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This will be an update to Osteopathic Ophthalmology threads of the past floating around on SDN. It is obviously not completely comprehensive but hope it will help some future applicants. Good luck yall!
True statements:
-Most programs require that you rotate with them if you wish to receive an interview (not every program but the majority)
-Your auditions count – can make or break you
Disclaimer: Some of this information is first-hand, most is gathered from conversations with residents and fellow applicants. Anything I write I have cause to believe is true and not pure speculation, that said I leave it to readers to verify any and all information. Information can change rapidly.
Oklahoma State University Medical Center
I did not rotate - maybe someone else can update
Oakwood Healthcare System Osteo Div
Best environment of all programs.
Didactics: Attend Kresge lectures, monthly CORO lectures at Michigan State, resident run didactics with book club on Friday afternoons
Structure: Work out of attending’s private clinics, subspecialty training in the Detroit area, Peds done in Akron (all the residents seemed to love that experience), basic science course in Houston for 1 month during February (nice month to get out of the Michigan cold)
Attendings: PD is a former St. John Providence attending, also work regularly with 3 other attendings including 2 comprehensive (husband and wife) and a retina specialist.
Surgical volume: Unsure as most students did not spend any time in the OR during their audition. In the past some residents have gone to India to bolster cataract numbers, but I don’t believe this is required. Also have the opportunity to go to Mexico for 1 week to perform additional cataract cases and enjoy the beach during down time.
Call: Call taken at 4 hospitals, can be busy. Alternate primary call during PGY2 with co-resident, 1 week on/1 week off. Senior residents are back up call.
Pros/what works: Most laid back attendings and residents of any program. Great atmosphere, residents were all extremely nice and helpful. Residents all enjoy hanging out with each other outside of work. As far as I know planning to proceed with the ACGME merger. Already take 2 residents per year, so not an issue. Although things could change depending on hospital politics and allocation of GME funding. One of the attendings uses Femtosecond laser, residents will get exposure to this technology throughout training. Personal fit with program emphasized greatly over ophtho knowledge and COMLEX scores. One of the senior residents this year is going on to oculoplastics fellowship. Not sure about residents matching fellowships in years past. Shared access to surgical simulator which is currently housed in East Lansing, but possibly moving to a more central location near Detroit?
Cons/deficiencies: can be a decent amount of travel between consults. Unsure of surgical numbers or variety since minimal to no exposure for students.
Interview: Very laid back. No ophtho knowledge based questions or manual dexterity exercises. Typical interview questions from residents and more of a conversation with the attendings.
Med Student tips: Be polite and respectful and try to be yourself (I know, easier said than done when you’re auditioning). This program really does want to get to know you and see if you’ll be a good fit with them personality wise (you should want this too regardless of where you go). Might be a good rotation to schedule early on if you haven’t gained a lot of experience prior to audition season.
St John Providence Health System-Osteo Div
Oldest program with rich history - PD very loyal to the history of the clinic
Didactics: Attends Kresge lectures, monthly CORO lectures at MSU, some done at Beaumont, resident run didactics + chart rounds with attendings
Structure: Resident clinic in Detroit, Experience in a few private offices close to St. John's, Shares some subspecialist attendings with Beaumont and Kresge, Peds closeby at children’s hospital
Attendings: Strong long time attendings with 1 new young attending (including husband, wife, daughter team)
Surgical volume: Good - I did not see any deficits in surgery, as each week there were multiple cases, including some experience generated from attendings' offices; Residents involved in surgery early on, even during intern year
Call: Call taken at 4 hospitals? There may have been an additional hospital added. Nonetheless, 1 of the hospitals in Detroit provides solid call cases yielding good experience (likely some good trauma)
Pros/what works: This is definitely one of the most solid programs in the DO world. Funding seems solid with no threat of financial issues. High COMLEX, USMLE scores seemed advantageous. And I do believe there will be no issues with surviving the merger in the future as PD's are very involved politically with AOCOO. They are currently taking at least 2 residents per year (ACGME minimum) so I do not see any issues there. The resident clinic is pretty decent in terms of set-up (although the building flooded and they got stuck in a random spot, no big deal though). There are 4 exam lanes with teaching monitors, Visual field testing, Fundus photo, New OCT machine. The clinic has staff that help with patient scheduling. There were definitely interesting cases that came through the clinic considering the patient population which is great to become comfortable by the end of your time during residency. Wet lab is available at the clinic. OR facilities were fine at St. Johns, nothing fancy but everything you need for good training. I do believe one of the private attendings was rumored to getting his hands on Femtosecond laser which he stated he was willing to help train residents (not sure on the status of this though). I thought there were some great attendings here that would have made the program worth training at.
