Many opportunities available to learn new surgical skills after fellowship training
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There are many digital and in-person options available to grow and update surgical skills, according to a presenter at Real World Ophthalmology.
“We live in an era where there’s an extraordinary amount of online education available. As an anterior segment surgeon, I really do like the [American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery] website, which indexes these things really well,” Rahul Tonk, MD, MBA, said.
Videos, webinars and text-based clinical pearls are also available on the American Academy of Ophthalmology website, and EyeGuru, Cataract Coach, Oftalmo University and YouTube are other good sources of educational content. However, skills transfer and hands-on experience are critical to using new technology, Tonk said.
“There are a variety of different ways you can go through skills transfer. Coming to professional meetings is probably the most effective single use of your time as to engage in skills transfer,” he said.
Skills transfer sessions offer the opportunity to learn from leaders in the field who make themselves available via email or text message to further help attendees through their new cases.
“So, even though it looks like a short session, that’s a relationship that lasts much longer,” Tonk said.
Industry-sponsored training may be offered during booth talks at trade shows.
Wet lab simulation has a cost, but it is a worthwhile investment. Bioniko or SimulEYE models allow physicians to practice as many times as they like, Tonk said.
“Beyond that, if you have access to simulation like HelpMeSee or Eyesi, that’s also excellent,” he said. “Nothing beats a human eye or a pig eye to give you that real tissue feel though.”
Finally, mentorship is critical. Meetings are a good place to make new connections and exchange ideas, but the most important way to learn is by observing ophthalmologists in their clinical environment.
“So, follow up some of those relationships by visiting institutions and private practices, running through patient flow, joining somebody in an OR,” Tonk said.
Taking a day or two to have this kind of real-world experience is always worthwhile.
“International observerships don’t have to be very long. Tack it onto the end of a meeting. That opens your mind to all sorts of different perspectives,” Tonk said.
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Tonk R. Learning new surgical skills after training. Presented at: Real World Ophthalmology; April 27, 2024 (virtual meeting).
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