Eye Surgery Wet Lab Draws Residents From All Over Chicago

After months of careful planning, on Oct. 6, Loyola's Department of Ophthalmology hosted its first annual Loyola Microsurgery Biometry Wet Lab for ophthalmology residents from all six residency training programs in the Chicago area. The daylong event drew about 60 participants, some of whom are training at Loyola, Rush, Northwestern, University of Illinois, University of Chicago and Cook County Hospital.

Twenty microsurgery stations were set up in the ENT wet lab facility so that participants could work on nine different procedures -- five in the morning and four in the afternoon. Four stations were dedicated to corneal transplants. At each station, there were two attendings and four residents, ensuring that each resident benefited from an intensive teaching experience. Participants heard a lecture on each procedure on the morning of the event and also received a handout in advance.

In addition to being a well-attended educational event, the Saturday wet lab had other benefits as well. "It shows off our campus and facilities with young doctors who may not have otherwise visited Loyola, and it helps to build collegial relationships among the residents," says Charles Bouchard, MD, Chair, Department of Ophthalmology.

The event's chief organizer of the event, Susanne Tidow-K., MD, said she received positive comments from participants, including one who had "never seen such a well-run, comprehensive approach to anterior segment surgery.” Another said, "This [event] will become the standard by which all other educational programs will be measured." No other University training program has ever offered a wet lab experience of the same depth and scope.

Bouchard is also working to expand opportunities for residents by setting up a citywide Dropbox account, which gives the 66 residents in the Chicago area electronic access to key resource documents and research. In the Dropbox, physicians can find: information on CME programs and collaborative research programs, reports on global health initiatives and other resources.

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