Hello,

I am a OMS1 and interested in doing optho, in particular virteoretinal . Basically what should a MS/OMS 1 be doing in order to get a optho residency spot. I know its rough/tough, but how can one gain an edge during their pre clincal years apart from : grades, high USMLE/COMPLEX scores?

In addition, is it worth pursuing a research totally unrealted to optho? The school I attend has limited opportunity for research.

I thank you in advance for any input.

Hello,

I am a OMS1 and interested in doing optho, in particular virteoretinal . Basically what should a MS/OMS 1 be doing in order to get a optho residency spot. I know its rough/tough, but how can one gain an edge during their pre clincal years apart from : grades, high USMLE/COMPLEX scores?

In addition, is it worth pursuing a research totally unrealted to optho? The school I attend has limited opportunity for research.

I thank you in advance for any input.

I'm going to assume that you are an osteopathic med student interested in allopathic ophtho. If so, it's tough to land as a DO but certainly doable. A few people from PCOM land allopathic ophtho spots every year. This year I pray that I'm one of them..:) Anyways, here goes:

1) Try to do as well as possible in your 1st two years. LEARN the material and always keep Step 1 in mind as that is what will be used to screen your application when it comes time to applying. Try your best to get a 230+ on the USMLE Step 1. Obviously the higher the better. Refer to the Step 1 forum on SDN for excellent advice on study strategies.

2) Start doing research (preferably ophtho-related but any research is better than no research) AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE! Skip class to give you more time to work on research and maintain your grades if you have to. The more publications/presentations, the stronger your application. If your school is not big on research, find an institution that is (Wills, Bascom Palmer, Wilmer, NEI, etc, etc) and set up a summer research internship (do this AT LEAST 6-8 months in advance) the summer between 1st and 2nd year of med school. Use this summer wisely! Work your butt off, try to publish, and get a strong letter from one of the Big-Wigs. It's can make a WORLD of a difference in a small field like ophthalmology.

3) Do an international ophtho mission if time/money permits. I did one after 1st year and it was easily one of THE BEST experiences of my life. I went through Unite For Sight. Read more at www.******************

4) When you get to 3rd year, try your best to nail your Internal Medicine and Surgery rotation. These are 2 of the hardest to Honor but are actually pretty important parts of your application (depending on the program). Towards the end of the rotation, ask for letters from both as you will likely use at least one of them (especially your Medicine letter) when you apply for internships and ophtho programs.

5) Set up your ophtho electives AT LEAST 6 months in advance. These spots go real fast and on top of that priority is often given to students from home institution over visiting students. Don't procrastinate!!!

6) Relax and trust that you're entering one of THE BEST fields in Medicine!

Hope that helps. G'luck.