National survey of Canadian ophthalmology residency education

Objective: To describe the current clinical, surgical, and other educational activities of Canadian ophthalmology residents.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Participants: Canadian ophthalmology residents postgraduate year (PGY) 2 to 5.

Methods: An online survey was sent to residents in 2011 and 2014. The data sets were merged and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: The response rate was 41% with an equal distribution across sexes and PGY level. Residents from each program responded. Clinical rotations were led by emergency and comprehensive ophthalmology. The least number of days were spent in oncology, refractive, and low-vision clinics. The mean number of full cases performed by PGY5 was 324 cataracts, 9 trabeculectomies, and 48 horizontal muscles. Most PGY2 to PGY5 students performed more than 10 laser procedures of each type surveyed. Subspecialty surgical volumes varied and were lowest for scleral buckle, refractive laser, penetrating keratoplasty, and floor fracture. The majority of residents received up to 10 hours per week of teaching and 4 to 6 weeks of Royal College study time. Most respondents attended at least 1 funded conference annually and met with program directors twice a year. Research time and grand rounds presentations varied greatly. Forty-six percent of residents had fellowship plans.

Conclusions: This study describes the current clinical, surgical, and other educational activities across Canadian ophthalmology residency programs. The data allows individual programs to evaluate their training models in relation to broader national trends.