The great majority of medical optometry residencies are funded and operated within U.S. Veterans Administration medical facilities which are accredited by the Joint Commission with their optometry residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education via their academic affiliations.
The standard joint agreements between VA medical facilities and their affiliated schools of optometry specify VA medical facilities retain responsibility for the administration and supervision of its residency programs and the patient care rendered by optometry residents.
All Joint Commission accredited medical facilities with residency training programs in medicine, dentistry, optometry and/or podiatry, whether at VA or other sites, are required to meet Joint Commission regulations on residency supervision. In addition, medical facilities billing Medicare must meet Medicare requirements on the supervision of residents and the type of care they may independently provide.
These regulations, as they apply to VA residents, are ably summarized by the Veterans Health Administration Office of Academic Affiliations in the “Pocket Card” linked below.
ABCMO requires medical optometry residents based at Joint Commission accredited medical facilities be supervised per these regulations as they represent current “best practices”.
