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Residency Profile: VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, Las Vegas, NV

Residency Programs
VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS)

New VA Las Vegas Hospital photo

Exterior building of VA Southern Nevada Exterior building of VA Southern Nevada Exterior building of VA Southern Nevada

Established: 2004

Positions: 4

VA Medical Center North Las Vegas, Eye Clinic
6900 N. Pecos Rd.
North Las Vegas, NV 89086
702.791.9125 • Fax 702.791.9376

Program Faculty

Residency Coordinator:  

Lane T. Fujimoto, OD

Jennifer L. Monarrez, OD, FAAO

Attending Faculty

Mission Statement

To provide optimal eye care in an advanced clinical and educational setting. The resident will be working as part of an interdisciplinary team and their ability to diagnose and manage ocular disease and the ophthalmic manifestation of systemic disease will be enhanced. Additionally, educational activities will be performed to promote optometric knowledge and research.

Waiting Room Exam Room Clinic Hallway
Exam Room Exam Room Exam Room

Program Description

VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System Residency Manual

Program Goals

  1. To strengthen the resident’s optometric skills and train the resident in advanced competencies in ocular disease and secondary eye care, placing emphasis on the diagnosis and management of ocular disease, ophthalmic manifestations of systemic disease, and ophthalmic side effects of systemic medications.
  2. To expose the resident to interdisciplinary healthcare in an ambulatory environment.
  3. To develop the resident’s contribution to optometric education and research through didactic and scholarly activities.

Program Objectives

  1. The resident will be exposed to numerous encounters of direct patient care activities in primary and secondary eye care, to ophthalmic surgical techniques, to a variety of interesting case presentations, and to a variety of health care and ophthalmic literature.
  2. The resident will complete a thorough and accurate record of examination and be part of an interdisciplinary team.
  3. The resident will be guided in the process of lecture presentation, gain experience to become a clinical instructor and guided in the process of manuscript publication.

Duration of Residency Program

The residency will be one year in length commencing on July 1 and ending June 30.

Typical Daily or Weekly Schedule in Clinic

  • Clinic hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on Monday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., on Tuesday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on Saturday. The resident is required to remain until all patient care activities are concluded, which rarely extends beyond an hour. There are two different schedules that the resident will be required to rotate through depending upon the attending staff to whom he or she is assigned:

     

    1. Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
    2. Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. , and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  
  • Clinical Conference: The first Friday afternoon of each month from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., is reserved for our Clinical Conference where program faculty and guest speakers will lecture on various ocular topics and cases.
  • Residents' Case Conference: Each resident will present a total of nine case presentations to be held on the first Friday afternoon of each month starting in August and ending the following June. The cases will be presented to the optometric interns and staff of the Eye Clinic.

Facilities

The Eye Clinic is approximately 8,000 square feet with 15 examination lanes. All of our examination lanes are fully equipped and have either teaching tubes or slit lamp video cameras. The Eye Clinic has four Humphrey HFA3 Model 860 Visual Field Perimeters; one Zeiss Cirrus 6000 unit with AngioPlex OCT angiography; three Heidelberg Spectralis units incorporating spectral domain OCT, fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography, and Bluepeak autofluorescence; one Zeiss Clarus 700 ultra-widefield retinal camera, one Topcon digital fundus camera system; one Optos Silverstone Swept Source Ultra-widefield Optical Coherence Tomography Unit; one LKC UTAS Sunburst Electrodiagnostics system; one Oculus Pentacam AXL unit; ultrasound biomicroscopy units, A-scan/B-scan units, and corneal pachymeters.

Rotation through other Services

The resident will observe surgical procedures by a board certified ophthalmologist/retina specialist. If live observation is not available, the resident will observe surgical procedures via video.

Type and Number of Patients

VASNHS supports a predominantly geriatric population in an ambulatory care setting. The resident will be examining approximately 1,100 patients at the Eye Clinic of the VASNHS. Approximately 75% of the resident’s time will be spent in direct patient care; other activities include providing clinical preceptorship of Fourth-Year Optometric Interns, observation of ophthalmic surgery, administrative duties in quality management, didactic, and scholarly activities. The resident will perform full comprehensive primary and secondary eye examinations, consult with various health care practitioners and ophthalmologists in co-management of systemic conditions and ocular manifestations, prescribe oral and topical therapeutic medications, perform minor procedures, perform fluorescein angiography, and order laboratory and radiology studies as indicated for diagnosis and management.

Teaching Responsibilities

  • The resident will precept 4th year optometry interns during the final month of the residency program under the supervision of residency faculty.
  • The resident will instruct 4th year optometry interns during the final two quarters of the residency program about the techniques learned in the advanced procedures workshops.

