Residency opportunities

This forum made possible through the generous support of
SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
davey22 said:
How difficult is it to get into residency programs, many positions?
Click to expand...


I think its very easy to get a residency position. If there is a certain one that is more highly regarded then yeah it can be difficult. But I still get emails from insititutions looking to fill there vacant residency positions. Some may require you to interview with a group panel of doctors, but some may just be a phone interview (most will want to meet ya). Best of luck
 
As Ryan_eyeball said, there are some spots that have a number of spot, but there are some that don't even fill. At ICO the contact lens spot has a lot of applicants, but there are others that are not very competitive. What it comes down to is, if you want you, you will be able to get one...that is presuming you are not a 2.00 with crap rotation reviews.
 
Do you think attending a residency will improve your income? Have you heard about many openings for residencies regarding developmental optometry? Is that a competitive position?
 
davey22 said:
Do you think attending a residency will improve your income? Have you heard about many openings for residencies regarding developmental optometry? Is that a competitive position?
Click to expand...

This has been discussed on here multiple times.

Having completed a residency will not garner you a higher salary 99 times out of 100. The ironic part is that most positions that require residency training are ones that historically pay LESS such as the VA or academia.

The advantage of doing a residency is that it will allow you to keep more of your patients in your office because you will be much more comfortable handling complicated cases than your non residency trained counterparts.

But no, it will not garner you any more pay or "prestige" or anything like that.
 
My Optometrist (already working in a 3 doctor practice) just hired a new associate right out of school... 25 years old. He told me that the guy they hired completed a Pedeatric Residency. My doctor said... quote "he had 10 job offers in the six figures."

I have no idea what was so special about this guy that he had all of these awesome offers. But just thought I would share.
 
KHE said:
This has been discussed on here multiple times.

Having completed a residency will not garner you a higher salary 99 times out of 100. The ironic part is that most positions that require residency training are ones that historically pay LESS such as the VA or academia.

The advantage of doing a residency is that it will allow you to keep more of your patients in your office because you will be much more comfortable handling complicated cases than your non residency trained counterparts.

But no, it will not garner you any more pay or "prestige" or anything like that.
Click to expand...

...and by seeing more patients and keeping them in your office, you make more money, so ....
 
jchod said:
...and by seeing more patients and keeping them in your office, you make more money, so ....
Click to expand...

That's right. I've said that dozens of times on these forums. That's where a residency makes you money. By allowing you to keep patients in YOUR office rather than referring them out.

However, a residency will almost never get you a higher salary offer from a perspective employer nor will it garner you much more prestige. You might get the smallest bit from other ODs but you will be no more from actual patients.
 
if you don't have good rotations in od school do a residency. my wife and i both turned them down. $20,000 for a year of slave labor go work for an md for $80,000 you'll learn the same thing.
 
HOLLYWOOD said:
if you don't have good rotations in od school do a residency. my wife and i both turned them down. $20,000 for a year of slave labor go work for an md for $80,000 you'll learn the same thing.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, you are not in a position to give advice on whether or not to complete a residency. As someone who completed a residency in ocular disease, here is my advice: good rotations in OD school are not a substitute for a good residency program. Actually, neither is working for an MD. Unless that MD is in a referral center or a hospital setting, there is no guarantee you will see anything more than you would working for an OD. I agree with KHE. If you want to feel more comfortable treating disease so you end up referring less, complete an ocular disease residency. If you want to make yourself more valuble to a private practice, complete a low vision or binocular vision residency. Whether or not you will make more money has more to do with timing and opportunity than anything else.
 
Good one Ben, I argree totally!!! NOTHING you can ever do will provide you the same experience and education as does a residency. nothing.
 
jchod said:
Good one Ben, I argree totally!!! NOTHING you can ever do will provide you the same experience and education as does a residency. nothing.
Click to expand...

perhaps your residency, but all?
 
xmattODx said:
perhaps your residency, but all?
Click to expand...
That is a very good point. Not all residencies are created equal. When I graduated from Berkeley in 1997, the ocular disease resident at the school was basically seeing the same patients as the fourth years in the "med mod". I think the resident spent a day in another setting, but for the most part it was a 5th year of optometry school. There are some really great programs aout there and then there are those that are not.
 
Is there a way to find out which residencies are good... and which to avoid? Something similar to a "national registry" of sorts where past students could comment on the residency, etc. I know that there are some for medical school residencies, but I'm not sure about optometry.
 
