Abstract
Purpose :
Ophthalmology residency programs aim to improve resident surgical teaching through increased surgical exposure and primary case numbers over a three-year period. Resident run surgical clinics across various surgical specialties have been founded to help develop surgical autonomy and earlier resident surgical experiences. We present the first demonstration of a resident run chalazion clinic in ophthalmology residency with the goal of increasing exposure to orbital procedures for junior residents or post-graduate year 2s (PGY2s).
Methods :
The resident run chalazion clinic was founded in July 2020. Retrospective review of ACGME case logs of all residents per academic year before and after establishment of the chalazion clinic was performed in order to assess the number of chalazion excisions performed.
Results :
A resident of any class year performed an average of 4.9 excisions prior to the founding of the clinic (91 total), and 14.4 excisions after the founding of the clinic (202 total). The average number of chalazion excision and drainages for each resident increased by 211.1% within the first year of the clinic. Among PGY2s, the average increased from 4.7 excisions per year to 22.3 excisions per year, a 374.5% increase. All juniors residents logged a minimum of 9 cases compared to only 87.5% residents logging a minimum of 3 cases.
Conclusions :
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of a dedicated chalazion clinic or a resident run minor procedure clinic in ophthalmology. On average, all residents and PGY2s in particular, experienced an increase in the average number of chalazion excisions. While chalazion excisions have low complication rates and are not technically challenging, increased early exposure to and volume of ophthalmic procedures could help improve junior resident’s skills. This model is also beneficial as it offloads other outpatient ophthalmology and oculoplastics clinics, where chalazion excision and drainage may be difficult to add to the schedule or a lower priority for procedural scheduling. This clinic provides a proof of concept of a dedicated minor procedure clinic run by ophthalmology residents. Future directions include integrated future interns (PGY1s) into the clinic to further develop early procedural skills.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.