Just discovered Ophtho

[CLMS]

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Hi. I'm a MS3 who was set to do IM and then cardiology, but I just discovered ophtho and loved it. I never thought I would like it so much until a week of ophtho I had during my surgery rotation. I especially loved that it was clinic 3 days a week and surgery 2 days a week. I really love procedures and I wanted to do cardiology mainly to be an interventional cardiologist, but know I'm really torn. I like the mix of clinic and procedures in ophtho. I'm really confused right now and a bit worried because I know ophtho is early match and I have no research in ophtho since I discovered it now. Also my board scores are not that stellar (227 on step 1) and my grades are a mix of As and Bs. Any help would really be appreciated as I have to hand in my 4th year schedule next week. Thanks a lot.

 

[CLMS]

80 views and no replies? Help me please I feel desperate and need some orientation and unfortunately our school counselors are out for a convention until next week. I need some orientation from other med students. Once again thanks!!!

 

[alleyesonme]

Hi. I'm a MS3 who was set to do IM and then cardiology, but I just discovered ophtho and loved it. I never thought I would like it so much until a week of ophtho I had during my surgery rotation. I especially loved that it was clinic 3 days a week and surgery 2 days a week. I really love procedures and I wanted to do cardiology mainly to be an interventional cardiologist, but know I'm really torn. I like the mix of clinic and procedures in ophtho. I'm really confused right now and a bit worried because I know ophtho is early match and I have no research in ophtho since I discovered it now. Also my board scores are not that stellar (227 on step 1) and my grades are a mix of As and Bs. Any help would really be appreciated as I have to hand in my 4th year schedule next week. Thanks a lot.

Go with your heart, whether it is Cardiology or Ophthalmology. If ophtho is truly the way you want to go, then you have some work to do over the next few months. First, since your step 1 is below the average (235 last year), you should take step 2 as soon as possible in hopes of bringing it up. Your grades should be fine, and at this point there is nothing you can do about them. You didn't mention what medical school you are from (top 5, 10, 25, 50), but that plays into the whole equation also. Also, how strong is the ophtho department at your school? You should start getting involved with your home department ASAP, making contacts and doing research. You don't need to have something published by application time, but you want to dedicate some time, so that you can talk about the research during interviews. Depending when you start 4th year, take the one month home ophtho rotation first. Read, read, read before the rotation. Try to work with some of the big names at your program in hopes for a LOR. That brings us to the most important part of the ophtho application, the LOR. Ideally, you will want two ophtho letters from attendings that know you really well. You want them to at least remember your name if they get calls about you later. Finally, you might consider doing an away rotation at a program of interest, or a big name program. There are pros and cons to each, but we will leave that to another discussion. The target date for submitting your application is end of August - beginning of September. Shoot to have step 2 scores back before then, 2 ophtho letters in your hand by then. It may seem like a lot to do in a short time, but if you want it, you can do it. Good luck and please feel free to ask me other questions.

 

[MAYOphtho]

Go with your heart, whether it is Cardiology or Ophthalmology. If ophtho is truly the way you want to go, then you have some work to do over the next few months. First, since your step 1 is below the average (235 last year), you should take step 2 as soon as possible in hopes of bringing it up. Your grades should be fine, and at this point there is nothing you can do about them. You didn't mention what medical school you are from (top 5, 10, 25, 50), but that plays into the whole equation also. Also, how strong is the ophtho department at your school? You should start getting involved with your home department ASAP, making contacts and doing research. You don't need to have something published by application time, but you want to dedicate some time, so that you can talk about the research during interviews. Depending when you start 4th year, take the one month home ophtho rotation first. Read, read, read before the rotation. Try to work with some of the big names at your program in hopes for a LOR. That brings us to the most important part of the ophtho application, the LOR. Ideally, you will want two ophtho letters from attendings that know you really well. You want them to at least remember your name if they get calls about you later. Finally, you might consider doing an away rotation at a program of interest, or a big name program. There are pros and cons to each, but we will leave that to another discussion. The target date for submitting your application is end of August - beginning of September. Shoot to have step 2 scores back before then, 2 ophtho letters in your hand by then. It may seem like a lot to do in a short time, but if you want it, you can do it. Good luck and please feel free to ask me other questions.

👍 excellent advice 👍 I couldnt have said it better myself...you really do have an excellent shot at matching, the next question begins as to what type of program you're interested in...because academic big named programs versus small community programs are very different stories (and one is not necessarily better than another for every individual)

 

[JMK2005]

I'd start looking to set up some away rotations. Like the previous poster said, July should be your home ophthalmology program, then an audition rotation at a place you may want to match. You have a good chance at matching, just don't limit yourself geographically. May applicants decide mid to late 3rd year and match just fine.

 

[WhatNEyeTem]

Hi. I'm a MS3 who was set to do IM and then cardiology, but I just discovered ophtho and loved it. I never thought I would like it so much until a week of ophtho I had during my surgery rotation. I especially loved that it was clinic 3 days a week and surgery 2 days a week. I really love procedures and I wanted to do cardiology mainly to be an interventional cardiologist, but know I'm really torn. I like the mix of clinic and procedures in ophtho. I'm really confused right now and a bit worried because I know ophtho is early match and I have no research in ophtho since I discovered it now. Also my board scores are not that stellar (227 on step 1) and my grades are a mix of As and Bs. Any help would really be appreciated as I have to hand in my 4th year schedule next week. Thanks a lot.

A few things:

- Most Ophthalmologists have clinic 4 days a week and 1 day of surgery.

- Have you ever considered taking a 'year off' to enhance your application/competitiveness? I knew a few people in med school who did a year of Ophtho research, published a few papers, made some strong faculty connections, and then matched at some of the top programs. It's definitely something to consider and will pay dividends especially if you go to a top-tier residency program.

- Interventional cardiologists, on average, make A LOT more money than Ophthalmologists. But of course, they do encounter more emergencies.

- Always have a backup plan in case you do not match in Ophtho. Because by the time you find out you didn't match, you would have wasted half a year where you could have been doing research and/or networking. There are many other great fields of Medicine out there that a) involve 'diagnostic skill' and b) 'use of dexterity'. Interventional cardiology or radiology are ones that come to mind... and it's a little bit easier matching into radiology and a lot easier matching into Medicine.

Best of luck,

-J