general question

[justjack]

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hi,

i'm a non trad student (business) and now taking pre-opt pre reqs and pondering ophthalmology. just not really clear on how this works. i read over the stickies but wondering,

would i apply to med school with the mindset of sticking through ophthalmology? if so, are there specific med schools i should look for or are they the same?

i'm confused since i read that in med school, it's all the same until about the last couple of years is when students really pick a route.

the thing is i want to stick with just vision care, i'm not interested in much else.

hope that made sense

 

[wannabeDocinNYC]

I too was just like you a few years ago. I myself majored in business, worked, and then went back for post-bacc. Now in my 3rd yr of med school, I can tell you it's good you have an idea about what you want to do. The first 2 years of med school are in the classroom learning about everything from anatomy to renal. Personally, while I had a running list in the back of my head of what I wanted to go into. I kept my mind open during the first 2 years to see if there was anything I never considered that I may truly love. In your 3rd year, you spend your time in the wards rotating through the core clerkships ( peds, ob/gyn, surgery, etc). You may well find a specialty you never considered during this time. For example, I never dreamed I'd love surgery as much as I did and so now have decided to pursue a surgical subspecialty. That being said, if you really love ophtho, I suggest doing research after your first year of med school in it during your summer break. Try to get involved early with volunteer ophtho activities, network with faculty, etc. The early you start seeking our activities in your chosen residency, the better your chances are for matching later on.

Good grades, good boards, and great lor's will get you where you wanna be. I wouldn't worry too much about specific med schools. Obviously if you can get into a big name school your at an advantage but in truth, my school is mid-tier at best and we match several applicants in ophtho every year.

 

[7ontheline]

Are you trying to get into ophthalmology or optometry? Optometry is 4 years of school after which you can go out and work. There is no required residency. You will not be able to perform surgery or use lasers however. (Although who knows, these days.) Ophthalmology is 4 years of medical school, and then another 4 years of residency (1 intern year included). After that, you can specialize with fellowship if you'd like but it is not necessary. You can operate and work after residency.

 

[justjack]

Are you trying to get into ophthalmology or optometry? Optometry is 4 years of school after which you can go out and work. There is no required residency. You will not be able to perform surgery or use lasers however. (Although who knows, these days.) Ophthalmology is 4 years of medical school, and then another 4 years of residency (1 intern year included). After that, you can specialize with fellowship if you'd like but it is not necessary. You can operate and work after residency.

at first i was planning on sticking to optometry since i've never really liked dealing with blood. however, it's been years and i've matured a little and feel the blood thing isn't really an issue. i'm still no vampire, but a little blood won't send me to the hills either. so now that's open my mind to pursuing ophthalmology.

to the other post, since you weren't aware you liked surgery, what is it about it that changed your mind? also, how still do you hands have to be(very applicable to ophthal.)?

 

[hello07]

My personal opinion, apply to medical school, get in and then become an ophthalmologist or whatever other specialty you might like. when you are done, you'll be more marketable than optometrists are. From my experience, this past year or two, I've dealt with more headaches dealing with people than ever before. Do you need this abuse, disrepect form the public for 85 to 120,000 a year gross? Go MD route and provide full scope eye care- medicine and surgery included. You'll be more respected than us OD's. Yeah, you'll have more to deal with , responsibilities, and more intense but do it. I wish I had done it. Don't waste your time w/ Optometry.

From my heart,

 

[justjack]

My personal opinion, apply to medical school, get in and then become an ophthalmologist or whatever other specialty you might like. when you are done, you'll be more marketable than optometrists are. From my experience, this past year or two, I've dealt with more headaches dealing with people than ever before. Do you need this abuse, disrepect form the public for 85 to 120,000 a year gross? Go MD route and provide full scope eye care- medicine and surgery included. You'll be more respected than us OD's. Yeah, you'll have more to deal with , responsibilities, and more intense but do it. I wish I had done it. Don't waste your time w/ Optometry.

From my heart,

thanks hello07,

that's really what i wanted to hear. your current opinion is exactly what i'm afraid of facing once i'm done with optometry and i don't need any more regrets in this lifetime. i'm probably going to continue on with my prereqs and aim for med school while also applying for OD schools as a safety net.

 

[ophthoapplicant]

If you're set on going into med school, here's what I would recommend, since you still have the time to make choices:

1. A school that is P/F the first two years I'd HIGHLY recommend over one with normal grades. Grades the first two years are useless anyway, but with P/F you get to learn the material exactly how it benefits you most, and you won't be about trolling Robbins at 3AM for the nitpicky questions that they'll throw to separate "the cream" from "the rest". Ugh.

2. Since clinical grades do matter, I'd go somewhere with a reputation for nice attendings who like to teach medical students.

3. If you really want to go into ophtho, I'd consider going to a med school (there are a lot) with a home ophtho program.

4. I'd only warn about going into med school with ophtho in mind- med school is a LONG, oftentimes painful road where you may or may not drop off the face of the earth for 4 years (I didn't but many did). You will definitely wake up at the end 4 years older and wonder where the time went. You will be in massive debt. You will have had to have gone through all of pre-med, MCAT's, med school apps, med school pre-clinical years, Step 1, med school clinical years, ophtho aways, interviews, etc. And after ALL that, you may not match into X competitive residency- such a crapshoot. I'm not trying to be a downer, but just being realistic. Many qualified people don't match ophtho. I think that drives all of us on this board to some extent in how we plan the application and interview process.
Medicine is awesome. It is. You get a close peek into sheer humanity that I don't think you have access to in most other fields. Before heading into med school with ophtho on the brain I'd just consider the possibility of other fields in medicine and which ones you might find meaningful/fun/appealing. It's a long way and ophtho's a tough match.

Good luck!