How competitive is opthalmology?

[shigaT]

I've very recently become interested in opth - mostly due to the combination of med/surgery and of course, the lifestyle. Anyone know what ballpark step 1 scores and other stats are needed to be competitive in the opth. match?

thanks, shiga

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[bigfrank]

I believe the average of those who matched last year was around 224.

 

[Andrew_Doan]

It's fairly competitive. I think there are around 900 applicants for the match with about 600 spots nation wide. The average USMLE scores for matched candidates was 224 or 226. There are more applicants this year I've heard.

At Iowa, they've already received 500 applications; however, it's the same 500 applying to the same programs too.

Good luck.

 

[Andrew_Doan]

I was wrong with the numbers above. Only 350 applied this year to Iowa. However, they only interview ~75, and there are 70 applicants with scores of 255 or better! Man.. I'm glad I'm not applying now.

 

[scully]

Do you know of any good websites that give information about how to become a ophthalmologist, subspecialty info, stats you need to match, etc... ? (Something like Medschool.com used to have.)

Thanks!

 

[Andrew_Doan]

I don't know of any websites. You may try the matching program first:

www.sfmatch.org

 

[Raheem]

Tell me what you think:
I am a third-year medical student at Harvard, who only scored a 220 on her boards. Our school gives no grades whatsoever for first- and second-year courses and our dean's letters typically include only 1-2 sentences about these 2 years.

I don't have my heart set on Mass Eye & Ear, Hopkins, Iowa or any top-ten program. I just want to be able to practice the profession I like.

So far, I've gotten excellent feedback [though no grades yet] on my rotations. Plus, I've decided to do a year of research (provided I get funded).

* Should I forget about ophtho?

* Can I expect to get into a respectable program?

* How heavily might factors other than scores weigh?

Thanks...

 

[Andrew_Doan]

Originally posted by Raheem
Tell me what you think:
I am a third-year medical student at Harvard, who only scored a 220 on her boards. Our school gives no grades whatsoever for first- and second-year courses and our dean's letters typically include only 1-2 sentences about these 2 years.

I don't have my heart set on Mass Eye & Ear, Hopkins, Iowa or any top-ten program. I just want to be able to practice the profession I like.

So far, I've gotten excellent feedback [though no grades yet] on my rotations. Plus, I've decided to do a year of research (provided I get funded).

* Should I forget about ophtho?

* Can I expect to get into a respectable program?

* How heavily might factors other than scores weigh?

Thanks...

I think you'll do great in the match. You're from Harvard with good board scores. Average of matched candidates in the past have ranged in the 220s. Make sure you get experience with clinical ophthalmology at the MEEI. You'll be very competitive if you get good letters of recommendations.

Good luck!