Student Fellowship Updates
The Student Fellowship submission deadline has been extended to Monday, November 23 at 11:59 PM ET.
CE Disputes: If your CE Certificate is missing a course that you attended, to expedite our review process for Student Fellowship specifically, do not email the CE-Dispute email address for review. Instead, please follow the instructions below carefully:
Missing a course from Requirement 1:
- Enter the course information as requested in the portal. In the CE Hours field, enter "MISSING" before the credit hours so we know to review the records for that session
Missing a course from Requirement 2:
- Poster sessions (POS-) will not show up on your CE Certificate. If you attended a Poster session, answer the questions as requested in the portal.
- Paper sessions (P-) should appear on your CE Certificate. If you are missing a Paper session, answer the questions as requested and note "MISSING" at the beginning of the Poster Session Name field, following by the Session Name attended.
Missing a course from Requirement 3:
- Check the box for the special session you attended and if it is not listed on your CE Certificate, we will review those records fully for those 5 special events.
Missing a course from Requirement 4:
- In the field to enter the course ID and title for the symposium attended, add "MISSING" before the course ID/title.
Requirement 5 and 6 will not show up on your CE Certificate. Be sure to answer the associated questions for these requirements completely before hitting submit.
What do I do if I did not finish all requirements this year?
You have 2 years to complete all requirements, so those who did not finish during Academy 2020 At Home can complete the process during Academy 2021 Boston (provided you are still a current OD student at that time).
Please answer all fields that were completed this year and upload your CE Certificate for credits earned so far. When finished, hit Save at the bottom. Do NOT hit Save and Finalize. We will record and track all incomplete Student Fellowship records and contact you ahead of Academy 2021 Boston with instructions to complete missing requirements.
Results Notification:
You will receive an email mid-December with the results of our Student Fellowship review process. At that time, if you feel there is an error with the results, we will look into it for you.
The Academy offers the Student Fellowship program to encourage students to experience the entire meeting, hoping that it will stimulate improved integration of all of the opportunities offered at the meeting, encourage future involvement, and persuade students to become Fellows upon graduation.
The Student Fellowship program is a great opportunity for students to engage in cutting edge knowledge and technology through lectures, workshops, posters and much more! The program is geared to guide students to develop their skills as an optometric or vision science professional.
Student Fellowship Requirements
You must be a current OD student with a graduation date of 2021 or later and a Student Member of the Academy to participate. Residents, PhD students and graduate students are not eligible to participate. You are not eligible to participate if you have completed the Student Fellowship program in the past. You must be registered for Academy 2020 At Home.
Student Fellowship program progress will be managed entirely by the student using our new online submission portal. You will need to log in with your Academy member credentials and complete all fields as directed.
Please follow the directions in the portal carefully. Each of the requirements 1-6 noted below have additional tasks that need to be completed in order to earn your Student Fellowship, whether that be answering fill in the blank or open ended questions entering course information about CE you have attended, or other items as requested.
Update: We will not be collecting the CE completion certificates previously referenced and required from each session any longer. These will not be issued to you, so please do not be alarmed when you do not receive an email after each course you attend. Your attendance is being tracked internally by the Academy and you will receive an official CE Certificate 2-3 weeks after the meeting.
After the meeting you will be able to download the official CE Certificate which will list all courses attended at Academy 2020 At Home. Once this is available, you will need to upload it into the Student Fellowship Portal where noted.
Students must answer all questions, upload your official CE Certificate provided 2-3 weeks after the meeting, and submit all requirements by the extended deadline of Monday, November 23 at 11:59 PM EST to become a 2020 Student Fellow.
1. Attend 6 hours of any CE lectures of your choosing
- This includes any courses in the following topic areas: AS, BV, CL, GL, GO, LP, LV, JP, NO, OP, PH, PM, PO, PS, RS, SD, SP.
2. Attend 2 of any poster (POS) or paper (P) sessions of your choosing (See Scientific Tracks on the Education schedule offered the first week of the meeting)
- Residents Day paper and poster sessions offered on Saturday, October 10 will count toward this requirement
3. Attend 1 of the following special sessions**
- SE-02 Plenary Session: A New Look at Some Old Medical Guidelines - Wednesday, October 7 from 11 AM to 1 PM EST
- SE-06 ASCO/NOA/AAO Joint Symposium on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Thursday, October 8 from 1 to 3 PM EST
- SE-04 Monroe Hirsch Research Symposium: 2020 - The Future is Upon Us - Thursday, October 8 from 9 to 11 PM EST
- SE-01 Ezell Fellows Present: 2020 - Advances in Clinical Imaging - Wednesday, October 14 from 5 to 7 PM EST
- SE-08: Joint AAO/AAOphth Symposium: Update on the Assessment and Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Monday, October 19 from 9 to 11 PM EST
4. Attend 1 Section or SIG Symposium** -
See SS courses in Event Pilot.
5. Attend the Residency and Graduate Program Fair -
Saturday, October 17, 4 to 7 PM**
6. Attend 1 hour of the exhibit hall -
Access the exhibit hall 24 hours a day through Event Pilot.
**You may substitute the LDR-01 Fundamentals of Leadership: Part 1 Defining Leadership on Wednesday, October 7 from 1 to 4 PM for ONE of either requirement 3, 4 or 5.
Please note: LDR-01 is a paid addition to your registration and will cost $10 for students. You must register and pay prior to Thursday, September 24 to be admitted to the session.
Poster sessions, Residency and Graduate Program Fair, and Exhibit hall attendance will not show up on your CE Certificate after the meeting because these are No CE sessions. To get credit for these requirements be sure to answer all associated questions in the Student Fellowship portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When will I receive my CE Certificate from the Academy?
A. Your CE Certificate will be available on your Student Member account 2-3 weeks after Academy 2020 At Home. You will need to upload this to your Student Fellowship portal and submit your requirements by Monday, November 16 at 11:59 PM ET.
Q. The portal asks for the course ID of sessions attended. Where can I find this?
A. The course ID is the 3-5 digit code associated with a session in Event Pilot, i.e. AS-01, POS-01, P-02, etc.
Q. I want to participate in the Student Fellowship program but I am not a student member. How can I sign up?
A. Submit your application on our Student Membership page. There is a $30 membership fee that will cover your entire OD education as well as a year of residency. Please allow 1-2 business days for your application to be processed.
Q. I missed a required session. Are there any additional substitutes?
A. There are no additional substitutions for any of the Student Fellowship requirements other than what is noted on the requirement list. Please note, you have 2 consecutive years to complete the Student Fellowship program. You can finish the remaining requirements next year at Academy 2021 Boston (provided you will still be an OD student at the time of the 2021 meeting).
Q. How can I find out what courses will be offered and when?
A. Review Event Pilot for the most up-to-date schedule.
Q. I read that completing Student Fellowship will grant you complimentary registration for the next meeting. Where do I get my code?
A. All new Student Fellows will receive complimentary registration for the next Academy meeting in Boston 2021. This code must be used for the Boston meeting and cannot be transferred or deferred. You will receive an email with your complimentary registration code shortly before Academy 2021 Boston registration opens.
Q. When will my new Student Fellow certificate and pin arrive?
A. Your certificate and pin will be mailed to your Faculty Student Liaison to distribute in December 2020.