Introduction: Between 2000 and Q2 2022, more than 460,000 Service members sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). 82.3% of these injuries were diagnosed as mild TBI (mTBI). Service members often experience visual dysfunction related to TBI (VDTBI), including oculomotor/visual field defects and post-TBI balance/dizziness/visual motor sensitivities that often present to optometrists for initial clinical management. Currently, a significant gap exists without a standard core curriculum addressing brain injury rehabilitation for optometric residency programs. A standardized curriculum will provide a foundation for the development of basic knowledge and skills, within which all residency trained brain injury rehabilitation optometrists will meet established proficiency standards. The purpose of this initiative is to describe the development of a novel Optometric Residency in Brain Injury Rehabilitation Core Curriculum for federal (DoD/VA) optometric residency programs. The curriculum is intended to ensure that proposed programs cover all critical areas, including case studies, lectures, rounds, workshops and self-study experiences.
Materials and
Methods: The core curriculum was created adhering to an iterative process with feedback from experts in the VDTBI field. First, a portfolio of existing curricula in use by select Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Brain Injury Rehabilitation programs was assembled. Common elements were extracted from these documents – organized as a shell document – and presented to the expert group. A meeting of subject matter experts (SMEs) in the field was convened by the Uniformed Services University (USU) and the VCE. The shell document was modified and distributed for three rounds of review and feedback until consensus language was achieved. Disciplines other than optometrists were also represented and provided significant contributions to complement the group’s perspective.
Results: The Federal Optometric Residency in Brain Injury Rehabilitation Core Curriculum was developed and included in the following core assessments: case history, questionnaire tools, vision, oculomotor, balance, functional outcome measures, care planning, interdisciplinary care collaboration, and trainee scholarship. In addition, the SME panel designed an assessment plan modeled after the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The plan was compatible with requirements of the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) for residency programs and stipulated the graduated assessment of clinical skills and knowledge during a training program.
Conclusions: The resulting content outline is designed to be merged with any brain injury optometric residency or specialty fellowship program to ensure that the critical content needed for care and rehabilitation of patients with VDTBI is standardized. In addition, the program will ensure trainees bring these critical skills and knowledge forward to have a meaningful impact on their future careers and, most importantly, the patients served under their care.
Keywords: Curriculum; Federal Optometric Residency; Brain Injury; Rehabilitation
