What Does it Mean to Be a Veterinary Ophthalmologist?
What Does it Mean to Be a Veterinary Ophthalmologist?
Brittany Martabano, DVM, MS, DACVO
What makes someone a veterinary ophthalmologist? It can be a long road to obtaining that coveted title! As veterinary ophthalmologists, we feel privileged to work with wonderful owners and their pets to maintain ocular health, comfort, and vision.
The path to becoming a veterinary ophthalmologist in North America (the United States and Canada) is similar to human physicians that specialize in ophthalmology. A 4-year undergraduate degree is required for application to veterinary school. Most veterinary schools require all applicants to have completed rigorous coursework in college including general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, physics, genetics, calculus, advanced life sciences, and statistics, as well as humanities, and English. However, it’s not only rigorous coursework, excellent grades, top standardized test scores, and personal letters of reference that are required for admission into veterinary school, but also veterinary work experience and animal care experience. Each accepted veterinary student should be a well-rounded individual in all of these categories.
Once admitted to veterinary school, grades and ability to work well with others is paramount to achieving a mandatory general rotating internship. A rotating internship is work experience in which a recently graduated Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) spends a year working in a small animal or large animal hospital with exposure to different specialty disciplines including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Emergency and Critical Care, Anesthesia, Oncology, Neurology, Radiology, Behavior, Cardiology, Rehabilitation, Dermatology, Dentistry, and especially, Ophthalmology. and hopefully Ophthalmology! Regular oversight is provided by experienced doctors and board-certified specialists in order to help the intern develop a general veterinary knowledge base and practical clinical skill set.
Most interns then become specialty interns in ophthalmology and/or then a fellow in ophthalmology, with a specialty internship and a fellowship program each lasting a period of one year. Specialty internships provide a veterinarian wishing to pursue an ophthalmology residency with an opportunity to immerse themselves in clinical practice, familiarize themselves with high level learning, surgery, journal club, and prepare for residency. Specialty fellowships similarly provide a veterinarian wishing to pursue an ophthalmology residency a dedicated opportunity to experience benchtop research, grant writing, and explore research and possible PhD interests. Some intended ophthalmologists pursue multiple specialty internships and/or fellowships prior to applying for a residency, or while waiting for a residency position to become available.
The final step to becoming a veterinary ophthalmologist is applying for a residency position. A residency is a 3- or 4-year program in which the veterinarian works exclusively with ophthalmology patients under the guidance of one or more seasoned, board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists. Currently, there are approximately 20-30 residency program openings each year between academic, private practice, and corporate institutions, with approximately 100 applicants each year. Our discipline is highly competitive, but very rewarding and worth the effort!
This makes the total length of training to become a veterinary ophthalmologist a minimum of 12 years following high school – four years of undergraduate, four years of veterinary school, one year of general rotating internship, and three years of residency. Many veterinary ophthalmologists also obtain a Master’s degree and/or PhD before, during, or after completing a residency, as well.
Board certification and the ability to call onesself a Veterinary Ophthalmologist is finally obtained only following the successful completion of residency, submitting credentials and passing all sections of an ophthalmology-specific Board Certification Exam administered by the ABVO (American Board of Veterinary Ophthalmology). This is a 4-part, 3-day examination that includes image recognition, multiple-choice questions, and two surgery physical surgical assessments. Only veterinarians who have completed a residency program in ophthalmology and have passed all sections of the ophthalmology board exam are entitled to use the title ‘Veterinary Ophthalmologist’, ‘Specialist’, ‘Board Certified’, or use the ACVO’s boarding credentials of Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (DACVO). Most diplomates must maintain their certification (rigorous continuing education requirements) every 5 years to remain a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO).
All Veterinary Ophthalmologists have worked incredibly hard to become board-certified to take care of your animal’s eyes… ask your ophthalmologist about their path to becoming an ophthalmologist next time you see them! More information is available on www.ABVO.us and www.ACVO.org.