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Ophthalmology Residency

Texas A&M University Comparative Ophthalmology Residency 

  OPEN POSITION: Comparative Ophthalmology residency (July 2024 – July 2027) 

The successful candidate will join our third-year resident (Dr. Maria Moriyon). 

Please find application instructions, program description, and resident employment information below. 

Application instructions 

Application prerequisites: 

  • A passing score on the NAVLE 
  • Graduation from an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine with completion of DVM or VMD degree 
  • Successful completion of a rotating internship   

Additional information for graduates of universities outside of the United States and Canada 

  • For graduates of non-AVMA-accredited colleges of veterinary medicine, the applicant will need to obtain the PAVE or the ECFVG certificate prior to taking the Texas State Board examination. 
  • Note: The Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences will not sponsor applicants for H-1B or E-3 non-immigrants employment categories. 

Application requirements:  

  • Letter of intent:  
    • Your letter of intent should be one to two pages in length and discuss your expectations of an ophthalmology residency program and your future professional goals. In addition, we encourage you to describe your anticipated contributions to the field of veterinary ophthalmology. The letter may include life experiences, background, past activities, or unique personal characteristics that would contribute to the program in meaningful ways. 
  • Curriculum Vitae, including:  
    • Cumulative veterinary school GPA 
    • Class rank 
    • Phone and e-mail contact information   
  • Copy of transcripts, including: 
    • Preclinical veterinary curricula 
    • Clinical veterinary curricula 
      • .pdf copies are acceptable, though individuals may be contacted to provide official transcript records from all training institutions   
  • Three letters of recommendation:  
    • Letters should be written by faculty members, research mentors, and/or practicing veterinarians.
    • These letters commonly address aptitude and performance pertinent to knowledge of veterinary medicine, clinical skills (including surgical ability), ability to apply knowledge in the clinical setting, ability to communicate and work with others, and scientific research experiences.
    • Letters should be submitted by the authors directly to Ms. Amanda Williams (vscsrecruiting@cvm.tamu.edu) 

Application timeline: 

  • Deadline for receipt of complete application:
    • 12pm EST, Monday, November 13, 2023.   
  • Interviews: 
    • Select candidates will be invited for Zoom/telephone interview in late December 2023 until early January 2024.
    • Our search strategy includes the possibility that we contact individuals (by telephone or e-mail) who provided standard letters of recommendation, as well as additional people who were not on your reference list.
    • Please contact our selections administrator  prior to November 15, 2023 to indicate if you do not give permission for direct contact with individuals listed as references or others who may have interacted with you in the past. 
  • Residency offer date:
    • 12pm EST, Monday, January 29, 2024.
    • Please review the Ophthalmology Residency Choosing Association (ORCA)’s selection day guidelines here and be available by phone at this time.   
  • Inclusive dates of the program: July 22, 2024 – July 23, 2027 

Submission instructions: 

  • All materials should be sent via e-mail in .pdf to:  Ms. Amanda Williams (vscsrecruiting@cvm.tamu.edu) 
  • E-mail subject line for applicants: “Ophthalmology Residency Application. Applicant’s Last Name. Applicant’s First Name”. 
  • E-mail subject line for letter of recommendation writers: “Residency Recommendation. Applicant’s Last Name. Applicant’s First Name” 

Authorized Texas A&M University & Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences’ administrative official:  

Program Description   

The Comparative Ophthalmology Residency is a three-year training program supported by the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences within the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) at Texas A&M University.  Three American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO)-diplomates (Drs. Sean Collins and Lucien Vallone) directly supervise this two-resident program, which is also supported by two fulltime service technicians.  This service provides veterinary ophthalmic care within the VMTH’s Small Animal Hospital (dogs, cats, birds, small exotics, laboratory animals) and Large Animal Hospital (horses, food and fiber animals), with occasional external consultations at local zoos and aquariums.  

Read more about our team here: (http://vethospital.tamu.edu/small-animal-hospital/ophthalmology  

Residency Training Objectives:   

  • Establish clinical competency, such that residency completion leads to successful practice within the field of comparative ophthalmology. 
  • Development of effective clinical, laboratory, and didactic teaching skills. 
  • Introduction to research methodology, including project selection and execution, grant writing, abstract presentation, and manuscript preparation/submission.    
  • Completion of American Board of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ABVO)-residency requirements and preparation for the ABVO certifying examination.    

