A Shared Commitment
This curriculum represents a partnership between residents, faculty, and the educational system.
We have committed ourselves to thoughtfully designing your educational experience so that every activity has a purpose and every minute invested has educational value.
In return, we ask you to engage fully with the process:
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Prepare intentionally.
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Apply your knowledge and participate actively during in-person sessions.
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Reinforce learning after the in-person session.
Learning is difficult work, and it should remain so. Our goal is not to make residency easier. Our goal is to ensure that your effort is invested where it matters most.
We hope this curriculum helps you become an outstanding ophthalmologist and also provides you with something equally valuable: a deeper understanding of how to best learn.
Learning within an Intentionally Designed Curriculum
You are no longer simply a student. You are a physician who is simultaneously learning, teaching, and caring for patients every day. You are expected to develop clinical judgment while continuing to master an enormous body of medical knowledge. That is not easy. We recognize that your time is valuable and limited.
This curriculum was intentionally designed to help you make the most of the time you already spend learning. Rather than adding unnecessary work, our goal is to make your learning more efficient, more meaningful, and more durable.
Each subject is broken down into individual learning modules. Each learning module has 3 phases: Preparation (before an in-person learning session)→ Application (in-person learning session)→ Reinforcement (after an in-person learning session). Each phase serves a different purpose, and each build upon the one before it; they cannot stand in isolation.
1. Preparation
Preparation occurs before the in-person learning session; you will build the foundational knowledge needed to participate meaningfully during the in-person session. This means reading the assigned BCSC chapter or reviewing other preparatory material.
The curriculum will provide you with resources to guide you through your preparatory work. These resources are intentionally designed to help you engage actively with the material—not simply read it.
2. Application
Rather than repeating information you could learn independently, your faculty are will help you think through concepts, work through clinical cases, answer questions, challenge your reasoning, and share the judgment that comes only from their experience.
You will get the most from these sessions if you arrive prepared and complete the preparation phase.
3. Reinforcement
The Reinforcement phase is designed to create lasting knowledge. After in-person sessions, memory fades. This is normal.
With spaced repetition, self-quizzing, and revisiting material, long-term memory is created.
The curriculum will assist you through this phase through learning materials and helpful reminders and check-ins.