The IMO offers immersion training courses to Argentinian ophthalmologists

A group of twenty Argentinian ophthalmologists came to the IMO in October to immerse themselves in the work of the centre.

This is a part of IMO’s teaching programme, channelled through IMO Foundation, which collaborated for the first time in 2010, in conjunction with the ESASO (European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology) and EuroLam Retina (the International Association of Retinal Specialists from Europe and Latin America), in a preceptorship organised by the pharmaceutical company Novartis. As a result of its great success, the initiative has continued ever since with new courses for the training of future specialists. On 7 and 8 October, IMO hosted the 4th Novartis Preceptorship, in which fifteen young Argentinian ophthalmologists had the opportunity to rotate through different subspecialities and IMO departments.

Through this immersion programme, the students were able to experience at first hand the daily operation of the centre alongside its ophthalmologists and healthcare workers and participate in its different areas of activity, characterised by the application of the latest developments and improvements in the discipline.

The 'Preceptorship' in previous editions

 

The training provided on the course included early-morning lectures, in which IMO retinologists presented clinical cases of interest related to the major disorders of the speciality, such as retinal detachment and diabetic retinopathy. The optometrist Elena Núñez spoke of the importance of visual acuity and refraction in eye diseases, while Alfons Margalef, head of the Ocular Photography Department, explained current digital imaging systems.

Later, the fifteen preceptorship students, organised in groups and accompanied by a tutor, observed consultations, complementary tests, the Wet Lab (experimental surgery) and surgical procedures. Rotation through the different sections enabled them to share their experiences with the medical team of IMO and acquire an applied, comprehensive and detailed overview of the professional reality of the centre. In the words of Dr Borja Corcóstegui at the end of the preceptorship, “the purpose of these immersion courses is to enable participants to apply the knowledge gained in their professional careers and improve the quality of ophthalmic training in all countries, especially in those where access is more difficult on a practical level.”

On 21 and 22 October, the second of October’s preceptorships will take place and will be attended by seven other Argentinian ophthalmologists attracted by the international prestige of IMO. On this occasion, the training programme will be sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Bayer.

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