The premier program for Young Ophthalmologists attending AAO 2018, the YO Program featured four panels, including how YOs should envision and find their dream job, learn new techniques and build their practice.
Between panels were brief talks on diversity in ophthalmology by Academy President Keith Carter, coding and billing tips and an emotional and inspiring presentation of the Artemis Award to Dr. Camilla Ventura. This session was live-streamed as part of the Virtual Meeting program and will be available after AAO 2018 ends.
Here are some other highlights of the program:
- Mark Greiner, MD, said that when performing a procedure that is new to you as a surgeon for the first time, schedule plenty of extra time for the surgery, and even consider suggesting general anesthesia to optimize the perioperative environment and maximize surgical success and patient safety.
Be honest with patients in preoperative discussions about how many of this type of surgeries you have performed, especially if they will be your first.
- Ike Ahmed suggested you choose the patients on which you will perform a new procedure or new technique wisely. Be honest with them. Consider saying something like, "I have not done as many of this type of surgery as others, but I have done many similar surgical techniques. I feel very confident in performing this surgery and believe you would be a good candidate."
- Ron Pelton, MD, indicated that from an OMIC/malpractice standpoint, if the patient feels they were misled about your prior experience performing a specific surgical procedure, and were they to subsequently file a malpractice suit, there would be a high likelihood that you would lose the lawsuit.
- Alredo Sadun, MD, said that time is the most important thing to negotiate in an academic position. If anything, down-negotiate your salary and up-negotiate your time.
- Dr. Carter helped the audience see diversity from a uniquely different perspective. He discouraged including “diversity” on panels and committees just to “check a box” and “make you feel better,” but to include individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and opinions. He also suggested that minority physicians, when entering a meeting composed primarily of a majority group, consider that their presence, perspectives and insights help add diversity to that specific group.
- Dr. Ventura gave an emotional and inspiring presentation detailing her involvement in the discovery of the ocular manifestations of Zika syndrome as the basis of receiving the Artemis Award.
- Joy Woodke gave five fantastic tips for coding and billing, including the best brief summary of the various modifiers for clinic and surgical coding. This session should be a must-watch for residents/fellows nearing graduation and for YOs interested in optimizing their coding efficiency.