Cons/deficiencies: lots of travel between consults and clinic, clinic is located just outside of Detroit (better than being in Detroit), better parts of town to live are 15-45 minutes away from clinic. Some of the attendings are starting to slow down - and things can always happen suddenly and unexpectedly - wondering if this program will have more support step in to help in the future
Interview: Overall was a good experience. Some of the PD's can be intimidating depending on how you are personally in an interview situation. Each applicant was given the same basic format in questioning.
Med Student tips: For anyone who hasn’t been to Michigan – the area that this program is mostly based in is pretty good. Detroit has its reputation, but I did not feel unsafe throughout my time. The housing the hospital offers was some of the best I’ve stayed in during medical school so take advantage of that. Royal Oak is a great little place along with Birmingham. Be prepared to answer basic ophthalmology questions during chart rounds. Dr. Rubin is a fantastic teacher.
St John's Episcopal Hospital South Shore
1st off - New program director in place. He seems like a great guy and has aspirations of making major improvements supported by the head of GME at St. John's Episcopal.
Here is the major question: Does This program directly take applicants or do applicants complete an extra PGY? It seems some residents do graduate in 4 years while others are on a 5 year plan. I think there is a push to make this a 4 year program only on the ophthalmology side, however there may be issues on the Hospital of St. John's side. We will see how this shakes out in years to come.
Didactics: Lots of didactics with attendings. Resident run lectures after clinic. I believe there were lectures attended with ACGME programs in the city in the past, however I think that may be discontinued (nothing to do with this program - I believe it occurred on the ACGME side).
Structure: Resident clinic in Brooklyn, Clinic time with subspecialist at different clinics throughout Brooklyn and other areas, Pediatrics in Erie, Surgery experience in India, Surgery at Interfaith Hospital and St. John's Episcopal. Used to be a resident clinic at St. John’s in Queens, currently does not exist.
Surgical volume: During my time, I saw residents busting their butts to get their surgery numbers. I think if you are the type of person who is a go getter and has no problem making an extra effort to recruit patients - then surgical numbers will be fine. If you are a person who expects things to fall in your lap - it may be a problem. Residents, as it currently stands, pay out of pocket to travel to India to perform ~30-40 Phaco cases, however these cases do not count towards your surgical numbers. They are purely for you to gain experience before operating at home program.
Attendings: Well known Glaucoma doctor with connections to big name fellowships (1 matched Glaucoma at Bascom Palmer recently) if interested in glaucoma, Some good attendings, some are questionable
Call: 5 hospitals? Picking up different hospital call helps in establishing ties with the clinics to gain subspecialty exposure. Residents stated there is good trauma exposure.
Pros/what works: This was a program that felt like it was in flux. I think it needs some changes and those changes are being put together currently, but will take some time. However, from an ACGME merger standpoint they are planning on staying strong through the merger including plans to continue to take 3 residents per year. The resident clinic was the most basic I saw on the DO trail. Funding seemed basic however the resident salary was very good. The facilities were ok, slit lamps (1 with teaching scope) and B-scan. There was a Visual Field machine in the resident clinic. There was no fundus photo, no OCT, no lasers and I did not see any injections being performed. The environment in the clinic at times seemed a bit intense. Cost $ to park at the clinic (NY life). If you love city life this could be a great program. The resident clinic is busy and there were some good cases that came through. Especially with the glaucoma attending. The didactics are pretty solid from the lectures given in the morning. OR was fine at St. Johns from an equipment standpoint.
Cons/deficiencies- LOTS of travel between sites. NY traffic. Some of the attendings have more abrasive personalities. St. John's episcopal not in the best area. Like I said I think this program will continue to get better with the right leadership.
Interview: Pretty laid back interview asking questions about application. New program director gives off positive vibes throughout the whole process. Seems like a great guy.
Med Student Tips: FYI – there is housing through St. Johns Episocopal in Queens however most of rotation is done in Brooklyn – so avoid the Far rockaway living and stay in Brooklyn IMO. Commute from Queens to Brooklyn is 15 miles but takes ~ 1 hour 15 minutes with traffic.
OUCOM Doctors Hospital
I believe this program has a reputation for being one of the most fun and strong programs to rotate at. Residents consistently are funny, very intelligent, and are all around high quality people. The residents do a lot of teaching for students.
