Foreign Ophthalmology Electives

[Eleazar82]

Has anyone here done an ophthalmology rotation in a foreign country? I'm interested in doing a one-month elective in the U.K. or Australia this fall, but because of the difference in medical education, I've had much trouble finding out if they can accommodate American medical students for an elective, also specifically for that length of time.

I'm particularly interested in going to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, but I've only ever heard of Americans doing ophtho fellowships there. Anyone know if they accommodate fourth-year American medical students as well?

Thanks all!

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[medgrad]

Hi.May I suggest that you should consider doing your elective at RAPCOS(RAJENDRA PRASAD CENTRE FOR OPTHALMIC SCIENCES),AIIMS,NEW DELHI,INDIA.It is the 'quaternary' centre for optha in India with its uniqueness being vast speciality divisions under one roof.You could get in touch with Dr. Ramanjit Sihota,Head of undergraduate education at RAPCOS.You could also access ts website by searching for its link on any search engine.

 

[Retinamark]

The Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital in Melbourne, Australia takes ophthalmology elective students from around the world.
check out http://www.eyeandear.org.au/aboutus/hospital_profile.asp

 

[Visioncam]

Moorfields probably take American medical students for a rotation. I know that have taken German medical students.

They charge tuition. I think it's GBP100 a week (about $175 a week). I think the lady you need to contact is Jennifer Irish. Either that or contact their equivalent of the residency program director, Mr (he's a ophthalmologist) John Lee. This info is about 2 years old but I think those two people are still there.

Moorfields doesn't have housing. You can stay in Islington which is much more convenient than where tourists stay in the western part of Central London.

 

[Visioncam]

Someone at Moorfields said that the best lacrimal surgeon in Australia is Alan so-and-so at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Infirmary. Quite a compliment!

 

[Eleazar82]

I e-mailed Jennifer Irish at Moorfields (probably a week ago now) to inquire about American students doing electives. Still no word. One part of the website says that you have to petition through snail mail to do an elective there, but there's also a page where you can supposedly submit inquiries through e-mail. I performed the latter (since at this point I just want to know if it's possible for me to rotate there), but given the lack of reply, I wonder if I have to snail mail them for this as well. I wish I knew one way or the other.

 

[Eleazar82]

By the way, how much is housing in Islington on top of the $175/wk I would be paying for tuition? This venture is becoming expensive very quickly.

 

[shattoura]

Hi Eleazar82;

I actually did an Ophthalmology elective in Egypt. I worked at the National Eye Institute in Cairo for 4 weeks. It was a great experience. I speak the language which is an advantage. I also know some Ophthalmologists there and I sort of made up my own elective with learning objectives and an evaluation system.

It was one of the best experiences I have had during medical school. I saw patients and scrubbed in for surgery on most days. I was able to assist on muscle and cataract surgeries. I saw some amazing ocular infectious disease that I may not see very often in the States. I recommend doing overseas work.This elective was a popular topic of conversation during my interviews and people seemed very interested in it. I also made some great friends and had some very memorable experiences learning about the culture of medicine in other countries. I would be happy to answer any questions.

 

[Fascia Lata]

I did a one month elective in ophthalmology at Moorfields Eye Hospital this last August. I am a last year med student from Alexandria (Egypt). Moorfields does accept students from all over the planet. There was an Indian student and a Spanish student while I was there. Before I have gone to Moorfields, I had contacted a consultant ophthalmologist in medical retina and arranged to participate in one of his ongoing research projects. It was amazing.

They also have (observerships) for those who have already qualified. Anyway, during your elective as a student, you are practically just (observing). You may examine patients with slit lamps and ophthalmoscopes but u r never allowed to scrub or assist in surgery. The main difference between the student elective and the observership for doctors is that u get to rotate in all the services in the hospital as an elective student, while u can only (observe) in one service (eg neuro-ophthalmology or medical retina...etc) as an observer (if u have already qualified as a doctor). Another difference is the fees u pay: as an elective student u pay only 25 pounds per week (100 pounds/4 week elective), while as an observer u pay more (I think 200 or 250 pounds, not sure).

Typically, some consultants are more student/observer friendly than others. It is very helpful if u have a strong background in ophthalmology, as this elective is on a resident-level, as Moorfields is a tertiary referral center (The first case I saw on my first day was Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis with secondary glaucoma). There's no formal teaching for students/observers, but u r allowed to attend all the seminars and meetings taking place. U r totally self-paced while there, as in all UK hospitals. You don't HAVE TO attend unless u want to do so, as u not given any responsibilities.

The hospital has a partnership with the near-by institute of ophthalmology, which is concerened with ophthalmic research. This is where the library is located, where u can log on the internet and gain access to all the ophthalmic texts, journals or periodicals u might think of.

The one who is responsible for arranging electives is Miss Jennifer Irish She is a very friendly person, but she is overworked, so be patient.

I'd be happy to answer any question.

 

[Fascia Lata]

Hi Eleazar82;

I actually did an Ophthalmology elective in Egypt. I worked at the National Eye Institute in Cairo for 4 weeks. It was a great experience. I speak the language which is an advantage. I also know some Ophthalmologists there and I sort of made up my own elective with learning objectives and an evaluation system.

It was one of the best experiences I have had during medical school. I saw patients and scrubbed in for surgery on most days. I was able to assist on muscle and cataract surgeries. I saw some amazing ocular infectious disease that I may not see very often in the States. I recommend doing overseas work.This elective was a popular topic of conversation during my interviews and people seemed very interested in it. I also made some great friends and had some very memorable experiences learning about the culture of medicine in other countries. I would be happy to answer any questions.

Hi Shattora,
as I am a med student from Egypt. I'd be very interested to know whom I can contact to do a rotation in the National Eye Institute, Cairo.

Would u plz tell me more information? thanks

 

[medical300]

hi, do they normally take a long time to reply? i have sent my application by post nearly a month ago, sent them an email 2 weeks ago but no word from them!