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ORLANDO—With COVID-19 leaving students unable to see patients in person, the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) is establishing an unprecedented virtual clinical education program to assist with case-based learning for optometry students and keep them on a path to graduation, according to an announcement this week. The Academy and its board members are working with the Associations of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) and the deans and faculty of optometric schools to develop an online experience that will continue students’ clinical education. As part of their clinical curriculum, optometry students typically see patients in clinics, practices, hospitals and VA settings to gain firsthand patient experience, but in the current environment, many are unable to continue direct patient care.

The new program titled, the Student Online Clinical Case Education Program (SOCCEP) will immediately provide several weeks of live streamed and/or recorded experiences, each approximately 30-minutes in length. During each session a faculty or industry presenter will deliver a specific case study. Students will then have an opportunity to ask questions before the session concludes with the lecturer delivering a patient outcome.

Academy board president Dr. Barbara Caffery said, “This is a direct and rapid response to the coronavirus crisis. Once our Academy Fellows in universities identified the clinical issue, we knew we were the only organization with the membership and reach to quickly pull together the resources they needed.”

While the program was designed to help third- and fourth-year students build on their clinical experience, it is also expected to be utilized as a supplemental and continuing education program for others.

The organizers hope it will also help maintain the pipeline of new Doctors of Optometry and residents crucial to providing urgent and emergent care during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as service to patients with the pent-up demand that will follow when the crisis ends.

Academy chief executive officer Peter Scott said, “As a leading optometric association, we’re in a unique position to bring together partners from the academic world to make this happen. This is not a time to hold back.”

The SOCCEP program is unprecedented in the Academy’s nearly 100-year history, but it is perfectly aligned with the organization’s new strategic plan that actively seeks deeper engagement with members.

“We are committed to advancing excellence in eyecare and in this time of urgency, that commitment is even more important,” said Dr. Caffery. She pointed out that this is a program that could live well beyond the current crisis. “The Academy is so much more than a meeting. We have the ability to make a positive impact in the daily lives of students, optometrists and the public, and this is the first of our many initiatives that will provide exceptional education, support innovative research, and disseminate knowledge to advance optometric practice and improve patient care.”

Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe, Associations of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) president and founding dean, Western University of Health Sciences, College of Optometry, concurs. “During these trying times, ASCO member institutions must continue the education of their students. Faculty members at ASCO institutions have really stepped up to the challenge and will continue to lead these online clinical education sessions for the foreseeable future.”

For additional information on the Student Online Clinical Case Education Program, visit www.aaopt.org/soccep or the ASCO website here.