Didactics: Ohio State, Resident Run lectures
Structure: Resident clinic down road from Doctor’s hospital, 2nd year with attendings in Columbus (some at Ohio State), Consults at Doctor’s & Grant Hospital (Level I trauma center)
Attendings: Very laid back, 1 of the attendings is an ASOPRS Oculoplastics trained
Surgical volume: Moderate, great plastics exposure
Call: Coverage at Doctor’s Hospital & Grant Hospital. Grant gets a lot of trauma from the city. Experience with trauma surgery during 1st year of residency (intern year).
Pros/what works: This program was a lot of fun to rotate at and the schedule was not burdensome at all. Program has been in the work’s since the 50’s. Very well established alumni network. The resident clinic is very nice. Slit lamps with teaching scopes, B-scan, Fundus photography, FA’s performed in resident clinic by residents, New OCT, Many intravitreal injections. There is a great deal of interesting pathology that walks through the door. These patients will be worked up in the clinic and shared with subspecialist in the region (usually Ohio State). Retina day in clinic ~ 1x month? One of the attendings has access to Femtosecond laser at private office and residents are able to get experience there. Doctor’s hospital seems to be very generous with their funding of the program (there may even be an endowment funding the program – rumored). Great wet lab at Doctor’s hospital with microscopes to practice surgical techniques. Just transitioned this year to using EMR. Definitely one of the better programs. They are still taking 1 resident per year as it stands now. How that will shake out with ACGME, I’m not sure – but they did not seem to be in any ounce of threat of being closed, in fact they were the first ophtho program to apply for ACGME. Program director is very supportive in this movement and there is confidence that this program will continue to be a solid program. Btw – Columbus is probably one of the best locations to match for DO ophthalmology – great small downtown with restaurants at Short North; Ohio State is close and this town lives/dies/breathes OSU; Most affordable housing for quality I’ve seen; Offers any style from more suburban living to downtown to college style to luxurious, whatever you like.
Cons/deficiencies: The schedule was pretty light – not sure if this is consistent throughout the year.
Interview: Very laid back. Consistent with the style of their program.
Med Student Tips: Really laid back rotation. If you get the chance to see any cool trauma at Grant go for it! Make sure to try out SuperChef in downtown Columbus for breakfast! Browse the fundus photo list of interesting pathology – some really great images to look at while there.
OUCOM/Grandview Hosp & Med Ctr
Grandview has a reputation out there on SDN as being a more intense program (I think I even read that someone stated it was malignant) – I have to disagree with this information. While I do feel like I was asked more ophtho related questions at this program than any other, I LEARNED more at this program than any other. IMO – this is the best DO ophthalmology program from a training standpoint – I will elaborate below. Residents are very intelligent.
Didactics: Resident run lectures, Journal club with Subspecialty program alumni skyping in on lecture to discuss major trials, outcomes, and what is currently being done in specialty offices, Surgery conference with attending where resident’s surgeries are taped and then picked apart as to what can be done better, Attending feedback immediately after surgery going through the whole case on how to improve techniques
Structure: Resident clinic, subspecialty training at Peds hospital in Cincinnati, Subspecialty training with top physicians in country at U of Cincinnati, Rotations with private attendings
Attendings: Unbelievably supportive of the program. Put a lot of time outside of their private offices into resident teaching.
Surgical volume: Very steady volume, Callisto guided (?) Toric Cases, EyeSi Surgical simulator in resident clinic office
Call: Coverage at many of the hospitals in the general Dayton area (5 hospitals?), Rumored that PD is attempting to get call privileges at VA in Dayton to open up avenue to acquire more surgery for residents
Pros/what works- This is a great training program that is likely the best funded program in DO ophthalmology. The resident clinic is new and had the best equipment I saw on the trail. 4 exam lanes (1 with teaching scope), Fundus photo, New OCT, Retinal lasers in house (brand new laser – apparently “Ferrari of lasers”), intravitreal injections. There is an EyeSi surgical simulator in the workstation of the resident clinic (did not see this kind of access to simulator at any other program – including some MD programs). Wet lab set up in OR room at Grandview where residents were willing to do a lot of teaching under the microscope. Lens are paid for. Meetings are paid for through program. Attendings were all very nice. Program has a rich history of productive graduates that are hardworking and willing to help residents out with didactics. Strong fellowship matches in past. This program has traditionally taken 1 resident per year. Moving forward, PD states that the hospital is supportive of the ophthalmology program but that could always change to shifting GME funding to lets say Family Med or Ortho. He is very upfront and honest about the future of the program. Stated that the program should be ok moving forward in the future and he would do everything he could on his end to continue its excellence. He is truly dedicated to the survival of this program.
Hospital provides the best food in the resident longue that I’ve seen. Free meals during working hours (1 resident stated has not grocery shopped all year).
