OPTOM 520A/B : Advanced Clinical Optometry 2

Medical and Health Sciences

2025 Semester One (1253) / Semester Two (1255) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Clinical work with greater emphasis on particular areas in optometry including: contact lenses, low vision, binocular vision, paediatric optometry and practice management.

Course Overview

At the completion of this course students should have the ability to manage a range of sub-specialty optometric conditions and know when referral for tertiary care is required.  Students should be capable of providing optometric care with thoughtfulness and critical thought.  They should be open minded, scientifically curious and provide their care with respect and compassion.

Course Requirements

Restriction: OPTOM 420 To complete this course students must enrol in OPTOM 520 A and B

Course Contacts

Michelle O'Hanlon- Course Co-ordinator
Geriant Phillips- Course Director

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Optometry

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Apply appropriate and efficient clinical techniques, and discuss the accuracy of the clinical findings based on clinical reasoning and evidence based research. (Capability 3, 4, 5 and 6)
  2. Perform competent sub-specialty optometric exams and identify when referral to tertiary care is required. (Capability 4, 5, 6 and 7)
  3. Explain clinical reasoning and evidence based research behind selecting the diagnosis from the differential diagnoses for specialty optometry examinations (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
  4. Create effective management plans based on clinical reasoning and evidence based research for specialty optometry examinations. (Capability 4 and 5)
  5. Deconstruct patient cases/records and debate (using clinical reasoning and evidence based research), the differential diagnosis, diagnosis, management and patient advice. (Capability 4 and 5)
  6. Demonstrate excellent patient and inter-professional communication skills. (Capability 6 and 7)
  7. Demonstrate reasoned sensitive and professional ethics to your practice of Optometry. (Capability 8)
  8. Apply cultural awareness and equity guidelines for all patient and professional encounters. (Capability 1, 6, 7 and 8)
  9. Critique specialty clinical optometry encounters and apply self-reflection. (Capability 8)
  10. Apply the change in thinking and new concepts revealed in self-reflection to future clinical optometric encounters. (Capability 4 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework- speciality clinic 14% Individual Coursework
Coursework- case report/presentation 26% Individual Coursework
Test 20% Individual Coursework
Test 30% Individual Coursework
Coursework-online patient analyses 10% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Coursework- speciality clinic
Coursework- case report/presentation
Test
Test
Coursework-online patient analyses

Workload Expectations

This full year clinical course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 7 hours of lectures, 20 hours of tutorials, 150 hours of clinical practice, 40 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 40 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including tutorials/workshops/presentations/clinics to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including case presentations/clinics/tutorials/workshops will not be available as recordings.
The course may include blended learning components such as online tutorials and online case presentations. 
Attendance on campus is required for the tests.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Thank you for taking the time to reflect on your experience in our course and complete the SET evaluation. I/we have considered all of the responses carefully.

Here’s what you said you liked about the course:
Online quizzes and group presentations were helpful for learning.

Here’s what you said you would like to see improved:
a) Emphasis of the resources available on CANVAS and that specialty exams on VC3 need to be opened as a second exam.
b) Review lectures for each specialty especially dry eyes and contact lenses.
c) Checking of which specialty clinics students have not yet been allocated to before the end of the year.
d) More detailed feedback after the tests, especially in ocular health
e) Less reflections needed in the case presentations for low vision and binocular vision.
f) Open all the case analysis quizzes early and also show the answers.

These are the changes I/we will make for the next delivery of the course:
a) At the orientation lecture and in announcements the resources available and to open up the specialty exams on VC3 as a second exam will be highlighted.
b) A lecture review/ workshop is being looked into for all specialties.
c) Investigate a creation of a survey that students fill out to highlight which patients in specialty care they have not yet seen be the middle of semester two, so that the scheduling team can investigate scheduling these students into these areas.
d) Guidelines for feedback after the test will be given to each marker
e) The amount of required reflections for the LV and BV case presentation has been dropped to 4 instead of 5.
f) The case analyses will be reviewed to all be released at once and releasing the answers will be investigated.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 04/11/2024 09:31 a.m.