Hello,
What should I put in the career objective section? What are programs looking to learn from this? Are they looking for academic vs private practice, area of subspecialization, or what?
Also, is it a bad idea to say something like private practice retina? I'm wondering if saying you plan to subspecialize helps or hurts the application, and if the academic vs pp decision may turn some PD's off.
What if you honestly don't know? Should you say you are undecided, or state that you are interested in general OPH?
Thanks for any help guys.
Geddy

Originally posted by GeddyLee
Hello,
What should I put in the career objective section? What are programs looking to learn from this? Are they looking for academic vs private practice, area of subspecialization, or what?
Also, is it a bad idea to say something like private practice retina? I'm wondering if saying you plan to subspecialize helps or hurts the application, and if the academic vs pp decision may turn some PD's off.
What if you honestly don't know? Should you say you are undecided, or state that you are interested in general OPH?
Thanks for any help guys.
Geddy

People want to know your goals. Don't lie. Just state the truth. If you don't know, then that's okay too. For instance, discuss where you think you'll be in 10 years.

Be prepared to be challenged, however. For example, I discussed academia with my chairman during the interview. He bluntly stated: "You never know, we have MD-PhDs who enter private practice all the time." I laughed and agreed with him. Then I redirected the discussion to how much I love teaching, research, and patient care; and, I emphasized that academia is the most likely path I'll be drawn too. In truth, I don't think anyone really expects you to know at this stage of the game, but you MUST have goals; thus, I recommend that you state your goals and be truthful.

Good luck!