Cons/deficiencies- Maybe some lack of subspecialty exposure (plastics?)
Interview: Most involved interview experienced but overall a good one. It will be that one interview you can always brag about in the future to your MD colleagues.
Med Student Tips: Be prepared to learn! Dr. Mihok and Dr. Peets are awesome! Use the resident housing page to set up housing as early as possible, it goes quick. Dayton isn’t the most exciting town but it has its own qualities throughout the city and a nice surrounding suburb area. Cincinnati is close by. Wright Patterson AFB museum close. There are “Metroparks” that have running trails that are very nice. Places to try: Olive, Graeter’s Ice Cream, Skyline Chili, Montgomery Inn
Philadelphia College Osteopathic Med
Great training program with great connections
Didactics: Will’s Eye Morning Lecture, Will’s Eye Friday Grand Rounds, Resident Run Lectures, Will’s Eye OKAP course, Attending & resident run journal club
Structure: Private clinic in South Philly, Resident Clinic at Lankenau hospital, Private office for subspecialties, Plastics at Lankenau, Will’s Eye Neuro-ophthalmology
Attendings: Mostly great attendings. A good amount are Wills Eye attendings.
Surgical volume: Moderate, Great plastics training, resident clinic with increasing volume and increasing cataract cases
Call: Cover 2 hospitals and 1 private clinic ? As stated previously, Wills Eye dominates ER visits in the city as they have a dedicated Ophthalmic ER so trauma may be lacking
Pros/what works: From a training standpoint PCOM has great training, you are working under some of the best in the US. Your didactics include lectures right next to Wills Eye Residents. The resident clinic at Lankenau is pretty solid. The clinic has 3-4 lanes without teaching scopes, VF, fundus photo, FA done in office. Private clinic is where you get your laser training. Lots of plastics cases are done with Wills Eye trained physicians at Lankenau. Peds cases and Retinal procedures are performed via private clinic in Delaware county. Wet lab is done at PCOM, old equipment. Dr. Heist is a great mentor. Very laid back. Residents tend to be very nice. PCOM has one of the most well known names in the DO world.
Cons/deficiencies: The problem with this program is the unknown. During my rotation PD stated that this program wouldn’t have a problem moving forward with ACGME or it would be consumed by a per say Drexel or Temple program. Then there were rumors they weren’t taking anyone. Then there were rumors they were taking someone. Interviewed only PCOM students. Rumored to have trouble with funding. The other thing with this program is the amount of traveling. You can be in 3 different places throughout the day. From Wills, to South Philly, to Delaware county.
Med Student Tips: There is free parking in South Philly, but you have to park ~ 4-5 blocks away from the office. Parking near Wills is tough – do your best, but make sure you definitely go to each lecture, they are all high quality. Lots of great eating in Philly – Reading terminal market, Philly Cheesesteaks.
Larkin Hospital, Miami (BMI)
I did not rotate at this program as medical student rotations were cancelled midway through season. I wonder why? It is a fairly new program with its own issues – see below. All of my info came during interview, which is not much info. It is mostly Spanish speaking.
Didactics: Resident run ? PD stated “this is a training program, not teaching program”
Structure: Rotations at BMI, Off site rotations – peds and neuro ophtho in florida (up 1 hour away)
Attendings: In my basic knowledge, heard outside attendings are great, and that home attendings can be difficult
Surgical volume: Cases generated from clinic – amount? Unknown
Call: Cover BMI, hospital coverage? Not much known
Pros/what works: Facilities are state of the art. Beautiful exam lanes, beautiful equipment room with the latest instruments. Femtosecond laser on site which residents have used. Wet lab time encouraged.
Cons/deficiencies: Here’s the problem – many rumors have come out that the environment isn’t the best. At times you are scribing for docs, not working patients up. Little support from leadership. The interview was very strange, physician hovered over resident during tour of facilities. I had many strange vibes. Like I said, was stated “this is training program, not educational program” – yet residency is supposed to be educational? I would encourage all applicants to do as much research as possible as this is mostly opinioned based.
Interview: 1 woman (still not sure who she was, didn’t introduce herself) asks questions, and PD listens. Very strange vibe.