Lecturing Opportunities

  • Residents' Case Conference: Each resident will present a total of nine case presentations to be held on the first Friday afternoon of each month starting in August and ending the following June. The cases will be presented to the optometric interns and staff of the Eye Clinic.
  • The resident will present a lecture to the residency faculty, fellow residents, and optometric interns during the final quarter of the residency program at the Friday Clinical Conference. The recommended topic is the subject of the residency thesis paper. Other topics may be considered with approval of the Program Coordinator.

Didactic Activities

  • Clinical Conference: The first Friday afternoon of each month from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., is reserved for our Clinical Conference where program faculty and guest speakers will lecture on various ocular topics and cases.
  • Attendance at COPE approved continuing education courses during the residency year (recommended, but not required).
  • Advanced Procedures Workshop: The third Friday afternoon of each month from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., is reserved for our Advanced Procedures Workshop for residents and interns. The resident is to gain proficiency in advanced procedures, including, but not limited to scleral indentation, fluorescein angiography, dilation and irrigation, venipuncture, fundus photography, and four mirror gonioscopy through a minimum of quarterly attendance at the Advanced Procedures Workshops.

Scholarly Activities

Additional Employment Opportunities

N/A

Stipend

The annual stipend is established by the Office of Academic Affiliations, VA Central Office and is based on locality. It is currently set at $45,340 at our facility for the current academic year and will be increasing to $45,975 for the 2025-2026 academic year. There are no stipulations regarding productivity.

Benefits

Health Optional health insurance coverage is offered; biweekly premiums will be deducted.  Long-term disability insurance is not provided.
Holidays Each resident will have 10 paid Federal holidays during the residency year.
Educational Travel “Authorized Absence” leave is granted for attendance at a professional continuing education conference such as the American Academy of Optometry or American Optometric Association annual meetings.
Vacation Each resident accrues a yearly total of 13 days of annual leave and 13 days of sick leave. Unused annual leave is reimbursed after the conclusion of the year.
Liability The VA provides malpractice coverage for VA-related patient care only. The resident must seek other malpractice insurance for any external clinical settings the resident chooses to participate in.
Continuing Education The resident can attend SCCO sponsored continuing education courses at no cost on a space available basis.
Information Resources Library resources are available to the resident through SCCO and the VA.
Life Insurance Optional life insurance coverage through Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance is offered; biweekly premiums will be deducted.

Application Requirements

Note that all residency applicants will be evaluated without regard to sex, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, age, national origin, or non-disqualifying physical disabilities.

  • Applicant must have earned an OD degree, or will have earned such a degree by the time of graduation, from an accredited school or college of optometry.
  • If the applicant is a citizen of a country other than the United States, that applicant will not be eligible for residency consideration.
  • Applicant must have taken and passed the TMOD and Basic and Clinical Sciences portions of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, and furnish official copies of the results of this examination.
  • Applicant must apply through the Optometry Resident Match (ORMatch) and follow the application guidelines. The application deadline is February 15.
  • A personal interview is required. The applicant should contact the residency program coordinator (Dr. Lane Fujimoto) to schedule an appointment for the interview.
  • Applicants should send application matching materials to Optometry Resident Match (ORMatch)
  • Applications will be evaluated by the Veterans Affairs Residency Admissions Committee, which then recommends for appointment of the most qualified applicant to the Dean of Academic Affairs, SCCO. The chosen applicant is then offered a written contract from SCCO for the residency position.
  • If accepted, the applicant must provide official NBEO and official transcripts of their optometric education and submit them to the Director of External Programs at SCCO.
  • COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements

Required paperwork for residency applicants to be sent to the Residency Coordinator at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System:

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Letter of intent
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation preferably from instructors who are familiar with your clinical work.
  • Official optometry school transcripts up to the time of your application
  • Official NBEO transcripts

Selection Procedure

Potential applicants are required to submit their applications to the optometry program via the Optometry Resident Match (ORMatch) and should contact the Program Coordinator via email or telephone expressing interest in the program and intent to apply. Candidates are highly encouraged to visit the clinic site in person to tour the facility and speak to the Program Coordinator, attending faculty and the current resident.

Candidates with a complete application file (ORMatch application, transcripts, NBEO and TMOD scores, and letters of recommendation) are to contact the Program Coordinator as specified on the ORMatch website. Individual interviews are conducted in person or by telephone conference call. The interview committee consists of:

Chief, Optometry Service, VASNHS, Las Vegas

Residency Program Coordinator, VASNHS, Las Vegas

In the individual interview, candidates are initially asked questions that include, but are not limited to, what motivates them to pursue residency training, why they are interested in our specific program, what their career aspirations are, and how they will enhance our program. Following the interviews, the Program Coordinator tabulates an overall score based on grade point average, NBEO I and II scores, TMOD scores, and interview scores. Candidates are ranked in each category, and then the rank is multiplied by a weighting factor for each category. The GPA is weighted as 1.0, NBEO part I is weighted as 1.0, NBEO part II is weighted as 1.0, TMOD is weighted at 1.0, and interview score is weighted the highest at 5.0. From this, an overall ranking is devised based on the sum of their weighted ranks in each category. From this overall ranking, a candidate may move up or down by up to 2 positions to account for other factors such as letters of recommendation, communication skills, clinical or work experience, and letter of intent.

