med student ophtho rotation tips?

[coffeemunster]

.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[EyeFun]

1. Good basic books are Basic Ophthalmology (knowledge) and Practical Ophthalmology: A Manual for Beginning Residents (skills). I found the later on my 3rd rotation and by then wished I read it earlier. Good descriptions on how to use the various equipment.

2. Stand out students are the same as for other rotations. The problem with ophtho is you need to acquire skills you never learned elsewhere in medical school to be able to examine patients. Therefore, attendings and residents appreciate initiative when it comes to learning how to use difficult equipment such as the lenses and indirect. It will take you some time to learn but your eagerness and patience are what counts more than anything.

3. You probably don't need to repeat one at your home institution unless that is where you really want to end up. If you want to have an opportunity to get to know residents/attendings better, I would recommend getting involved in some research, attending grand rounds or other conferences, even when you aren't rotating and are available. I wouldnt do more than 2 aways, more than that places think you are just trying to buy interviews.

These are all my opinion and others may disagree.

Hope that helps!

 

[fourchambered]

Agreed with the above. The med student role is kind of awkward in ophthalmology. You seriously know nothing so all you can do hope to stand out by showing initiative. Be super aggressive and make a learning opportunity out of everything. Work with the techs, learn to refract the patients, jot down histories in the corner of the patient note, and take patients who are dilating into open rooms to practice using the equipment. If you eventually start identifying things correctly on the exam, you'll be way ahead of the game. By the time you do your away rotations, you'll want to be able to work up patients and present them with some degree of intelligibility. That is the only way you'll be able to present yourself as a desirable applicant. Otherwise, steer clear of away rotations.

If you are interested in your home program, make sure you attend every single grand rounds from now until your match day. You'd be surprised how much people talk. I have a good friend who matched into his home program because everybody in the department knew him as "the student in the front row" at grand rounds.

Good luck.

 

[vamosrafa]

1. Books
- Practical Ophthalmology is a great book for learning about the exam technique.
- For basic content a nice book to start can be found for free at http://www.ophthobook.com.
- For rotations, having easy access to a copy of the Wills Eye Manual will help you stand out on a rotation
- If you are actually looking for a more detailed/advanced review book (since you are taking an extra year for research): Ophthalmology Review Manual Ed. 2 by Dr. Chern is a bit advanced but I would liken it to the Goljan of ophthalmology.

2. Standing out
- Since it is so hard to get exposure to ophthalmology, expectations are low and it is to your advantage to develop a strong body of knowledge beforehand. If you get ahead of the curve early, it becomes that much easier to be a stand out applicant.
- Get there early and stay there late. It is simple and it is basic, but if the residents are there late, they might not appreciate you wanting to clock out at 4 or 5 when they are there until 6 or 7.
- When you are shadowing surgeries it is helpful to learn the basic steps and why those steps exist.Ex: In cataract surgery, what purpose does the viscoelastic serve? This allows for more intelligent questions to be asked.

3. Away rotation
- Dr. Doan posted this link in a previous thread on away rotations. http://digitalmagazinetechnology.com/a/?KEY=JAO-volume4-01#page=19&zoom=0

Good luck!

 

[Visionary]

3. Away rotation
- Dr. Doan posted this link in a previous thread on away rotations. http://digitalmagazinetechnology.com/a/?KEY=JAO-volume4-01#page=19&zoom=0

This is a must-read for all applicants. Will give you some of the inside info on the process you would never otherwise know. I agree with what's stated above. One additional point: use the residents and fellows! They will be able to advise you on how to best interact with the attendings. Some prefer aggressive students, whereas others can be annoyed by it. My fellowship mentor preferred the med studs to spend more time with us than with him. He would later ask us for feedback on their performance. My residency attendings varied widely in their preferences.

 

[DrOptimist]

if i've already done research for a full year and want to do an away rotation at another institution for the purpose of a letter of rec, should i try to do a research rotation to get to know the attending better? or is it better to do a regular clinical rotation?

 

[fourchambered]

if i've already done research for a full year and want to do an away rotation at another institution for the purpose of a letter of rec, should i try to do a research rotation to get to know the attending better? or is it better to do a regular clinical rotation?

That depends on a lot of things. If you already have clinical letters in the bag, go for the research letter. If not, I would try to find an away rotation where they assign students to one attending for an extended period. That way you can try for a clinical letter. All the away rotations are vastly different, so ask around and see if you can find one where you'll get a chance to work up patients and present them. That's the only real way to stand out. It's also important to find out at which places you're mostly running around with the residents, and where you can actually get face-time with the attendings. It's also not far-fetched to find an attending mentor, start a project with them, and spend a couple afternoons a week in clinic with them. Find out what your strengths are, then find the right type of rotation to show them off.