Interview dates from season:
LECOMT/St John's Episcopal Hospital Program (email 10/13): Nov 18
SCS/MSUCOM/St John Providence Health System-Osteo Div Program (email 10/15): Nov 7
CORE/Grandview Hosp & Med Ctr (email 11/2): Dec 4
Doctors Hospital (email 11/20): Dec 5
Larkin Community Hospital (email 12/11): Dec 19, Dec 20, January 9
PCOM (email 12/17): January 10
True statements:
-Most programs require that you rotate with them if you wish to receive an interview (not every program but the majority)
-Your auditions count – can make or break you
Disclaimer: Some of this information is first-hand, most is gathered from conversations with residents and fellow applicants. Anything I write I have cause to believe is true and not pure speculation, that said I leave it to readers to verify any and all information. Information can change rapidly.
Oklahoma State University Medical Center
I did not rotate - maybe someone else can update
Oakwood Healthcare System Osteo Div
Best environment of all programs.
Didactics: Attend Kresge lectures, monthly CORO lectures at Michigan State, resident run didactics with book club on Friday afternoons
Structure: Work out of attending’s private clinics, subspecialty training in the Detroit area, Peds done in Akron (all the residents seemed to love that experience), basic science course in Houston for 1 month during February (nice month to get out of the Michigan cold)
Attendings: PD is a former St. John Providence attending, also work regularly with 3 other attendings including 2 comprehensive (husband and wife) and a retina specialist.
Surgical volume: Unsure as most students did not spend any time in the OR during their audition. In the past some residents have gone to India to bolster cataract numbers, but I don’t believe this is required. Also have the opportunity to go to Mexico for 1 week to perform additional cataract cases and enjoy the beach during down time.
Call: Call taken at 4 hospitals, can be busy. Alternate primary call during PGY2 with co-resident, 1 week on/1 week off. Senior residents are back up call.
Pros/what works: Most laid back attendings and residents of any program. Great atmosphere, residents were all extremely nice and helpful. Residents all enjoy hanging out with each other outside of work. As far as I know planning to proceed with the ACGME merger. Already take 2 residents per year, so not an issue. Although things could change depending on hospital politics and allocation of GME funding. One of the attendings uses Femtosecond laser, residents will get exposure to this technology throughout training. Personal fit with program emphasized greatly over ophtho knowledge and COMLEX scores. One of the senior residents this year is going on to oculoplastics fellowship. Not sure about residents matching fellowships in years past. Shared access to surgical simulator which is currently housed in East Lansing, but possibly moving to a more central location near Detroit?
Cons/deficiencies: can be a decent amount of travel between consults. Unsure of surgical numbers or variety since minimal to no exposure for students.
Interview: Very laid back. No ophtho knowledge based questions or manual dexterity exercises. Typical interview questions from residents and more of a conversation with the attendings.
Med Student tips: Be polite and respectful and try to be yourself (I know, easier said than done when you’re auditioning). This program really does want to get to know you and see if you’ll be a good fit with them personality wise (you should want this too regardless of where you go). Might be a good rotation to schedule early on if you haven’t gained a lot of experience prior to audition season.
St John Providence Health System-Osteo Div
Oldest program with rich history - PD very loyal to the history of the clinic
Didactics: Attends Kresge lectures, monthly CORO lectures at MSU, some done at Beaumont, resident run didactics + chart rounds with attendings
Structure: Resident clinic in Detroit, Experience in a few private offices close to St. John's, Shares some subspecialist attendings with Beaumont and Kresge, Peds closeby at children’s hospital
Attendings: Strong long time attendings with 1 new young attending (including husband, wife, daughter team)
Surgical volume: Good - I did not see any deficits in surgery, as each week there were multiple cases, including some experience generated from attendings' offices; Residents involved in surgery early on, even during intern year
Call: Call taken at 4 hospitals? There may have been an additional hospital added. Nonetheless, 1 of the hospitals in Detroit provides solid call cases yielding good experience (likely some good trauma)
Pros/what works: This is definitely one of the most solid programs in the DO world. Funding seems solid with no threat of financial issues. High COMLEX, USMLE scores seemed advantageous. And I do believe there will be no issues with surviving the merger in the future as PD's are very involved politically with AOCOO. They are currently taking at least 2 residents per year (ACGME minimum) so I do not see any issues there. The resident clinic is pretty decent in terms of set-up (although the building flooded and they got stuck in a random spot, no big deal though). There are 4 exam lanes with teaching monitors, Visual field testing, Fundus photo, New OCT machine. The clinic has staff that help with patient scheduling. There were definitely interesting cases that came through the clinic considering the patient population which is great to become comfortable by the end of your time during residency. Wet lab is available at the clinic. OR facilities were fine at St. Johns, nothing fancy but everything you need for good training. I do believe one of the private attendings was rumored to getting his hands on Femtosecond laser which he stated he was willing to help train residents (not sure on the status of this though). I thought there were some great attendings here that would have made the program worth training at.
