Perceptions of Vitreoretinal Surgical Fellowship Training in the United States

Venincasa, Michael J.; Hubschman, Sasha; Kuriyan, Ajay E.; Berrocal, Audina M.; Sivalingam, Arunan; Albini, Thomas A.; Sridhar, Jayanth

doi:10.1016/j.oret.2019.05.006

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This is comparable with one survey in the US showing VR fellows gave an average of 3.8 presentations and 3.7 papers over the course of the their relatively longer two-year fellowship [4]. In a more recent US survey of surgical retina fellows, they reported a mean(SD) of 3.12(2.15) presentations and 4.82(5.44) manuscripts submitted during the two-year retina fellowship [5].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…To the best of our knowledge this is the first survey of VR fellow experiences in the UK. In addition, only two surveys exists in the current literature on this topic, both are based on US data [4,5]. In our UK survey 85% undertook a fellowship of less than 18 months duration which is shorter than fellowship programs in the US; these are normally 24 months and typically incorporate both medical and surgical retina [4,5,8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, only two surveys exists in the current literature on this topic, both are based on US data [4,5]. In our UK survey 85% undertook a fellowship of less than 18 months duration which is shorter than fellowship programs in the US; these are normally 24 months and typically incorporate both medical and surgical retina [4,5,8]. The AUPO-FCC recommends a minimum of 100 PPVs and 20 SBs performed as either primary or assisting surgeon over the two-year period [8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another US study with 34 VR fellow responders found that 50% of them performed less than 20 SBs as primary surgeon with 38% performing 21-50 SB and 12% performing 51-100 SBs. When asked about Vitrectomies all fellows performed more than 151 with the majority performing either 201-300, 301-400, or 401-500 PPVs as primary surgeon (26% for each group) [5]. The AUPO-FCC has also published total number of cases reported by fellows in their exit survey with the most recent data from the 2017-2019 cohort [6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although VR fellow experiences in the United States (US) have been previously published [4,5], there is no published data on the experiences of VR fellows in the UK. In the US, the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO)-fellowship compliance committee (AUPO-FCC) set minimum recommended surgical requirements that approved fellowship programs should comply with and these have been used as a benchmark when evaluating VR fellowships in the US [4,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experience gained during vitreoretinal fellowships in the United Kingdom

Bassilious

Moussa

Kalogeropoulos

et al. 2022

Eye

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Background There are 16 vitreoretinal (VR) fellowships listed on the British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons (BEAVRS) website offering places to 23 applicants, however, this list is not exhaustive. The purpose of this survey was to evaluate surgical volume, training, and experience of VR fellows in the UK. Methods An anonymous survey was disseminated online to current and past VR fellows who are members of BEAVRS. Participants were asked about their surgical experience and confidence, before and during their fellowship, in performing a variety of procedures. Participants were also asked about their academic achievements and their career prospects. Results All 26 respondents felt that their fellowship met their surgical needs and would recommend it to others. Upon completion, 92% felt prepared to work as a consultant. Following fellowship completion, the median (IQR) number of procedures performed were: phacoemulsification: 91 (51–131), pars-plana vitrectomy (PPV): 351 (226–451), simple-retinal detachment (RD): 176 (126–226), complex-RD: 31 (16–51), scleral buckle (SB): 16 (80–26), membrane-peels: 76 (41–88), intraocular-foreign body (IOFB) removal: 3 (3–3), indirect laser: 51 (11–91), scleral-fixated intraocular-lens (sfIOL): 3 (3–8), removal-of-dropped-nucleus (RODN): 16 (8–26), diabetic membrane delaminations: 16 (8–16); with an increase of confidence in performing all VR procedures ( p < 0.001). Participants completed 2 (1–2) presentations and 2 (0–3) papers with no difference in academic performance between those with/without postgraduate qualifications ( p = 0.409). Conclusions Overall, fellowships in the UK are of a high quality and prepare the fellow adequately for progression into a consultant post. They help increase surgical confidence and provide opportunities to complete academic work. Fellowships without VR on-call commitments can be improved by incorporating on-call duties. Finally, COVID-19 impacted exposure to elective cases.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%