Is fellowship necessary?

[eyes4u]

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Doing residency in a big academic center I feel a lot of pressure to do fellowship. In fact it's been years since any residents here did not do fellowship. The attendings act like it is necessary for job security, especially with new healthcare law. Do you think this is true? Is general ophthalmology threatened with low job security and low pay? Can I safely choose not to do a fellowship? What is the job market currently like for general ophthalmologists? Is it too saturated?

 

[Phaco]

I think a lot of ophthos don't have fellowship. They have a job just like anyone else. I don't think it limits your chance. good luck.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

Doing residency in a big academic center I feel a lot of pressure to do fellowship. In fact it's been years since any residents here did not do fellowship. The attendings act like it is necessary for job security, especially with new healthcare law. Do you think this is true? Is general ophthalmology threatened with low job security and low pay? Can I safely choose not to do a fellowship? What is the job market currently like for general ophthalmologists? Is it too saturated?

At a big academic center, you are least likely to work with successful generalists,as most are working in private practice and free-standing surgery centers. Your academic faculty has a bias toward both doing fellowships and having fellows apply to train with them, in many cases, and see practice and its opportunities through the lens of fellowship-trained subspecialist.

Obviously, if you want to do retina surgery, you will need to do a retina fellowship, anti-VEGF injections and laser maybe not.

There are jobs limited to fellowship-trained applicants but lots of others that aren't.

 

[Bgladney]

Fellowships (outside of retina and plastics) will make you more marketable but realistically, will not vastly open the market. You can see an small increase in a guarantee but for the most part, you will be performing general ophthalmology with some subspeciality casework. Not many opportunities are for 100% subspeciality casework. Not in private practice at least.

Plenty of general positions available out there. Not doing a fellowship won't hinder you. Looking for a position within 10 mins of a major metro is more detrimental to your search.

 

[Visionary]

At a big academic center, you are least likely to work with successful generalists,as most are working in private practice and free-standing surgery centers. Your academic faculty has a bias toward both doing fellowships and having fellows apply to train with them, in many cases, and see practice and its opportunities through the lens of fellowship-trained subspecialist.

Obviously, if you want to do retina surgery, you will need to do a retina fellowship, anti-VEGF injections and laser maybe not.

There are jobs limited to fellowship-trained applicants but lots of others that aren't.

Adding to this, having your residents enter fellowship reflects well on an academically-oriented residency program, particularly if they are strong fellowships. They will use that information to sell their program. Look at the websites of such programs, and you'll see listings of where their graduates have gone on to train.