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Abstract
Purpose
To survey the current educational trends and methods of ophthalmology teaching in Australian undergraduate and postgraduate medical schools.
Materials and methods
Cross-sectional survey; National online survey distributed to Australian university undergraduate and post-graduate medical schools from November 2020 to March 2021. The survey encompassed 35 questions on student demographics, teaching methods, core theoretical topics, clinical skills, and assessment methods in ophthalmology. One survey per institution completed by the relevant individual responsible for curriculum.
Results
Total response rate of 90.48% (19 of 21 medical schools) was received with good representation across Australia. Ophthalmology rotations were required in 63.3% (n = 12), while 36.7% (n = 7) did not have mandatory terms. This compares favourably to the USA (16%), Canada (35.7%) and equivalent to UK (65%). 74% (n = 14) state ophthalmology is not a priority in the curriculum. All respondents reported student exposure to at least one clinical day in ophthalmology, with total teaching time ranging from less than six hours (36.9%), up to greater than two weeks (10.5%). Overall, only 31.6% reported utilisation of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) curriculum in curricular development.
Conclusions
Ophthalmology medical school teaching in Australia remains reasonable when compared internationally, but there is significant variation amongst universities. Incorporation of the ICO curriculum and development of shared resources would enhance medical graduates’ competence.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.
Glossary
International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO): An international group of ophthalmologists formulated to create guidelines and curriculum minimums on ophthalmic education of medical students worldwide (International Task Force on Ophthalmic Education of Medical Students International Council of Ophthalmology Citation2006).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Tabitha M. Scott
Tabitha M. Scott, BKin, MD, MMed(OphthSci), completed her medical degree at the University of Queensland and is an unaccredited registrar in ophthalmology. She has earned her Master of Medicine in Ophthalmic Science at the University of Sydney and is interested in medical student education.
Tony Succar
Tony Succar, PhD, MScMed(OphthSc), earned his PhD at the University of Sydney, Department of Ophthalmology and has extensive experience in ophthalmic medical education research. He is currently working at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Constantinos Petsoglou
Constantinos Petsoglou, MBBS, MMed(Clin Epi), FRANZCO, is a consultant Ophthalmologist working as a Cornea Specialist at Sydney Eye Hospital. He is a senior lecturer in clinical ophthalmology at the University of Sydney and deputy director of NSW Tissue Banks.