Ben Chudner said:
That is a very good point. Not all residencies are created equal. When I graduated from Berkeley in 1997, the ocular disease resident at the school was basically seeing the same patients as the fourth years in the "med mod". I think the resident spent a day in another setting, but for the most part it was a 5th year of optometry school. There are some really great programs aout there and then there are those that are not.
Click to expand...

I agree with Ben and a few of his previous posts. The Contact Lens resident at my school during my fourth year was just percepting over the 3rd and 4th yr CL clincs. I think she only saw her own patients just on Tuesday's of the week. I would have felt like it was a total waste of time, except to say it was a "residency." NOT all are created equal.

The best person to ask about the residency you're considering, the current resident. Most will probably tell you the honest truth about their experience there (good and bad points).

I'm glad I hit disease hard in my clinical rotations (4 out of 6), had a CL only site (that's pretty much all they focused on), and a Ped/CL site also. I'm working over the summer with an OMD for an extra 2 months of clinic disease experience before practicing in my home state. I see about 30 patients a day, and he comes in and does a quick SLE. Nothing will replace a disease residency though, if that's what you really want.
 
Ryan_eyeball said:
I agree with Ben and a few of his previous posts. The Contact Lens resident at my school during my fourth year was just percepting over the 3rd and 4th yr CL clincs. I think she only saw her own patients just on Tuesday's of the week. I would have felt like it was a total waste of time, except to say it was a "residency." NOT all are created equal.

The best person to ask about the residency you're considering, the current resident. Most will probably tell you the honest truth about their experience there (good and bad points).

I'm glad I hit disease hard in my clinical rotations (4 out of 6), had a CL only site (that's pretty much all they focused on), and a Ped/CL site also. I'm working over the summer with an OMD for an extra 2 months of clinic disease experience before practicing in my home state. I see about 30 patients a day, and he comes in and does a quick SLE. Nothing will replace a disease residency though, if that's what you really want.
Click to expand...

I agree fully. Some are just a wast of time. Talk to teh residents without anyone else around, also, see if you can get in touch with the residents that were there a year or two ago, see if they feel like they gained much useful esperience. As for my residency though.... 100% time well spent.
 
I just went through the match and scramble and was unable to get a position due to the fact there was non open and the program I was supposed to match at did not...well long story short, I can't find any vacant position and not sure where to look. I am on findaresident, called many hospital daily and still with the same story....no luck.
so what r u saying, it is easy to get a position, I mean I have a good application, good score, ecfmg cert, and the whole nine yard, and I just graduated....pleaaaaaaz let me know if you have any info regarding ways to get in...
thanks,
 
dgrair said:
I just went through the match and scramble and was unable to get a position due to the fact there was non open and the program I was supposed to match at did not...well long story short, I can't find any vacant position and not sure where to look. I am on findaresident, called many hospital daily and still with the same story....no luck.
so what r u saying, it is easy to get a position, I mean I have a good application, good score, ecfmg cert, and the whole nine yard, and I just graduated....pleaaaaaaz let me know if you have any info regarding ways to get in...
thanks,
Click to expand...

Me thinks you're on the wrong forum.
 
dgrair said:
I mean I have a good application, good score, ecfmg cert, and the whole nine yard, and I just graduated....pleaaaaaaz let me know if you have any info regarding ways to get in...
thanks,
Click to expand...

ecfmg cert? Man, you mean I've got to take that too? It never ends... 😉
 
xmattODx said:
Me thinks you're on the wrong forum.
Click to expand...
and u didn't read the orig message...but thx for the great advise...
 
xmattODx said:
Me thinks you're on the wrong forum.
Click to expand...
I think its very easy to get a residency position. If there is a certain one that is more highly regarded then yeah it can be difficult. But I still get emails from insititutions looking to fill there vacant residency positions. Some may require you to interview with a group panel of doctors, but some may just be a phone interview (most will want to meet ya). Best of luck
 
dgrair said:
and u didn't read the orig message...but thx for the great advise...
Click to expand...

I'm so confused right now. Just for clarification you do know that this discussion pertains to optometric residencies not ophthalmology, right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Optometrist Opportunities - Canada
Replies
0
Views
4K
Eejay
E
K
VAHC RESIDENCY
Replies
2
Views
3K
Ryan_eyeball
Ryan_eyeball
T
residency interview questions
Replies
1
Views
2K
qwopty99
qwopty99
T
Ocular disease residency
Replies
1
Views
2K
UnicornOpt
U
J
Scholarship Opportunities
Replies
2
Views
1K
Laradd
L
Top