Fellowship Questions

[Zonules22]

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1)We've addressed the competitiveness of fellowships already, but not the pros/cons of each. While it seems that plastics and retina are the "hot" fields these days, cornea/refractive surgery seems to still do well. The continuity of care perhaps is a reason to pursue glaucoma, and the satisfaction working with kids for peds. Any thoughts from people pursuing or completing fellowships as to why they chose the ones they did?

2) If one is considering doing international work (ie. cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide), is a retina fellowship a mistake to pursue?

 

[rubensan]

2) If one is considering doing international work (ie. cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide), is a retina fellowship a mistake to pursue?

Yeah, why is it that if you pursue a retina fellowship, you have to basically give up catarct surgery?

Ruben

 

[Mirror Form]

Yeah, why is it that if you pursue a retina fellowship, you have to basically give up catarct surgery?

Ruben

Because if a retina surgeon starts doing cataract surgeries, all the general ophthalmologists will never refer a patient to him again.

 

[demspawn]

To my knowledge all subspecialty ophtho docs can and usually do cats.
From neuro-ophths to glaucomas. I do not believe retina is that different although they also have a greater volume of posterior surgical procedures which tend to last longer and therefore take up more of their time.

As far as cataracts, there are plenty to go around.
Setting aside the traumatic, the surgically induced as well as the congenital etc. an extremely hig percentage of the aging population need cataract surgery for fixing their VA. If you factor in the increasin mean age of the general population, then you will see that there is no scare to general Ophthos "running out" of cats to do, even if the retinas decide to do some.

 

[Zonules22]

1. Demspawn- I agree that it seems like any ophthalmologist is allowed to do cataracts. I wonder if the retinal surgeons ever do non-traumatic cataracts abroad, should they undertake international projects. It seems like they don't, but it has to be more helpful than maximizing scleral buckles and pneumopexies in the third world???

2. Andrew, perhaps you could add a few words about ophthalmic pathology as a fellowship--I know the least about that subspecialty, as I've never met or, pardon the pun, seen one. I imagine that's the situation with other residents as well. Thanks.