The ranking of all candidates is submitted to ORMatch for matching.

Prerequisites

  • Earned an OD degree, or will have earned such a degree by the time of graduation, from an ACOE accredited school or college of optometry.
  • If the applicant is a citizen of a country other than the United States, that applicant may not be eligible for residency consideration.
  • Applicant must have taken and passed the TMOD and Basic and Clinical Sciences portions of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, and furnish official copies of the results of this examination
  • Applicant must apply through the Optometry Resident Match (ORMatch) and follow the application guidelines. The application deadline is February 1.
  • A personal interview is required. The applicant should contact the residency program coordinator (Dr. Lane Fujimoto) to schedule an appointment for the interview.
  • Applicants should send application matching materials to Optometry Resident Match (ORMatch).
  • Three letters of reference are required from full-time faculty members who have been most responsible for the clinical education of the applicant.
  • Applications will be evaluated by the Veterans Affairs Residency Admissions Committee, which then recommends for appointment of the most qualified applicant to the Dean of Academic Affairs, SCCO. The chosen applicant is then offered a written contract from SCCO for the residency position.
  • If accepted, the applicant must provide official NBEO and official transcripts of their optometric education and submit them to the Director of External Programs at SCCO.

Requirements for Residency Completion and Awarding of Certificate

  • Patient care and curriculum criteria must be met.
  • Reporting requirements, to include, but not necessarily limited to, Patient Encounter and Diagnosis Log, Faculty Evaluation, Resident Referral Log, Resident Activity Log, Resident Reading Log, and Final Evaluation of Residency Program must be met.
  • Final version of the resident thesis paper must be approved.
  • All multi-media and/or materials on loan to the resident must be returned.
  • Each resident must obtain a license to practice optometry in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia before completion of the first year of VA residency.

Program Accreditation

The Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) continued the status of “accredited” for the program in 2021. The next site visit is scheduled to take place by September, 2029.

Housing

The Eye Clinic is located at the VA Medical Center in North Las Vegas, which is in close proximity to convenient housing options.

Local Activities and Attractions

While Las Vegas is primarily known for its Hotels and Casinos, it is also conveniently located near many national and state parks, which offer a variety of recreational activities. Below is a sampling of the local attractions:

  • Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
  • Lake Mead
  • Las Vegas Aviators Baseball
  • Las Vegas Golden Knights Hockey
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Las Vegas Natural History Museum
  • Las Vegas Raiders Football
  • Las Vegas Strip
  • National Atomic Testing Museum
  • National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement
  • Neon Museum
  • Nevada State Museum
  • Mount Charleston
  • Red Rock Canyon
  • Smith Center for the Performing Arts
  • Springs Preserve
  • UNLV Performing Arts Center
  • Valley of Fire State Park

For other local activities and attractions please visit the website of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Current Residents

Samiha Ali
OD, SCCO
702.791.9125 │samiha.ali@va.gov

Dorothy Bui
OD, Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University
702.791.9125 │dorothy.bui@va.gov

Joshua Chung
OD, Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University
702.791.9125 │joshua.chung@va.gov

Kristine Ly
OD, Pacific University College of Optometry
702.791.9125 │kristine.ly1@va.gov

Tiffany Nguyen
OD, Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University
702.791.9125 │tiffany.nguyen17@va.gov

Tara Nomura
OD, Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University
702.791.9125 │tara.nomura@va.gov

Former Residents Testimonials – Contact Info

2023-2024 Residents

Katrina De Leon, OD (katrinadeleonod@outlook.com)

Angelique Dela Victoria, OD (angeliquedelavic@gmail.com)

Mary Eskandarian, OD (maryeskandarian11@yahoo.com)

Robert Hoang, OD (Robert.hoang12@gmail.com)

Kimber Mapili, OD (Kimber.amapili@gmail.com)

Emily Melgar, OD (emily.melgar@westernu.edu)

2022-2023 Residents

Sophia Araujo-Hernandez, OD, MS (sophiaodms@gmail.com)

Michela Fong, OD (michelamfong@gmail.com)

Macy Hayashi, OD (hayashimacy@gmail.com)

Jacqueline Nguyen, OD (jacnguyen19@gmail.com)

Daniela Saldivar, OD (danielacsaldivar@gmail.com)

Elaine Xin, OD (elainexinod@gmail.com)

