*
Overview
The RSA Fellowship Network combines the best of an academic fellowship with high-volume surgical opportunities.
~ The program consists of a network of fellowship sites from around the world. Fellows (First Year) and Associates Fellows (Second Year), along with their Preceptors/Mentors, work under the guidance of the RSA Academic Directors, following a formal curriculum.
~ Fellows work at their host site under the Preceptorship/Mentorship of an expert refractive surgeon in their first year (the Fellow Year), followed by a second year (the Associate Fellow Year) of independent work, either at the same practice location or at an entirely new location.
~ Both Fellows and Associate Fellows participate in approximately three 3-weekly Conclaves per month over web meetings. The Conclaves provide didactic exposure to the full spectrum of refractive surgery topics.
~ Other program elements include guided research, business concepts exposure, Journal Club, career guidance, and live-meeting participation.
~ A global view of refractive surgery with lively and expert discussions, developing an expert-level understanding of all facets of refractive surgery.
~ Active administrative support for the onboarding process, practice visits, surgical video reviews, research support, assistance with transition to post-fellowship positions, and more!
A Structured Curriculum
The RSA Fellowship program includes advanced training in corneal, refractive, and anterior segment conditions and surgery with a strong emphasis is on refractive surgery and all forms of vision correction. Applicants who seek a career exclusively in cornea and external disease with no interest in refractive surgery should seek other opportunities.
The RSA Fellowship Program is a 2-year program – Year-1 is the “Fellow” year spent with a Preceptor/Mentor, followed by Year-2, the “Associate Fellow” year of independent work, which can be spent within the same practice, or at a new location entirely.
The RSA Fellowship Program is a structured, standardized curriculum accredited by the World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences, which oversees curriculum and accreditation for training in refractive surgery for surgeons and ancillary personnel.
Fellows and Associate Fellows participate in the virtual Conclaves run by the academic director, RSA courses, and Journal Club, and in addition, are highly encouraged to rotate to other clinical sites, as appropriate, for exposure to new techniques, experiences, and training.
The Associate Fellow year aims to prepare the Associate with a skill-set of of independent work, and to prepare to succeed as an entrepreneurial refractive surgeon. Associate Fellows are highly encouraged to assist in mentoring first-year Fellows, and have the opportunity to perform significant additional surgical volume.
Year-1 of the RSA Fellowship Network Curriculum (Fellow)
The cornerstone of this program is the RSA core value of collaboration. Fellows in each cohort experience this unique fellowship program together and will continue their collaboration likely throughout their careers.
“Fellows” in participate in the following:
~ VIRTUAL CONCLAVES: Held approximately two 2-Saturdays monthly, Conclaves bring the fellows together with the RSA Fellowship Academic Directors and guest faculty to provide in-depth training and skills transfer on core topics.
~ VIRTUAL JOURNAL CLUB CONCLAVES: Held approximately one 1-Saturday monthly, bring the fellows together with the RSA Fellowship Academic Directors to take deep-dives into peer-review literature and to highlight “landmark” articles that should be front of mind for every RSA surgeon.
~ ELECTIVES: Fellows may take observational “Electives” at other Network sites, based on mutual agreement with their preceptor. Elective sites are both in the US and abroad. They provide opportunities to experience different practice settings, explore research interests, and learn about the business aspects of building and running a practice.
~ FOUNDATIONS: Three RSA “Foundations” courses, a core element of the RSA MORS program, prepare the fellow to participate in the innovation process. Each course is presented over virtual sessions led by Michael Mrochen, PhD, a leading ophthalmic innovator. Topics include lasers, lenses, optics, materials, intellectual property protection, the patent process, innovation, and training on how to serve on medical advisory boards. The Foundations Courses consist of 3-Modules that rotate over a 2-year period. Fellows are expected to participate in all Foundations Modules that occur during their Fellowship.
~ COURSES: Clinical didactics are taught in a variety of “RSA Solutions” programs such as that offered by Dan Reinstein, MD of the London Vision Clinic and the ICL Surgery Course, offered by Roberto Zaldivar, MD and Roger Zaldivar, MD, MBA at Instituto Zaldivar, SA. Participation in these courses may be in-person or virtual, depending on availability and circumstance.
