Ophthalmology Residency Program Compendium - Table of Contents

I think this is a great idea - too bad i didnt visit any of those places mentioned

I think this is a good idea. Denver- I'm still not sure what to think of it. The place is beautiful and it is on the way up (see other posts). I wasn't convinced that the residents were really happy there, though they didn't say anything bad about it. I guess they just weren't as positive as many I've talked with at other programs. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews from others on the program there. Right after my visit, I thought that it was a good program, now some time has passed and I'm not sure what to think. I would say that the quality they may have now is something new for them, which makes it a little more risky than a more established program. The question for me is whether I'm liking it more b/c I want to like a program in that location or it is a solid program.

What did you guys think about USF Tampa and UT Houston??

any comments on CA programs?

Here's my take on some programs - fasten your seatbelts it's going to be a long ride.

Wisconsin - great location if you don't mind the cold; poor surgical volume (although very good in plastics) and little autonomy; 4 months in NM during 3rd year was probably the deal-breaker; overall - academic powerhouse, but weak clinically.

MCW - okay location, but still cold; fine surgical volume with lots of trauma, with average autonomy; residents seemed pretty happy; overall - good academic and clinical program

UTSW - good location, but now it's hot; great surgical volume (they say 130, but really 160-200+) lots of autonomy and you work hard; overall - good academic and very strong clinical program.

Baylor - basically the same location as Dallas, but more heat and more traffic; awesome surgical volume and lots of autonomy; great placement for comprehensive or fellowship; don't like the saturday lectures; overall - strong academically and a clinical powerhouse

MEEI - people are pretty polar when it comes to Boston - either you love it or you hate it; good surgical volume - despite the rumors (120 cataracts) with average autonomy; a great place for self-motivated, creative residents who can handle a few projects at once; overall - academic powerhouse with good clinical experience (and one of my personal favorites).

Denver - Denver is awesome, but the actual eye center is a bit out of the way; surgical volume is okay (~100 cataracts and rising) with good autonomy; with all the new, young faculty, it could be an awesome place to train, but the fellowship-bound may be taking a risk since everyone is so new; overall - not the brightest light in the harbor, but will provide a sound clinical experience - and you'll have a good time doing it too.

UC Davis - another great location (2 hrs to the mountains, the beach, tahoe, and SF); awesome surgical volume (~200 cataracts starting your first year) with good autonomy; you work your tail off first year(q3), but reap the benefits the next two years; strong faculty with big names; overall - bound to be a top-ten program in the next few years - a clinical and academic "pre-powerhouse"

Casey eye in Portland - awesome location; sweet surgical volume (150-200 cataracts) with great autonomy; call is light, people are happy, life is good, faculty are great; overall - another up-and-coming program with an ideal blend of lifestyle, clinical and academic training (and another personal favorite).

Wilmer - Baltimore didn't impress me, but it's cheap to live there; adequate surgical volume (resident dependent, but can get 150 cataracts if you want) and great autonomy (only true resident-run clinic I found); this program is known as a factory for future department chairs and other leaders of the field; overall - you work hard, but if you're bound for fellowship/academics - it's hard to beat this program.

Iowa - Iowa city is small, but once you make the committment, I think you could have a good time (especially if you're married), plus it's cheap and they have great benefits ; surgical volume is great (140-170 cataracts) but less autonomy; great reputation for comprehensive or fellowship placement; lots of didactics (grand rounds M-F, saturday lectures, evening lectures too); overall - academic powerhouse and good clinical training.

Utah - great location; surgical volume is the best in the country with lots of autonomy; they just got approval for a third spot which makes it even better; you have to do your internship there where you do 4 months of ophtho (q3); you work hard all three years; they're building a new eye center in 2 yrs; another program that I think will be top-ten status within the next few years; overall - clinical powerhouse with growing academic status (and another personal favorite).

I'm sure others will disagree with me, but this is my opinion.

Hey, did anyone interview at GW Ophtho? What did you think of the program? Attendings? Residents? Look forward to any replies!

I would also like to know people's detailed opinions on the california programs!

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I was really surprised by how impressed I was with the Cleveland Clinic. I truly believe this is one of the best programs in the country. Yet, it is still a real sleeper. The residents were very happy with their training. They got excellent surgical numbers, excellent clinical teaching, and great fellowships. The faculty are great and growing and the facilities are unbelievable. It is a program on the rise and I feel will continue to rise.

Anyone else who visited the program, please give me your 2 cents. Am I missing something or was it really that good?

It was really that good. I cannot find anything wrong with the program except for the location. Cleveland, well, sucks. The faculty are very well known in the field and it will definatly be a top 5 academic powerhouse within the next 5 years. The facilities cannot be beat except for Jules Stein. They just recruited the chair at U Washington to be their cornea research guy. Watch out for this place........ if Cole Eye Institute was in say, San Francisco, it would undoubtedly be the most desired program in the country IMHO. Kinda like another Iowa

Cleveland Clinic -

A very academic focused program - perhaps not the best choice if one were to want to do solely private practice in the future

When I was there, they mentioned that if was PREFERRED if their residents went into academics, but most previous residents went into private practice. As they mentioned, most highly academic programs would like their residents to go into academics, but it is unrealistic to expect everyone to go into it, since private practice jobs outnumber academic ones by a lot. I still think they prepare their residents well to go either route, which keeps more options open. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to get a private practice job coming from their program. What do you guys think? Please, somebody give me a reality check!!