2021-2022 Residents

Kevin Chan, OD (chankevin795@gmail.com)

Maria Felix, OD (maria.eu.felix@gmail.com)

Joanna Kim, OD (joannakim.od@gmail.com)

Jessie Su, OD (jessiesu94@gmail.com)

Jeff Villena, OD (jvillena@eyedoc.ico.edu)

2020-2021 Residents

Arsineh Amirkhanian, OD (arsinehamirkhanian@yahoo.com)

Hera Ansari, OD (heraansariOD@gmail.com)

Yliana Cetina, OD (cetinayliana@gmail.com)

Danny Ly, OD (dly418@yahoo.com)

Justin Ng, OD (jng@eyedoc.ico.edu)

Keri Thacker, OD (drthackerod@gmail.com)

2019-2020 Residents

Dennis Giang, OD (dennis.giang@gmail.com)

Jacqueline Anne Julio, OD (jjulio@eyedoc.ico.edu)

Pamela Ng, OD (pamelang616@gmail.com)

Stephanie Oh, OD (ohxstephanie@gmail.com)

Kelly Reed, OD (kelly6reed@gmail.com)

Eric Tran, OD (etran@eyedoc.ico.edu)

2018-2019 Residents

Kenneth Cao, OD (k3nn3thcao@gmail.com)
David Harsini, OD (davidharsini@gmail.com)
Kamilah Johnson, OD (Kamilah.johnson@gmail.com)
Salena Thong, OD (salenazthong@gmail.com)
Jacqueline Tran, OD (jhtran2020@gmail.com)

2017-2018 Residents

Marc Cepeda, OD (marc.cepeda@hotmail.com)
Samantha Kamo, OD (sfkamo@gmail.com)
John Ora, OD (JohnOraOD@gmail.com)
Tiffany Phan, OD (tiffanyphanod@gmail.com)
Terry Yu, OD (tyu525@gmail.com)

2016-2017 Residents

Douglas Clark, OD, MPH
Ashley Greenawalt, OD, MS
Andrew Kwong, OD
Charlotte Rosenblum, OD

2014-2015 Residents

Benedicte Gonzalez, OD, MPH (gonzalez.benedicte@gmail.com)
Danielle Keel, OD (keel.danielle@gmail.com)
Jessica Mai, OD (jessicamaiod@gmail.com)
Connie Wong, OD (connie.t.wong@gmail.com)

2013-2014 Residents
Jennifer Dang, OD (jenniferdangOD@gmail.com)
Anne Lee, OD (anneleeod@gmail.com)
Son Ly, OD (sonvinhly@gmail.com)
Natalie Ramirez, OD (nramirez2020@gmail.com)

2012-2013 Residents

Carrie Ho, OD (hocarrieod@gmail.com)
Kimberly Shiraishi, OD (kimshiraishi@gmail.com)
Claire Wong, OD (claire.m.wong@live.com)

2011-2012 Residents

Tina Aldana, MA, OD (tinaaldana@gmail.com)
Jenny Luu, OD
Jennifer Monarrez, OD (jennifer.monarrez@gmail.com)

2010–11 Residents

Kyle Hughes, OD (khughes182@gmail.com)
Wess Jordan, OD (wessjordanod@gmail.com)
Lucia Millet, OD (millet.lucia@gmail.com

2009–10 Residents

Lauren Evans, OD (Lauren.Eyedoc@gmail.com)
Ashley Swalla, OD (dr.ashleyswalla.od@gmail.com)

2008–09 Residents

Rodel Divina, OD, MS (rodel_divina@hotmail.com)
Michelle Matson, OD (michelle.matson3@va.gov)

2007–08 Residents

Alissa Nagel, OD (anagelod@gmail.com)
Kashif Qadeer, OD (kqadeer.2007@ketchum.edu)

2006–07 Residents

Edeline Lu, OD (elu@ketchum.edu)
Peter Nguyen, OD

2005-–06 Resident

Vivienne Velasco, OD

2004–05 Resident

Josephine Vu, OD

Modes of Practice of Former Optometry Residents

  • Solo private practice optometrist
  • Group private practice optometrist
  • Instructor at optometry school
  • Associate optometrist
  • Military optometrist
  • VA staff optometrist

Potential applicants are very strongly encouraged to contact the current or former residents listed above to get their perspectives on the program.  Please contact the residency program coordinator, Dr. Lane Fujimoto, at 702.791.9125 or lane.fujimoto@va.gov with any questions.

For more Information:

Lane T. Fujimoto, OD

Jennifer L. Monarrez, OD, FAAO

Residency Program Coordinators

VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System

Eye Clinic (123)

6900 N. Pecos Rd.

North Las Vegas, NV 89086

702.791.9125 • Fax 702.791.9376 • Email: lane.fujimoto@va.gov, jennifer.monarrez@va.gov