~ MEETINGS: Each fellow is expected to develop one or more projects and present the results at a major ophthalmic “Meeting” during the fellowship. Participation in meetings may be in-person or virtual, depending on circumstance.
~ ADDITIONAL SURGERY: Additional surgical training in MSICS is available for selected fellows who wish to participate in global medical projects.
~ MEMBERSHIP: Fellows/Associates are granted membership in the Refractive Surgery Alliance (RSA) throughout their participation in the RSA Fellowship, with all the rights and privileges of full RSA members.
Development of high-quality surgical skills is the main emphasis of the program. Fellows are expected to perform more than 300 procedures during Year 1 as a Fellow, and a total of at least 1,000 procedures when completing Year-2 as an Associate Fellow during the 2-year program.
Year-2 of the RSA Fellowship Network Curriculum (Associate Fellow)
Year-2, the “Associate Fellow” year, is a year of independent work, which can be spent within the same practice or at a new location entirely. The first-year Fellow is mostly occupied with learning, while the second-year Associate Fellow participates more in surgery, teaching, and learning. An Associate Fellow’s compensation is on parallel with salary levels found in post-training practice opportunities and is by mutual agreement between the Associate Fellow and Preceptor, if remaining in the same location, or as negotiated by the Associate Fellow, if one chooses to work at an entirely new location.
“Associate Fellows” participate in the following program elements:
~ PHYSICIAN CEO®: Due to the scheduled demolition and complete structural removal of the James L Allen Center (Home of Executive Education, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University), the PHYSICIAN CEO® program will resume programming upon the opening of the new building, anticipated to be approximately January of 2028. Note that the PHYSICIAN CEO® program is at an additional cost, paid independent of the RSA Fellowship.
~ PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT: Associates develop a formal business plan that they intend to execute upon completion of the Associate term. The business plan involves market selection, practice mission, values, scope and goals, personnel descriptions, marketing plan, equipment selection, space needs analysis, branding, financial projections, funding strategies, and all the other components of a comprehensive business plan. The plan is not theoretical, it is meant to be executed!
~ TEACHING: Associates are mentored on how to train refractive surgeons and collaborative care personnel.
~ RESEARCH: Additional clinical research opportunities are available for Associate Fellows.
Post Fellowship Opportunities
The RSA Fellowship program includes a standardized curriculum experience with a strong focus on skills transfer across several dimensions of expertise – clinical, surgical, business, practice development, innovation, teaching, research, and collaboration.
RSA Fellows are often offered a high-earning, supervised practice opportunity in an RSA-approved practice, by mutual agreement. This ensures immediate positioning and the successful launch of Fellows in their chosen specialty, right from the start.
As well, opportunities exist to create a new practice for exceptional RSA Fellows who are entrepreneurial, employ a values-based approach to their work, and have a passion to lead in refractive surgery. Alternatives to the supervised practice opportunity are also available, for those who wish to enter practice outside the RSA Network.
Program Fee*
The RSA Fellowship Network has a flexible fee schedule and is as follows:.
~ Fellow Year – RSA Fellowship Network per site fee is $15,000 USD per “Fellow” (Year 1) year defined as July 2025 – June 2026. The Fellow Year is under onsite tutelage of a Preceptor/Mentor.
~ Associate Fellow Year – RSA Fellowship Network per site fee is $5,000 USD per “Associate Fellow” (Year 2) defined as July 2025 – June 2026. The Associate Fellow Year is a year of independent work, which can be spent within the same practice or at a new location entirely.
~ The Program Fee may be paid by either the Preceptor/Mentor or the Practice, or by the Fellow/Associate Fellow.
*NOTE: Fees may be adjusted to accommodate local financial conditions. For non-US sites where the <ul>practice’s standard price</ul> for bilateral LASIK is less than $5,000 USD, first-year fees for the program are set at the practice’s standard price for 3 bilateral LASIK procedures and second-year fees are set at the <ul>practice’s standard price</ul> for 1 bilateral LASIK procedure.