Originally posted by Koji Kabuto
I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to get a private practice job coming from their program. What do you guys think? Please, somebody give me a reality check!!

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I've only heard awesome things about The Cleveland Clinic. One of the third year residents at Iowa matched there for Cornea.

Although the program may emphasize academic careers for their residents, with the surgical and clinical training you'll receive, you should be able to go either way. In my opinion, The Cleveland Clinic is an outstanding program with mucho financial funding.

Any info on Wake Forest?

wake forest seemed like a solid clinical program. winstom-salem seemed to leave a bit to be desired, but hey, if you like tobacco (the city was built around the tobacco industry), it may be the place for you!

the residents seemed very happy and the attendings seemed really nice. one thing that kind of ticked me off is that they interview 60 people for the 2 (or is it 3?--it's all beginning to mesh together) slots.

can you expand on what you didn't like about winston-salem?

I used to live in Winston-Salem. Great place for families, but not for single folks. Night life is lacking, to say the least. Of course, you're not too far of a drive from the mountains AND the beaches, making for good weekend excursions.

As far as Wake goes, I didn't interview there. One of my classmates did, and he said the residents admitted that they feel overworked. So, busy program. Clinical training appears solid, as you might expect from a busy program.

Visionary more or less summed it up. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are worse places than Winston-Salem. part of my problem is i'm coming from NYC so unfortunately, most smaller cities seem a little slow paced for me.

I didn't necessarily get the vibe that the residents are over-worked, but i guess it all depends on who you talk to.

jules stein or bascom palmer. i'm trying to decide which to rank first (not that i'll match at either). what do you guys think? what do you think the differences are, aside from location?

Originally posted by psps
jules stein or bascom palmer. i'm trying to decide which to rank first (not that i'll match at either). what do you guys think? what do you think the differences are, aside from location?

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Both are amazing programs and all residents from these two programs are well trained. You cannot go wrong with either choice.

This said, the most important factor in residents' happiness is truly location. One should consider factors such as family, friends, and personal preference. Given that these programs are both equally strong, I suggest that you should consider whether you'll be happy in Miami or Los Angeles.

On the other hand, if your chances of matching at either program is slim, then I wouldn't spend too much time contemplating.

I'm having a heck of a time with my rank list. My top 4 include Alabama, UNC, UF, and UT-Memphis. Any thoughts on these programs?

Also, how should I weigh in my plans to do one of the competetive fellowships, like retina, in my rank list?

Here's my 2 cents for all it's worth:

UNC: Liked the campus, liked the facilities, every interviewer was nice and approachable, very low stress interviews, didn't even seem like there were 9 of them. Residents fairly approachable, 4 course lunch was definitely nice. However I have some reservations regarding the faculty that just left. 1 glaucoma specialist left, leaving the seniors somewhat scrambling for glaucoma cases. 1 retina person is leaving. Every interviewer mentioned this as a drawback to the program. Although they are actively searching to replace the outgoing faculty, it might take a while for the search to conclude & for the new faculty members to establish themselves & build a patient base . Also, the lack of a VA in close proximity is another drawback. They send their residents to a VA in Minnesota, but i was told that some of the residents weren't too crazy about this. They basically have to go there to get enough cases. Also there was some mumbling about the surgical case volume when I pressed one of the seniors. They seem to be a bit on the low side. Clinic volume is not a problem though.

UF: Didn't interview there but a couple of my friends did & loved it there.

Memphis: Also didn't interview there but have only heard positive things.

Alabama: Don't know anything about the program.

It's a few years old, but wondering if we could resurrect this thread with updated information and impressions for this season

mjl34 said:

Here's my take on some programs - fasten your seatbelts it's going to be a long ride.

Baylor - basically the same location as Dallas, but more heat and more traffic; awesome surgical volume and lots of autonomy; great placement for comprehensive or fellowship; don't like the saturday lectures; overall - strong academically and a clinical powerhouse

I'm sure others will disagree with me, but this is my opinion.

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Baylor is a great program. Residents get interviewed at top programs for fellowship and have matched well in the past. Definitely a work hard play hard atmosphere. Faculty really value resident education. Saturday lectures have been done away with and moved to Friday. High clinical volume. Cornea and pediatrics powerhouse.

psps said:

jules stein or bascom palmer. i'm trying to decide which to rank first (not that i'll match at either). what do you guys think? what do you think the differences are, aside from location?

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BP definitely over Jules Stein. Both have a work hard mentality and have great volume. Both are great programs. Downside ofJules Stein-- lots of driving all over to hospital locations, and then having to return in the evening for lectures in crazy LA traffic.

i've noticed that this older thread has a lot of positive feedback on Cleveland clinic where some of the newer posts comment on how it's a malignant program... is this a change of attitude in recent years?

