Important to do Ophtho elective before applying for match?

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ElectricDoc

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1) Is it important for me to do an Ophtho elective before I apply for the match?
Do programs want to see our interest in Ophtho based on the elective we choose and will it help my chances?

2) Will doing 1 elective(the only 1 can do before I apply) that has nothing to do with Ophtho or Surgery hurt me?

3) Is it better to do a research optho elective or a clinical ophtho elective in the eyes of programs?

Please help as I'm trying to schedule this elective asap, but really need y'alls input. Thanks!

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how do you plan to get letters of recommendation if you dont plan on doing an ophthalmology rotation before applying for match?
 
In your situation, it would be ideal if you did an ophtho elective and started up a research project on the side so you can get a letter from each. Having said that, I know people who have matched into ophthalmology having not taken an elective. They have shadowed, done research, and gotten letters by those means. And in interviews, it doesn't really come up if you've specifically done an elective, but you better have a good explanation of what is guiding your decision if asked.

Why would you not want to do your elective on ophthalmology, though? Don't you want to see firsthand if it's the career for you before spending thousands of dollars to interview and match?
 
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Why would you not want to do your elective on ophthalmology, though? Don't you want to see firsthand if it's the career for you before spending thousands of dollars to interview and match?

my thoughts exactly.
 
Thanks for the input. The idea about doing some research alongside an elective or shadowing is a good idea, but I need to plan ahead and figure out how I'm going to schedule everything.

Yes, ideally I really want to do an ophtho elective before I apply but since I'll only get to fit one elective in before apps go out I wasn't sure if I'll be able to schedule an ophtho elective at the institution of my choice if I'm planning on doing an away rotation(to get a strong letter or to increase my chances for interview at that particular program).

Although I have not done an elective in it yet, I love everything about ophtho based on what I've seen and the field fascinates me. I suffered from minor corneal problems a couple of years ago and my ophthalmologist was my savior. I also have 3 friends who are ophtho residents and based on everything I've heard from them I think it's really what I want to do. Giving someone the gift of vision and eye sight sounds very rewarding to me. The combo of clinic and procedures is exactly how I want to practice if given the option.

Any other input would be appreciated as well....
 
Thanks for the input. The idea about doing some research alongside an elective or shadowing is a good idea, but I need to plan ahead and figure out how I'm going to schedule everything.

Yes, ideally I really want to do an ophtho elective before I apply but since I'll only get to fit one elective in before apps go out I wasn't sure if I'll be able to schedule an ophtho elective at the institution of my choice if I'm planning on doing an away rotation(to get a strong letter or to increase my chances for interview at that particular program).

Although I have not done an elective in it yet, I love everything about ophtho based on what I've seen and the field fascinates me. I suffered from minor corneal problems a couple of years ago and my ophthalmologist was my savior. I also have 3 friends who are ophtho residents and based on everything I've heard from them I think it's really what I want to do. Giving someone the gift of vision and eye sight sounds very rewarding to me. The combo of clinic and procedures is exactly how I want to practice if given the option.

Any other input would be appreciated as well....

It would be a huge red flag for the electives section to be blank...
 
Yes, ideally I really want to do an ophtho elective before I apply but since I'll only get to fit one elective in before apps go out I wasn't sure if I'll be able to schedule an ophtho elective at the institution of my choice if I'm planning on doing an away rotation(to get a strong letter or to increase my chances for interview at that particular program).

Not sure I get it -- if you have a free elective block before you apply, how could you not commit it to ophthalmology? Whether away or at your home institution, you should be doing ophthalmology for this month if you have the time. Schedule someting tentative @ your home program, then apply widely for aways. If you apply on time, you should have no problem finding something somewhere. In the event that you don't find something, you've got the home elective to fall back on. Either way, make it known early in the elective that you're hoping to gain a LOR from the experience -- that way you don't drag your app submission date waiting for a letter.

Moreover, while doing an elective before you submit your app is important (gets you letters, shows general interest in ophthalmology), it is not the only reason to do an away. You should also consider scheduling aways through August and September, as well. You may not get letters, but you do get the following: (1) you can write in the
"specialty related activities" section of CAS that you have additional electives scheduled, (2) you still increase your chance of getting an interview @ the program where you did an away, and (3) by the time you interview at *any* program, you will have had experience from several ophtho electives to talk about.

Finally, yes, get involved in some research on the side.
 
