Good luck to you in your chosen field and remember to vote Republican in 2012.
Last edited:
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Northwestern ophthalmology
- Thread starter RONREAGAN
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2009
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 8
"A program's best advertisement is its alumni..."
It looks like Northwestern should better its relations with its alumni!
Hope things get better.
-J
It looks like Northwestern should better its relations with its alumni!
Hope things get better.
-J
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,196
- Reaction score
- 286
I am a former ophthalmology resident at Northwestern University (Chicago) who successfully completed the program several years ago. I went on to then complete a fellowship. I am also board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. By all accounts my credentials are solid. After several years of being in private practice, I joined a new hospital in the area where I am currently practicing. I listed the current residency director at Northwestern as a reference; of note, she had just become the residency director when I was finishing my residency. Today, I was informed by the hospital that the residency director would not support my application as she had stated that it had been too many years since I finished my residency for her to comment on my skills. She then went on to say in her letter that I was asking for privileges that she had not witnessed, and that it was curious that I was requesting those privileges. Some of these were procedures that I learned in my fellowship, but most were procedures that every ophthalmology resident (including myself) performs(ed) during his or her residency.
My position is that if I was good enough and competent to graduate from this program, then there should be no issue with supporting a former resident's application for hospital privileges. By definition, if I was competent to graduate from the program, then the program should support me in my application to join a hospital staff. I don't anticipate a problem with this application, as I will just call on another colleague to support my application.
However, Northwestern is clearly a program that I would stay away from. It was a fairly malignant program when I was there -- as several residents over the course of three years were worried about being fired. In fact, after I graduated from the program, a resident was fired for poor surgical skills. She then was picked up by an East Coast Program, and, from what I am told, she flourished in that less stressful atmosphere. It is very disappointing that NW does not support its former residents. Please pass this info on current med student colleagues who are considering ophthalmology as a career. If you are considering a Chicago program, University of Illinois and Loyola are far better programs. You are considering a great career and I am overall very happy that I chose this field. Good luck to you in your match.
Is this board the best way and the best place to discuss this matter?
You need to call that residency director and explain the situation. Failing to endorse a residency graduate who finished in good standing and board-eligible, which I will assume is true of you, is really a lack of collegiality and a failing in her duty to her institution. Her merely having not been present when you were a resident there might be worth mentioning, if it isn't obvious, but at a minimum she can and should say that you graduated their program in good standing having met the requirements in place at that time, which is all that any program can really say. Not being willing to say that is a disservice to you and to the program.
If your call to her gets nowhere, call the department chairman and then Dean of the medical school.
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2001
- Messages
- 205
- Reaction score
- 1
*cough* troll *cough*
I know of a colleague that finished residency (not in ophthalmology) 15 years ago. The guy wrote to the department for a letter to get a state license.
The residency director checked the box that he didn't recommend the guy for licensure (probably because he didn't know the guy).
He could have at least said that the guy finished, has seen no problems on review of the records (or can't locate the records), but has had no personal contact with the person due to the length of time passed. The colleague said that he actually got good evaluations. Or the residency director could have checked the recommend box and add "based on my review of the records but no personal knowledge of the applicant" The colleague eventually got the license but it's just stupid that someone would fill out the form like this.
The residency director checked the box that he didn't recommend the guy for licensure (probably because he didn't know the guy).
He could have at least said that the guy finished, has seen no problems on review of the records (or can't locate the records), but has had no personal contact with the person due to the length of time passed. The colleague said that he actually got good evaluations. Or the residency director could have checked the recommend box and add "based on my review of the records but no personal knowledge of the applicant" The colleague eventually got the license but it's just stupid that someone would fill out the form like this.
listed the current residency director at Northwestern as a reference; of note, she had just become the residency director when I was finishing my residency.
Maybe this is the problem. One should choose their references carefully. Some forms require certain references. For example, some may require listing the program director or may require it for people who trained less than 5 years ago. Some forms have a separate place to list names and addresses of the program director or chairman and another place for professional references. Or maybe the President Reagan should list the person that was the program director for most of the time in residency.
Wasn't President Reagan's father in law a Northwestern neurosurgeon? Northwestern was where William Kennedy Smith was trained in PM&R. He was in the news in the early 90's!
