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Optometry
Recent strategic planning at Salus University included scenario planning. One of the common themes that emerged from this process was the idea of stackable certificates to meet the increasingly diverse needs of a student pursing a credential related to healthcare and/or education.
As a result, the Department of International and Continuing Education (DICE) at Salus is offering a series of stackable certificates that culminate in a Master of Science in Clinical Optometry (MSCO) degree.
Comprehensive Eye Care 1
The purpose of this certificate is to provide students with an expanded knowledge in epidemiology and research design, ocular anatomy and physiology, and visual sciences such as contact lens, refractive surgery, low vision and binocular vision and vision therapy.
Comprehensive Eye Care 2
Students successfully completing this certificate will be equipped with the tools to critically appraise and apply scientific literature in optometric practice. Additionally, courses in human and ocular anatomy, optic nerve disorders, physiology, pathology and pharmacology will broaden and deepen a student’s knowledge in the identification and management of ocular manifestations of disease.
Comprehensive Eye Care 3
Students successfully completing this certificate will be able to more effectively diagnosis and co-manage glaucoma, anterior and posterior segment disease and ocular manifestations of systemic disease. Courses in environmental optometry as well as practice management and development provide students with the knowledge and skills to expand their practice impact and become leaders in their professions.
Clinical Eye Care
The students practice on paid patients in a workshop setting to review a standardized approach to primary eye care clinical examination skills and the recording of clinical findings. The emphasis is on mastering the following clinical skills: Refraction, Goldmann tonometry, slit lamp biomicroscopy, gonioscopy, dilated fundus lens biomicroscopy and binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. Students examine patients in a controlled environment to diagnose ocular diseases and identify the appropriate management options for each patient. Students work with skilled clinicians during the rotation, thereby receiving professional guidance throughout the process.
Scholarly Applications
Students complete a mentor-guided, written literature review on an approved topic that culminates in an oral presentation. Students interested in pursuing a PhD degree at Salus can choose a topic and be assigned a faculty advisor which can potentially result in a shorter PhD program duration. Additionally, students will write two case reports based upon patients for whom they have provided care. The case reports are written under the supervision and guidance of an assigned faculty content expert. Each student presents one of the cases orally to an audience of their peers and their faculty advisor.
Advanced Studies
Advanced Studies gives students the opportunity to customize their experience by gaining additional knowledge and skills within a specific content area. It consists of four parts delivered in a small group learning format, including online lectures and hands-on workshops that utilize paid patients with relevant conditions as indicated. In addition, article reviews and mentor-guided case report writing are teaching techniques that will be utilized. The current Advanced Studies content offerings are: Binocular Vision and Vision Therapy, Vision Impairment and Rehabilitation, Contact Lens.
The admissions criteria include:
The program starts January 2021 for the Comprehensive Eye Care 1 certificate.
For more information, contact Melissa Vitek, OD ‘95, FAAO, director of the Department of International and Continuing Education, by emailing mvitek@salus.edu.
