Q&A

When Mahatma Gandhi said, “the future depends on what you do today,” he wasn’t talking about the optometric profession, but the statement certainly fits. After all, it is what our great profession’s graduates do today that will determine optometry’s future.

Thankfully, many of these graduates recognize that their patients’ ocular health and their own livelihoods depend on their ability to practice full-scope optometric care. In recognizing this, they have chosen to spend a year after graduation from optometry school to complete a residency in their specialties of choice.

More than 235 optometric residency programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, with other residencies also available, according to the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.

I am always so proud of those who accept the challenge a residency offers. This month, you’re going to hear from three residents: Michael Merritt, O.D., Ivan Prpic, O.D., and Sari R. Schwartz, O.D. When you read about these clinical stars, I think you’ll feel more than at ease about the future of optometry. Enjoy!

Jack Schaeffer, O.D., F.A.A.O.,
Editor-in-Chief
O.D. Scene

RESIDENTS WEIGH IN . . .

MICHAEL MERRITT, O.D.,
IVAN PRPIC, O.D.,
& SARI R. SCHWARTZ, O.D.

Q: WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO A RESIDENCY?

MM: From early on in optometry school, I wanted a way to distinguish myself from my peers, and residency provides that opportunity. If you want to be a clinician of the highest caliber, there’s really no better means of achieving that goal than completing a residency program

IP: Many of my best mentors and role models attributed much of their successes to spending an extra year undergoing residency training. If I wanted to one day reach their level of expertise, it felt right to take their advice and go through another year of specialty training.

SS: I decided to pursue a residency because of my passion for lifelong learning and a desire to feel confident in providing patient care to the best of my ability. By pursuing a residency, I am able to work with a diverse group of amazing doctors who all share my passion.

Q: WHERE IS YOUR RESIDENCY?

MM: I am currently completing my residency at the Lynn Community Health Center in Lynn, Mass., outside of Boston.

IP: Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center (BLHC), New York.

SS: My residency is at the Southern College of Optometry’s main clinic, The Eye Center, in Memphis, Tenn.

Q: WHAT KIND OF RESIDENCY ARE YOU DOING?

MM: Community health optometry. We provide eye care to vulnerable and under-served populations. I feel that the level of complexity and the variety of ocular diseases I see is paralleled in very few other practice settings.

IP: Hospital-based ocular disease. I spend my days either performing primary eye care or working directly in specialty clinics, including retina, cornea, neuro, oculoplastics and glaucoma.

SS: I am completing a residency in pediatrics and vision therapy/rehabilitation. I have the flexibility to provide direct patient care and precept 3rd and 4th-year students. I am involved in local community outreaches through school screenings, sports-related concussion screenings, hospital-based rehabilitative care and MobilEyes, a portable van equipped with two exam lanes.

Q: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CLINICAL LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED BY DOING A RESIDENCY?

MM: I practice in a setting where languages from all corners of the world are spoken, so I am often unable to rely on subjective testing in the exam room. This has taught me a great deal about relying on objective measures to make a diagnosis and initiate a treatment plan.

IP: There is something to learn and gain from every patient who presents in your chair. I have been so appreciative of how all my mentors and attendings here at BLHC have made conscious efforts to further my learning.

SS: The biggest clinical lesson I have learned by doing a residency is that there are different ways to approach a situation. Working with a variety of doctors and students, in multiple settings, has broadened my approach to patient care.

Q: HOW, IF AT ALL, DO YOU FEEL THE EXPERIENCE GIVES YOU A LEG UP ON THOSE WHO HAVE NOT DONE A RESIDENCY?

MM: I feel that the confidence I’m starting to have with almost any disease I see is something many people don’t have right after graduation. And the didactics of residency also provide a leg up on your colleagues by training you to practice eye care to the highest standard using evidence-based medicine.

IP: I truly believe that the best way to learn about a disease or condition is to see and experience it firsthand. In a single day at BLHC, I get exposed to and presented with more unique patients and cases than I ever would have outside of a residency.

SS: I feel that residency opens the door to endless opportunities professionally and personally. As a residency-trained doctor, I think you are more likely to be hired in an academic institution, a VA health care facility and a hospital. A residency also connects you with others who have a shared interest in your specialty.

Q: WHAT ADDITIONAL SKILLS HAVE YOU BUILT BY DOING A RESIDENCY?

MM: The variety of patients I see has taught me a range of skills. With children, I’m improving the speed and accuracy of my retinoscopy, managing strabismus and prescribing for amblyopia. For adults, I manage quite a wide variety of ocular diseases, as well as ocular manifestations of systemic disease. And I’m speaking a near-fluent level of optometry-related Spanish.

IP: The interdisciplinary approach to health care is something that has shown its importance to me during my hospital residency. I’ve had the opportunity to work firsthand with, learn from and offer advice to other members of a patient’s health care team, including endocrinologists, neurologists, pharmacists, radiologists and the entire ER team.

SS: As a resident, my ability to communicate has improved tremendously. I feel more confident not only leading journal reviews and presenting among peers, but through patient care and working with students, I have come to learn what a person needs to better understand the situation at hand.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEETING FOR CE?

MM: I love going to the Academy meeting. I’ve gone every year since my second year in school (when much of it was still over my head). Now, I’ll be presenting a case report as a resident this year and couldn’t be more excited!

IP: As a student, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend three of the big meetings: Academy, Vision Expo and Optometry’s Meeting. I appreciated how Optometry’s Meeting brought so many optometry students together and allowed us to connect with our future colleagues.

SS: Academy. As a student, I attended this meeting in Denver, New Orleans and Anaheim; as a resident I will be presenting at the upcoming meeting in Chicago. I love this conference because optometrists passionate about vision science and research come together to learn from one another.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PASTIME, SPORT OR HOBBY?

MM: I love doing anything that gets me out in nature: hiking, camping, snowboarding; you name it. I also love to travel, so if I can get in on a road trip and combine both of those activities, I’m a happy camper.

IP: On weekends and on my days off, you can find me spending time outdoors skiing and hiking and playing sports, such as soccer and tennis.

SS: My favorite pastime is being with friends and family at my parent’s lake house, snowboarding, boating or telling stories by the fire. I also love to travel, learn about different cultures and meet new people.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE, BOOK AND ADULT BEVERAGE?

MM: Movie: Almost anything by Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan; Book: “Homage to Catalonia;” Adult beverage: It depends on my mood and what I’m wearing: Pats or Sox jersey? I’m having a beer. Suit and tie? Probably a nice old fashioned.

IP: Movie: “Good Will Hunting;” Book: “How to Win Friends and Influence People;” Adult beverage: A Caesar. (For those people who are unfamiliar, a Caesar is the Canadian [and improved] version of a Bloody Mary.

SS: Movie: “Forgetting Sarah Marshall;” Book: “All the Light We Cannot See;” Adult beverage: Amaretto OM