Clinical Experience and Responsibilities:   

  • Medical ophthalmology – Participate in clinical activities and primary case management under the direct supervision of an ACVO diplomate throughout the majority of the program. Clinical duties include diagnosing and treating animals with ocular disease, managing inpatients, and providing consultations for veterinarians from other hospital services and surrounding general practices. 
  • Surgical training – Residents will progress through surgical training, gaining independence in a broad variety of surgeries over time.  Surgery of the adnexa, nasolacrimal system, orbit, cornea, and lens are emphasized.   
  • Didactic training – Participation in daily rounds, weekly journal club, monthly image recognition rounds, and bi-monthly ocular pathology rounds are required. Regular attendance at the annual American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists will be supported. 
  • Research – Completion of a clinical-based ophthalmic research project and submission of at least one manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal is required prior to completion of the residency.  Presentation of this research at an annual ACVO conference is strongly encouraged.  Residents are assigned to deliver annual intramural educational seminars as a part of a broader house officer lecture series.   
  • Teaching – Residents are assigned to supervise and teach veterinary students, rotating interns, and other residents within the clinic, classroom, and laboratory settings.  Residents may be asked to participate in local veterinarian outreach through continuing education lectures and laboratories.   
  • Emergency Duty – Responsible for teleophthalmology of emergency referrals to the Ophthalmology Service after-hours 50% of the time, including weekends and holidays.  When assigned to out-of-hours on-call duty, the house officer must be able to answer the phone call or text message within 30 minutes.   
  • Elective, research, required course work, and study time – We operate on a 4 day per week clinic schedule with every Friday being an off-clinic day. Complete weeks of off clinics or vacation will be distributed over the 3-year program.  Participation in the semi-annual William Magrane Basic Science Course in Veterinary and Comparative Ophthalmology is required during this off-clinic time. 
     

Successful progression through the program will be accompanied by increasing clinical responsibilities.  Continuation in the program is based upon satisfactory semi-annual performance reviews. A certificate of residency will be issued following successful completion of all requirements of the program. Concurrent enrollment in residency and graduate programs is not permitted. 

Resident employment information  

  • Salary:  $37,000 
  • Is a non-compete clause required? No    
  • Is a contract required? Yes 

General employment prerequisites: 

  • Records of up-to-date rabies and tetanus vaccination/protective titers 
  • A passing score on the NAVLE 
  • Graduation from an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine with completion of DVM or VMD degree 
  • A valid regular license or special license to practice veterinary medicine in Texas which requires a passing score on the on the Texas State Board examination.
    •  Texas A&M University will reimburse the $515 licensure fee.    
    • An applicant for a special license must: 
      • (1) have graduated from an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine OR have the PAVE or ECFVG certificate, and 
      • (2) pass a jurisprudence examination. 
  • DEA license
    •  The University will reimburse you for the fees and can assist with the application process.
  • Employment is contingent on your ability to provide employment eligibility documentation required by federal employment laws. 

Opportunity to earn additional cash compensation:  

  • Additional compensation will be awarded in one of the following ways:
    • A $15/case will be given to the resident who offers a phone consultation only or who is listed as the attending clinician during admission.
    • A $35/case will be given to the resident who physically comes in to evaluate a patient and/or perform a procedure on an emergency basis and spends less than 2 hours, in the hospital, with that emergency patient.
    • A $100/case will be given to the resident who physically comes in to evaluate a patient and/or perform a procedure on an emergency basis and spend more than 2 hours, in the
      hospital, with that emergency patient.
    • Additional compensation is maxed out at $5,000, per resident.

Benefits:  

  • The Texas A&M System provides a full package of benefits to protect employees and their families.  This position receives a $2,000 annual education and travel stipend dependent on funding.   
  • Benefit Package:
    • This position is eligible for a benefits package and participation in a retirement program is required.
      • Upon employment, you may choose to immediately enroll in a Texas A&M University System sponsored health insurance plan, provided you pay the full cost of premiums.
      • You may also defer enrollment in a health plan until the first of the month following a 60-day waiting period from your date of hire.
      • The costs of benefit programs are shared by the employee and Texas A&M University. The employee’s cost for benefits varies with the number and types of benefit programs selected.
      • Employees of Texas A&M University participate in the federal Social Security program and either the Texas Teacher’s Retirement program (TRS) or the Optional Retirement Program (ORP).
      • Since you will be making your benefit selections on or before your first day of work, you may want to familiarize yourself with the Employee Benefits Guide with can be found at https://employees.tamu.edu/benefits/ 

 Vacation/Annual Leave:  

  • Residents earn annual leave at a rate of 8 hours per month.   
  • Residents also earn compensatory time for work that is required on university holidays.
    • All compensatory time is state and expires within 1 year of issuance.
    • Residents are not allowed to take annual leave or compensatory time during the last 2 weeks of June and the first 2 weeks of July in any year of their program.
    • Residents will be paid for any remaining leave they have accrued when they separate from the university. 

Current Residents: https://vscs.tamu.edu/people/interns-residents/  

For questions about this residency training position:  

Please contact Dr. Sean Collins, DVM, MS, DACVO

(scollins@cvm.tamu.edu)  

  • For candidates who would like to tour the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and meet our current house officers, open days will be held on November 10th and December 11th, 2023. These are for candidate informational purposes only and are NOT part of the selection process.
  • For more information about the open days, and to RSVP if you plan to attend one of these days, please email Amanda Williams (vscsrecruiting@cvm.tamu.edu)
  • Texas A&M University is a smoke-free workplace.