Not sure I get it -- if you have a free elective block before you apply, how could you not commit it to ophthalmology? Whether away or at your home institution, you should be doing ophthalmology for this month if you have the time. Schedule someting tentative @ your home program, then apply widely for aways. If you apply on time, you should have no problem finding something somewhere. In the event that you don't find something, you've got the home elective to fall back on. Either way, make it known early in the elective that you're hoping to gain a LOR from the experience -- that way you don't drag your app submission date waiting for a letter.

Moreover, while doing an elective before you submit your app is important (gets you letters, shows general interest in ophthalmology), it is not the only reason to do an away. You should also consider scheduling aways through August and September, as well. You may not get letters, but you do get the following: (1) you can write in the
"specialty related activities" section of CAS that you have additional electives scheduled, (2) you still increase your chance of getting an interview @ the program where you did an away, and (3) by the time you interview at *any* program, you will have had experience from several ophtho electives to talk about.

Finally, yes, get involved in some research on the side.

Thanks for all the input everyone. I guess my main concern was trying to do an away for the 1 elective I can fit in before apps, and not sure if I was going to get ophtho there since I heard there's always a huge waiting line for the few positions there. Anyway, I think the smartest thing for me to do is schedule one with my school like you guys said and then continue to do 1 or 2 more after apps are out in Aug, Sept(which I was planning on doing anyway).

What kind of RESEARCH should I start to get involved in? I was thinking of starting Jan/Feb of next year and I want it to be ophtho related of course...but anyone have experience in ophtho research for 3rd/4th years as to which type of projects are feasible and will allow me to publish before apps?
 
I did not do any research until I realized that I was interested in ophthalmology (which did not occur until 3rd year). However, I was able to have 1 article published, 2 accepted and 1 submitted by the time interviews started. At this stage, I would aim to get involved in any/all case reports related to the ophthalmology that you can get your hands on. They are relatively easy to put together (and accepted) with the right mentor. Ask the ophthalmology department at your school (residents, faculty, etc) for any interesting cases that you can write up. If that is tough, go to the emergency department at your school and ask those attendings/residents for any ophtho cases they had recently that you can publish..

If you start early (1-2nd yr) its easy to get involved in a more involved research project which i highly recommend. However, at this stage, I would focus on case reports
 
If your school offers you only one elective spot and you are deciding between a home or away elective in ophthalmology, definitely do it at home. I would not go to any other institution without having a prior rotation under your belt. If you are showing up as a beginner, there is simply no way to distinguish yourself as a desirable applicant. In my experience, the students at away rotations already have a strong body of knowledge and relatively good exam skills. The whole aim is to be able to work up patients on your own and present them to the attendings in order to leave a favorable impression. Unless you feel you can do that at this point, I would steer clear of any away rotations.

This is a no brainer. Do your home elective and take the advice of finding case reports or small projects to complete on the side. Getting a letter from an away rotation is not something you can expect and will more likely end up hurting you if you don't have any prior experience. Your home institution will have your best interests in mind and will be much more likely to provide a strong letter of support.
 
Taco bell, I started contacting people to start working with starting early next year so hopefully I can get a good project or a few cases to work on and publish by next summer. I'm kind of late in the process but still 8 months or so before I apply so I guess I should be ok.

Fourchambered, thanks for the honest input. I didn't think of it that way. But I don't know if your skills really improve all THAT much between beginning of 4th year and midway in to 4th year, July versus Dec so everyone would be going off of what they learned 3rd year, right? In any case, I'll take your advice and stick to doing my elective at home and do the aways during actual interview season if feasible.
 
But I don't know if your skills really improve all THAT much between beginning of 4th year and midway in to 4th year, July versus Dec so everyone would be going off of what they learned 3rd year, right? .

It's the difference between having done an ophthalmology rotation and not. Without having done an ophtho rotation, you have to spend a bit of time learning how to use a slit lamp. It's extremely difficult to learn how to use a lens and almost impossible to use an indirect to view the fundus without practice. Forget about doing it well enough to impress an attending.
 
But I don't know if your skills really improve all THAT much between beginning of 4th year and midway in to 4th year, July versus Dec so everyone would be going off of what they learned 3rd year, right? In any case, I'll take your advice and stick to doing my elective at home and do the aways during actual interview season if feasible.

It will be a huge difference. It may take 2-4 weeks to feel comfortable with the slit lamp, and it may take up to another month for the slit lamp to be second nature. After the first 1-2 months of your 4th year, if you're still bumbling around with the slit lamp, people WILL notice.
 
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