GAINING CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
HOME AND ABROAD
The University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) upperclassmen are embarking on an extensive externship program. Students have three rotations per year: summer (13 weeks), fall (17 weeks) and spring (15 weeks). They started the fall rotation on Aug. 26 this year and will complete it Dec. 20.
“This is a unique class that took a risk on a brand-new school,” says Cliff Caudill, O.D., assistant dean of clinical affairs and associate professor of optometry. “They matriculated, knowing that it was a start-up and not established nor accredited yet, but our philosophy and program enabled us to get students who were ready to take the journey with us.” Students had more than 26,000 patient encounters during the summer rotation at 51 different sites. These sites are all over the United States in various areas of interest including primary care, surgery, pediatrics and low vision. 28
UPIKE MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2019
Students rotate within Veterans Administration facilities as well as I.H.S. (Indian Health Service) sites. UPIKE is currently in the process of setting up affiliations in Hawaii, Alaska and Germany. “In our early clinical encounters, such as those in community health centers, patients are coming in who have more systemic problems in addition to eye problems, unlike other institutions where the focus is on younger, healthier patients,” said Caudill. In their third year, students spend one day a week in clinics. By the fourth year, it is five days a week, significantly ramping up the volume of patients they see. They go to a variety of public and private sites, including referral centers for secondary and tertiary care. “We have hundreds of different sites,” said Caudill. “So, there is a lot of variety for some area that they are
