What medical schools should I consider going to if I want to be an ophthalmologist?

[DoctorB]

Are certain medical schools known for turning out certain specialties? What should I be looking for in a medical school if I am interested in becoming an ophthalmologist? What are some medical schools that residency programs look at when picking students for opthalmology? I understand people are going to be like, "you have not even went through medical school yet so you have no idea what you want to be", but for the time being let's just assume I want to be an opthtalmologist.

Thank you for your help!!

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[Law2Doc]

Are certain medical schools known for turning out certain specialties? What should I be looking for in a medical school if I am interested in becoming an ophthalmologist? What are some medical schools that residency programs look at when picking students for opthalmology? I understand people are going to be like, "you have not even went through medical school yet so you have no idea what you want to be", but for the time being let's just assume I want to be an opthtalmologist.

Thank you for your help!!

To get into a competitive residency, you just want to go to the best med school you can get into and do the best you can in school and on the boards. Most physicians will advise you that you will change your mind multiple times in med school regarding your specialty, so it's somewhat unrealistic to pick a school based on a perceived specialty target. And with the competitive residencies, there is the added component that you don't yet even know if you are going to be the kind of med student who honors all his classes and aces the boards, or squeaks by with less impressive rank. Best to keep as many doors open as you can until you have to make a decision, well into med school.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

Thank you for your help!!

DoctorB - There is a specific forum for opthalmology. I would spend several days just reading and learning as much as you can out of the existing threads, though - it's not against the rules, but it's unusual for a newcomer to start 3-4 discussion threads in one day.

 

[cdql]

To get into a competitive residency, you just want to go to the best med school you can get into and do the best you can in school and on the boards. Most physicians will advise you that you will change your mind multiple times in med school regarding your specialty, so it's somewhat unrealistic to pick a school based on a perceived specialty target. And with the competitive residencies, there is the added component that you don't yet even know if you are going to be the kind of med student who honors all his classes and aces the boards, or squeaks by with less impressive rank. Best to keep as many doors open as you can until you have to make a decision, well into med school.

Took the words right out of my mouth! Definitely pick a school because you like the environment, students, curriculum, location, etc... etc...

Picking a school for a specialty alone will make you fairly miserable if you should decide to choose another one down the road!

 

[dara678]

i don't think there is a specific school that will turn out a better ophthalmologist ... for instance, my school is affiliated with one of the top eye centers in the country (doheny) but took none of the students from here. so it's not like going to a particular school will give you an advantage in getting into ophtho.

my advice is to get into the best school you can, work hard, and you'll make it no matter what.

p.s. doheny took ppl from harvard, jhu, etc ... so if you can get into those places that's a good start lol.

 

[velo]

Are certain medical schools known for turning out certain specialties?

In a word? no

 

[neutropenic]

Are certain medical schools known for turning out certain specialties? What should I be looking for in a medical school if I am interested in becoming an ophthalmologist?

I might suggest the University of Pennsylvania. They had a lot of ophtho matches this year, many staying right in Rocky's town. But seriously, just go to the best school you get into where you feel like you would fit in at and are financially comfortable with. It also helps to go to a school with an ophtho residency program - helps with research opportunities. With hard work, dedication, and charm you can match ophtho whether you go to UPENN, Baylor, New Jersey Med, UC-somewhere, SUNY-anywhere, or a less well known school.

UPENN ophtho matches:

Mt Sinai Hospital-NY
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Stanford Univ Progs-CA
U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor
UC San Francisco-CA
UMDNJ-NJ
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA

 

[synapse lapse]

I might suggest the University of Pennsylvania. They had a lot of ophtho matches this year, many staying right in Rocky's town. But seriously, just go to the best school you get into where you feel like you would fit in at and are financially comfortable with. It also helps to go to a school with an ophtho residency program - helps with research opportunities. With hard work, dedication, and charm you can match ophtho whether you go to UPENN, Baylor, New Jersey Med, UC-somewhere, SUNY-anywhere, or a less well known school.

UPENN ophtho matches:

Mt Sinai Hospital-NY
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Stanford Univ Progs-CA
U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor
UC San Francisco-CA
UMDNJ-NJ
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA

Haha yeah like anyone can just roll into UPenn That's like oh, just go to Johns Hopkins dude

 

[DoctorB]

I might suggest the University of Pennsylvania. They had a lot of ophtho matches this year, many staying right in Rocky's town. But seriously, just go to the best school you get into where you feel like you would fit in at and are financially comfortable with. It also helps to go to a school with an ophtho residency program - helps with research opportunities. With hard work, dedication, and charm you can match ophtho whether you go to UPENN, Baylor, New Jersey Med, UC-somewhere, SUNY-anywhere, or a less well known school.

UPENN ophtho matches:

Mt Sinai Hospital-NY
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Stanford Univ Progs-CA
U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor
UC San Francisco-CA
UMDNJ-NJ
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA

How do I know whether they have an optho residency program? Is there a specific website which lists what school shave certain residency program or am I going ot have to look through each schools website?

 

[Dunce]

How do I know whether they have an optho residency program? Is there a specific website which lists what school shave certain residency program or am I going ot have to look through each schools website?

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2997.html

 

[OB1🤙]

Accredited ones.

 

[kenmc3]

The University of Miami has the #1 eye program in the country – the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. This program selects only 4-5 residents per year and typically at least 1 comes from UM. As a UM medical student we get a lot of exposure to the eye institute. We frequently work with them doing visual screening for the general population. Also, the research opportunities are tremendous there.

 

[Neuronix]

Penn does put out alot of ophthomologists. I think the number was 18 2 years ago... 10% of the nation's allo spots! The department seems to place the the desire on early interest in ophtho generated by a mandatory third year one week rotation in ophtho. Judging from the fact that my classmates used it as a vacation from clinics, I'm not sure that's it...

Then again, maybe a vacation is what everyone's looking for! Medicine/surgery is so brutal by comparison, that ophtho might just be its own draw after all the beatings.

 

[Shangal]

yeah, if you go to a top ten school, UPENN being one of them, I guess that will help. But if you get in one of those schools you are already smart and shouldn't worry about getting the residency of your choice. Except for derm of course

 

[TheFamilyDoctor]

Might want to look at Jefferson Medical College ------associated with Wills Eye and they typically take one from each class.

 

[silas2642]

Are certain medical schools known for turning out certain specialties? What should I be looking for in a medical school if I am interested in becoming an ophthalmologist? What are some medical schools that residency programs look at when picking students for opthalmology? I understand people are going to be like, "you have not even went through medical school yet so you have no idea what you want to be", but for the time being let's just assume I want to be an opthtalmologist.

Thank you for your help!!

I think that you should only consider going to the schools that let you in.