Sams said:

i've noticed that this older thread has a lot of positive feedback on Cleveland clinic where some of the newer posts comment on how it's a malignant program... is this a change of attitude in recent years?

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YEah, what's up with that! I was about to drop my CC interview until I saw this tread!

Is anyone familar with the Midwest programs, such as UMKC, Kansas, Mizzou, Nebraska. I would like to stay near home in the Midwest but haven't received an invite to Iowa or Minnesota schools. I've read about UMKC and Nebraska on Scutwork, but have not heard anything about these programs on SDN. Anyone have an idea about call schedules, surgery/clinic exposure and just the general atmosphere. Thanks!

I'm really excited about seeing Cole after everything I've read. The only thing that worried me for those of us not a top 10 schools is that all of their residents are from them if you look at their website. Otherwise, if you search their program on SDN everyone has super positive things to say about it. Azzarah, I wouldn't drop it if I were you.

I was also really excited to see Oregon, another sleeper program.....until my fiancee was rejected

Anyone have comments about Scheie or WashU?

both scheie and washU are excellent programs.

Haptic said:

I'm really excited about seeing Cole after everything I've read. The only thing that worried me for those of us not a top 10 schools is that all of their residents are from them if you look at their website. Otherwise, if you search their program on SDN everyone has super positive things to say about it. Azzarah, I wouldn't drop it if I were you.

I was also really excited to see Oregon, another sleeper program.....until my fiancee was rejected

Anyone have comments about Scheie or WashU?

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this is a useful thread. i wish it was started sooner.
can anyone comment on the two Kansas programs, Missouri Columbia, and U South Carolina.

thanks

eyefly said:

this is a useful thread. i wish it was started sooner.
can anyone comment on the two Kansas programs, Missouri Columbia, and U South Carolina.

thanks

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Thanks fatman, I too have heard many good things about Mizzou. Plus Columbia is a fun town (and affordable). I haven't heard too many good comments about UMKC...I heard the PD is kinda full of himself. Haven't heard anything about Kansas. I think there is a big discussion on USC in a post about programs that suck...look there.

Does anyone have any information about Nebraska. There is a great review on scutwork, but I also saw it listed under programs that suck. I also know they only take 2 residents a year which I feel might lead to being very busy. Any comments from residents at smaller programs? I don't mind the extra work if it is educational, but I feel there might be more benefits to having a few extra residents around...

I read the earlier posts about U South Carolina....which was vigorously defended by its alum. Just wondering if that still held true. Are there any current residents that want to comment?

fatman41 said:

I heard Iowa has Saturday lectures 8-9mos each year. Does anyone else know of programs with Saturday lecture/clinical duties?

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NYEEI has Saturday clinics. Not sure about Saturday lectures though.

speyeder said:

NYEEI has Saturday clinics. Not sure about Saturday lectures though.

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fatman41 said:

I heard Iowa has Saturday lectures 8-9mos each year. Does anyone else know of programs with Saturday lecture/clinical duties?

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Univ. of Illinois-Chicago has saturday lectures, although they said this may change in the future.


By the way, this is an outstanding thread! I wish I knew about it before...

Wisconsin - great location if you don't mind the cold; poor surgical volume (although very good in plastics) and little autonomy; 4 months in NM during 3rd year was probably the deal-breaker; overall - academic powerhouse, but weak clinically.

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This may have been true in the past, but I don't believe this is the case anymore. Yes, it's still cold there, but Wisconsin is now probably in the top 1 or 2 in the country for oculoplastics. They've done away with the 4 months in NM. And it seems like they have enough autonomy, b/c the residents that graduate from there are prepared for private practice or any fellowship. This is probably a top 15 program.

For NIH funding, it has been in the top 3 for years maybe even a decade. In the ophthalmology times rankings in years past (2002 or so?) it was ranked as high as #4 overall. It seems like the probationary accreditation really dropped it down on the ranking surveys. I have one of the last dates for the interview, and I'm excited to visit! Has anyone heard updated info on their accreditation?

btw is there a 2006 Ophthalmology times ranking out yet?

I called today

they said 1)site visit was good 2)acgme meeting in december 3)notification in january...with our luck on jan 20

i'll probably see you there then if your there late

Haptic said:

I'm really excited about seeing Cole after everything I've read. The only thing that worried me for those of us not a top 10 schools is that all of their residents are from them if you look at their website. Otherwise, if you search their program on SDN everyone has super positive things to say about it. Azzarah, I wouldn't drop it if I were you.

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I'm not sure where the Cleveland Clinic bashing came from. All I can say is that I have friends who were residents there and they were very happy about the program. They felt they were very well trained and had great options (fellowship or jobs) after residency. Take a look at the website and look up the recent alumni:
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/eye/physician_info/alumni.asp

Not too shabby if you ask me.

wow you were right! those were pretty ridiculous fellowships...looks like a good place to go for oculoplastics or retina...can't wait to see it soon!

can anyone comment on mount sinai in NY?

Great thread! Props to all who have contributed.

Any ideas on Kresge/Wayne state?

I'll be contributing on a few programs in the very near future... (promise)