Faculty, fellows, and residents in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences taught 88 medical students how to do an eye exam November 19 as part of the Mind and Motion course.
Mind and Motion is held on two Saturday mornings in the University Station Eye Clinic. The second session will be held December 10. The 3–4-hour course is part of a Phase 1 course in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s ForWard Curriculum. Phase 1 entails three semesters of hands-on coursework for first-year medical students.
The purpose of the course is to teach the ophthalmic exam to students at a level a general practitioner should know. This includes measuring acuity, pupils, anterior segment and slit lamp exams, dilating and examining the back of the eye.
Gregg Heatley, MD, MMM has served as course director for 32 years. “The students in the course have had instruction in basic eye anatomy, but have not yet used ophthalmoscopes nor slit lamps,” he said. “This is the first hands-on experience they have in measuring basic eye function and actually visualizing eye structures.”
Heatley, who is retiring from clinical practice in June 2023 said the course is a memorable experience for those who volunteer their time to teach it. “It always amazes me how the students’ faces light up as they discover how cool eyeballs are,” he said. “The experience keeps us teachers going for the rest of the year.”
Travis Rumery, MD will be assuming the role as course director next year.