Cons/deficiencies: lots of travel between consults and clinic, clinic is located just outside of Detroit (better than being in Detroit), better parts of town to live are 15-45 minutes away from clinic. Some of the attendings are starting to slow down - and things can always happen suddenly and unexpectedly - wondering if this program will have more support step in to help in the future
Interview: Overall was a good experience. Some of the PD's can be intimidating depending on how you are personally in an interview situation. Each applicant was given the same basic format in questioning.
Med Student tips: For anyone who hasn’t been to Michigan – the area that this program is mostly based in is pretty good. Detroit has its reputation, but I did not feel unsafe throughout my time. The housing the hospital offers was some of the best I’ve stayed in during medical school so take advantage of that. Royal Oak is a great little place along with Birmingham. Be prepared to answer basic ophthalmology questions during chart rounds. Dr. Rubin is a fantastic teacher.
St John's Episcopal Hospital South Shore
1st off - New program director in place. He seems like a great guy and has aspirations of making major improvements supported by the head of GME at St. John's Episcopal.
Here is the major question: Does This program directly take applicants or do applicants complete an extra PGY? It seems some residents do graduate in 4 years while others are on a 5 year plan. I think there is a push to make this a 4 year program only on the ophthalmology side, however there may be issues on the Hospital of St. John's side. We will see how this shakes out in years to come.
Didactics: Lots of didactics with attendings. Resident run lectures after clinic. I believe there were lectures attended with ACGME programs in the city in the past, however I think that may be discontinued (nothing to do with this program - I believe it occurred on the ACGME side).
Structure: Resident clinic in Brooklyn, Clinic time with subspecialist at different clinics throughout Brooklyn and other areas, Pediatrics in Erie, Surgery experience in India, Surgery at Interfaith Hospital and St. John's Episcopal. Used to be a resident clinic at St. John’s in Queens, currently does not exist.
Surgical volume: During my time, I saw residents busting their butts to get their surgery numbers. I think if you are the type of person who is a go getter and has no problem making an extra effort to recruit patients - then surgical numbers will be fine. If you are a person who expects things to fall in your lap - it may be a problem. Residents, as it currently stands, pay out of pocket to travel to India to perform ~30-40 Phaco cases, however these cases do not count towards your surgical numbers. They are purely for you to gain experience before operating at home program.
Attendings: Well known Glaucoma doctor with connections to big name fellowships (1 matched Glaucoma at Bascom Palmer recently) if interested in glaucoma, Some good attendings, some are questionable
Call: 5 hospitals? Picking up different hospital call helps in establishing ties with the clinics to gain subspecialty exposure. Residents stated there is good trauma exposure.
Pros/what works: This was a program that felt like it was in flux. I think it needs some changes and those changes are being put together currently, but will take some time. However, from an ACGME merger standpoint they are planning on staying strong through the merger including plans to continue to take 3 residents per year. The resident clinic was the most basic I saw on the DO trail. Funding seemed basic however the resident salary was very good. The facilities were ok, slit lamps (1 with teaching scope) and B-scan. There was a Visual Field machine in the resident clinic. There was no fundus photo, no OCT, no lasers and I did not see any injections being performed. The environment in the clinic at times seemed a bit intense. Cost $ to park at the clinic (NY life). If you love city life this could be a great program. The resident clinic is busy and there were some good cases that came through. Especially with the glaucoma attending. The didactics are pretty solid from the lectures given in the morning. OR was fine at St. Johns from an equipment standpoint.
Cons/deficiencies- LOTS of travel between sites. NY traffic. Some of the attendings have more abrasive personalities. St. John's episcopal not in the best area. Like I said I think this program will continue to get better with the right leadership.
Interview: Pretty laid back interview asking questions about application. New program director gives off positive vibes throughout the whole process. Seems like a great guy.
Med Student Tips: FYI – there is housing through St. Johns Episocopal in Queens however most of rotation is done in Brooklyn – so avoid the Far rockaway living and stay in Brooklyn IMO. Commute from Queens to Brooklyn is 15 miles but takes ~ 1 hour 15 minutes with traffic.
OUCOM Doctors Hospital
I believe this program has a reputation for being one of the most fun and strong programs to rotate at. Residents consistently are funny, very intelligent, and are all around high quality people. The residents do a lot of teaching for students.
Didactics: Ohio State, Resident Run lectures
Structure: Resident clinic down road from Doctor’s hospital, 2nd year with attendings in Columbus (some at Ohio State), Consults at Doctor’s & Grant Hospital (Level I trauma center)
Attendings: Very laid back, 1 of the attendings is an ASOPRS Oculoplastics trained
Surgical volume: Moderate, great plastics exposure
Call: Coverage at Doctor’s Hospital & Grant Hospital. Grant gets a lot of trauma from the city. Experience with trauma surgery during 1st year of residency (intern year).
