BCSC Companion Guide: The Profession of Ophthalmology, 2005

Excerpt from the Preface of The BCSC Companion Volume: The Profession of Ophthalmology: Practice Management, Ethics, and Advocacy

Historically, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) has been used by most ophthalmology residency training programs as an important part of the didactic curriculum. The many volumes in this series do a superb job of organizing and presenting the science of ophthalmology. The series does not (nor was it ever intended to) deliver a curriculum on the application of that knowledge in the practice environment in the profession of ophthalmology. Yet that is what the ACGME requires.

Pragmatically, this implies that the ophthalmology residency graduate is not only expected to be clinically competent in the correct application of clinical knowledge and skills in solving the patient’s medical problem; the graduate is also expected to apply that ability in a way that is cost-effective, efficient, ethical, and sensitive to the patient and to societal and professional imperatives. The material in this volume is not designed simply to respond to ACGME requirements, but also to empower the ophthalmologist through the development of the profession and professionalism, and to address the socioeconomic challenges presented by the practice of ophthalmology.

Accordingly, this volume is divided into three parts:

• Practice Management
• Ethics
• Advocacy

The BCSC Companion Volume is available only as a PDF from the ethics program staff.