents

Short-listing and final selections will be made based on merit, as determined by your application package and interview, with no regard to gender, age, race, marital status, sexual orientation, place of origin, citizenship or religion. Under the Ontario Human Rights Code and University of Waterloo policy, all applicants have the right to equal treatment in employment, free from discrimination based on the following prohibited grounds: race; ancestry; place of origin; colour; ethnic origin; citizenship; creed/religion; sex; sexual orientation; age; record of offences; marital status; same-sex partnership status; family status; receipt of public assistance; mental or physical handicap.