Pros/what works: This program was a lot of fun to rotate at and the schedule was not burdensome at all. Program has been in the work’s since the 50’s. Very well established alumni network. The resident clinic is very nice. Slit lamps with teaching scopes, B-scan, Fundus photography, FA’s performed in resident clinic by residents, New OCT, Many intravitreal injections. There is a great deal of interesting pathology that walks through the door. These patients will be worked up in the clinic and shared with subspecialist in the region (usually Ohio State). Retina day in clinic ~ 1x month? One of the attendings has access to Femtosecond laser at private office and residents are able to get experience there. Doctor’s hospital seems to be very generous with their funding of the program (there may even be an endowment funding the program – rumored). Great wet lab at Doctor’s hospital with microscopes to practice surgical techniques. Just transitioned this year to using EMR. Definitely one of the better programs. They are still taking 1 resident per year as it stands now. How that will shake out with ACGME, I’m not sure – but they did not seem to be in any ounce of threat of being closed, in fact they were the first ophtho program to apply for ACGME. Program director is very supportive in this movement and there is confidence that this program will continue to be a solid program. Btw – Columbus is probably one of the best locations to match for DO ophthalmology – great small downtown with restaurants at Short North; Ohio State is close and this town lives/dies/breathes OSU; Most affordable housing for quality I’ve seen; Offers any style from more suburban living to downtown to college style to luxurious, whatever you like.
Cons/deficiencies: The schedule was pretty light – not sure if this is consistent throughout the year.
Interview: Very laid back. Consistent with the style of their program.
Med Student Tips: Really laid back rotation. If you get the chance to see any cool trauma at Grant go for it! Make sure to try out SuperChef in downtown Columbus for breakfast! Browse the fundus photo list of interesting pathology – some really great images to look at while there.
OUCOM/Grandview Hosp & Med Ctr
Grandview has a reputation out there on SDN as being a more intense program (I think I even read that someone stated it was malignant) – I have to disagree with this information. While I do feel like I was asked more ophtho related questions at this program than any other, I LEARNED more at this program than any other. IMO – this is the best DO ophthalmology program from a training standpoint – I will elaborate below. Residents are very intelligent.
Didactics: Resident run lectures, Journal club with Subspecialty program alumni skyping in on lecture to discuss major trials, outcomes, and what is currently being done in specialty offices, Surgery conference with attending where resident’s surgeries are taped and then picked apart as to what can be done better, Attending feedback immediately after surgery going through the whole case on how to improve techniques
Structure: Resident clinic, subspecialty training at Peds hospital in Cincinnati, Subspecialty training with top physicians in country at U of Cincinnati, Rotations with private attendings
Attendings: Unbelievably supportive of the program. Put a lot of time outside of their private offices into resident teaching.
Surgical volume: Very steady volume, Callisto guided (?) Toric Cases, EyeSi Surgical simulator in resident clinic office
Call: Coverage at many of the hospitals in the general Dayton area (5 hospitals?), Rumored that PD is attempting to get call privileges at VA in Dayton to open up avenue to acquire more surgery for residents
Pros/what works- This is a great training program that is likely the best funded program in DO ophthalmology. The resident clinic is new and had the best equipment I saw on the trail. 4 exam lanes (1 with teaching scope), Fundus photo, New OCT, Retinal lasers in house (brand new laser – apparently “Ferrari of lasers”), intravitreal injections. There is an EyeSi surgical simulator in the workstation of the resident clinic (did not see this kind of access to simulator at any other program – including some MD programs). Wet lab set up in OR room at Grandview where residents were willing to do a lot of teaching under the microscope. Lens are paid for. Meetings are paid for through program. Attendings were all very nice. Program has a rich history of productive graduates that are hardworking and willing to help residents out with didactics. Strong fellowship matches in past. This program has traditionally taken 1 resident per year. Moving forward, PD states that the hospital is supportive of the ophthalmology program but that could always change to shifting GME funding to lets say Family Med or Ortho. He is very upfront and honest about the future of the program. Stated that the program should be ok moving forward in the future and he would do everything he could on his end to continue its excellence. He is truly dedicated to the survival of this program.
Hospital provides the best food in the resident longue that I’ve seen. Free meals during working hours (1 resident stated has not grocery shopped all year).
Cons/deficiencies- Maybe some lack of subspecialty exposure (plastics?)