You should be aware though, that you can't go to an away rotation expecting to get a letter. At your home school, there is the understanding that professors will write letters to promote their own students. It's an institutional responsibility. It may not hold over at outside programs, and you may not necessarily get the strongest possible letter unless you really earn it.

 

[CiliaryBody]

Two things will help you stand out - knowledge and initiative.

Prepping your knowledge is easy. Read over ophthobook.com to get a quick base, then go for the textbooks others have recommended to fill in the details.

Express your interest in ophthalmology at the beginning of your rotation and tell your resident and/or attending that you are looking for hands-on experience. Ask if the resident will let you put in things like eye drops and contact lenses. Get good with the Tonopen and try to learn Goldmann applanation tonometry if you get a chance. Learn to refract and practice with patients. Finally, ask each patient if you may examine him or her after the resident finishes. This will help you build dexterity at the slit lamp. Make sure you practice with the 90D and 20D indirect lenses. You will likely have difficulty at first, but you should be gaining confidence by the end of your rotation. These things should help build your skills, demonstrate your initiative, and save the residents time. Good luck!

 

[Hemichordate]

.

 

[AA|FCB|DOC]

This is a must-read for all applicants. Will give you some of the inside info on the process you would never otherwise know. I agree with what's stated above. One additional point: use the residents and fellows! They will be able to advise you on how to best interact with the attendings. Some prefer aggressive students, whereas others can be annoyed by it. My fellowship mentor preferred the med studs to spend more time with us than with him. He would later ask us for feedback on their performance. My residency attendings varied widely in their preferences.

I have been looking everywhere for a version of this link that works. Does anyone have access to this

 

[Doctor.Mario]

I have been looking everywhere for a version of this link that works. Does anyone have access to this

This appears to be a pdf version: http://www.medrounds.org/jao/JAO-Vol4-Issue1.pdf

It has a good interview of a couple PDs talking about the weight they give to different factors, as well as an advice article about aways.

 

[AA|FCB|DOC]

This appears to be a pdf version: http://www.medrounds.org/jao/JAO-Vol4-Issue1.pdf

It has a good interview of a couple PDs talking about the weight they give to different factors, as well as an advice article about aways.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[AA|FCB|DOC]

So my conclusion after reading both those articles is that PDs in 2011 (not sure if the feelings are still the same) are completely split about whether to do an away rotation. In fact, they seem conflicted on many other parameters including the value of clerkship grades, letter of recommendation structures, etc. But it seems like there is no consensus on whether to do aways. One PD said "the party line has been to stay away from these rotations", so that comment worries me quite a bit. I am also going to school on the east coast and doing a rotation at my home institution, but also planned on doing 2-3 california aways and I am worried whether that will make other programs in the nation discount me due to the geography distribution. Anyone have input on this?

 

[cooksgenes]

So my conclusion after reading both those articles is that PDs in 2011 (not sure if the feelings are still the same) are completely split about whether to do an away rotation. In fact, they seem conflicted on many other parameters including the value of clerkship grades, letter of recommendation structures, etc. But it seems like there is no consensus on whether to do aways. One PD said "the party line has been to stay away from these rotations", so that comment worries me quite a bit. I am also going to school on the east coast and doing a rotation at my home institution, but also planned on doing 2-3 california aways and I am worried whether that will make other programs in the nation discount me due to the geography distribution. Anyone have input on this?

Don't do 2-3 CA rotations if you don't have stellar stats (because stellar stats will give you interviews no matter what). That will just kill your chances at smaller programs outside of CA, take me as an example if you want concrete evidence. Also CA programs are known for not guaranteeing interviews for those who did aways there.. I know some who did aways at the UC and never got their invites.

 

[qoowoo777]

This is great information! Thank you all for sharing.

 

[AA|FCB|DOC]

Don't do 2-3 CA rotations if you don't have stellar stats (because stellar stats will give you interviews no matter what). That will just kill your chances at smaller programs outside of CA, take me as an example if you want concrete evidence. Also CA programs are known for not guaranteeing interviews for those who did aways there.. I know some who did aways at the UC and never got their invites.

Yea I’m not sure what qualifies as stellar stats, as I have a pretty solid 90th percentile step score but I feel like other than that there’s isn’t much more to put on the table regarding stars. Not sure if I will make AOA next year or any of that. In either case though I probably will end up doing 2 CA and one non CA away or one CA and one none CA away. I’m kind of applying to a bunch of aways in CA and a few outside and seeing what I end up with. Hopefully that’s a solid plan