Interview: Most involved interview experienced but overall a good one. It will be that one interview you can always brag about in the future to your MD colleagues.
Med Student Tips: Be prepared to learn! Dr. Mihok and Dr. Peets are awesome! Use the resident housing page to set up housing as early as possible, it goes quick. Dayton isn’t the most exciting town but it has its own qualities throughout the city and a nice surrounding suburb area. Cincinnati is close by. Wright Patterson AFB museum close. There are “Metroparks” that have running trails that are very nice. Places to try: Olive, Graeter’s Ice Cream, Skyline Chili, Montgomery Inn
Philadelphia College Osteopathic Med
Great training program with great connections
Didactics: Will’s Eye Morning Lecture, Will’s Eye Friday Grand Rounds, Resident Run Lectures, Will’s Eye OKAP course, Attending & resident run journal club
Structure: Private clinic in South Philly, Resident Clinic at Lankenau hospital, Private office for subspecialties, Plastics at Lankenau, Will’s Eye Neuro-ophthalmology
Attendings: Mostly great attendings. A good amount are Wills Eye attendings.
Surgical volume: Moderate, Great plastics training, resident clinic with increasing volume and increasing cataract cases
Call: Cover 2 hospitals and 1 private clinic ? As stated previously, Wills Eye dominates ER visits in the city as they have a dedicated Ophthalmic ER so trauma may be lacking
Pros/what works: From a training standpoint PCOM has great training, you are working under some of the best in the US. Your didactics include lectures right next to Wills Eye Residents. The resident clinic at Lankenau is pretty solid. The clinic has 3-4 lanes without teaching scopes, VF, fundus photo, FA done in office. Private clinic is where you get your laser training. Lots of plastics cases are done with Wills Eye trained physicians at Lankenau. Peds cases and Retinal procedures are performed via private clinic in Delaware county. Wet lab is done at PCOM, old equipment. Dr. Heist is a great mentor. Very laid back. Residents tend to be very nice. PCOM has one of the most well known names in the DO world.
Cons/deficiencies: The problem with this program is the unknown. During my rotation PD stated that this program wouldn’t have a problem moving forward with ACGME or it would be consumed by a per say Drexel or Temple program. Then there were rumors they weren’t taking anyone. Then there were rumors they were taking someone. Interviewed only PCOM students. Rumored to have trouble with funding. The other thing with this program is the amount of traveling. You can be in 3 different places throughout the day. From Wills, to South Philly, to Delaware county.
Med Student Tips: There is free parking in South Philly, but you have to park ~ 4-5 blocks away from the office. Parking near Wills is tough – do your best, but make sure you definitely go to each lecture, they are all high quality. Lots of great eating in Philly – Reading terminal market, Philly Cheesesteaks.
Larkin Hospital, Miami (BMI)
I did not rotate at this program as medical student rotations were cancelled midway through season. I wonder why? It is a fairly new program with its own issues – see below. All of my info came during interview, which is not much info. It is mostly Spanish speaking.
Didactics: Resident run ? PD stated “this is a training program, not teaching program”
Structure: Rotations at BMI, Off site rotations – peds and neuro ophtho in florida (up 1 hour away)
Attendings: In my basic knowledge, heard outside attendings are great, and that home attendings can be difficult
Surgical volume: Cases generated from clinic – amount? Unknown
Call: Cover BMI, hospital coverage? Not much known
Pros/what works: Facilities are state of the art. Beautiful exam lanes, beautiful equipment room with the latest instruments. Femtosecond laser on site which residents have used. Wet lab time encouraged.
Cons/deficiencies: Here’s the problem – many rumors have come out that the environment isn’t the best. At times you are scribing for docs, not working patients up. Little support from leadership. The interview was very strange, physician hovered over resident during tour of facilities. I had many strange vibes. Like I said, was stated “this is training program, not educational program” – yet residency is supposed to be educational? I would encourage all applicants to do as much research as possible as this is mostly opinioned based.
Interview: 1 woman (still not sure who she was, didn’t introduce herself) asks questions, and PD listens. Very strange vibe.
Interview dates from season:
LECOMT/St John's Episcopal Hospital Program (email 10/13): Nov 18
SCS/MSUCOM/St John Providence Health System-Osteo Div Program (email 10/15): Nov 7
CORE/Grandview Hosp & Med Ctr (email 11/2): Dec 4
Doctors Hospital (email 11/20): Dec 5
Larkin Community Hospital (email 12/11): Dec 19, Dec 20, January 9
PCOM (email 12/17): January 10
- that's a deal breaker in the personal statement
