Now that I matched.. next step question about surgical retina fellowship

[freakonomics]

Thank you for any replies in advance.

I recently matched in ophthalmology (yay) but unfortunately it wasn't one of those top programs, but more of the middle of the road (by doximity ranking if it means anything) but a respected program. This program sends out about half into comprehensive and the other half into fellowship.

One question I had is I have my passion set on surgical retina but does it matter which caliber of the program you go to for surgical retina training when you eventually find a job in a private group practice? I am sure it depends a lot of the market at that time, but was wondering if you can fairly easily get employed as long as you train at a "respected" program but maybe not top 10 programs.

Thank you very much!

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[LemonLens]

Congratulations on matching. It generally doesn't matter, I would say. Look at the private practices in the cities you want to practice in and see where those guys are coming from in terms of fellowship.

 

[Bronze Medal]

You can match surgical retina from any residency, although the top fellowships are unlikely to offer you interviews. Prioritize building relationships with your retina faculty, research, and networking.

 

[Baller2016]

Echoing Bronze Medal, you can certainly match and should go for it. My local retinal surgeons come from all over (Tulane, Vanderbilt, Toronto, etc.)

I’d say perhaps the top-notch retina fellowships might give preferential treatment to residents from Bascom, MEEI, Iowa, Wilmer, Duke, etc. but perhaps someone with recent experience can comment (I’ve not gone through the process yet).

 

[Bgladney]

Regarding employment, you really should not have any issues. Some practices like to hire from programs they consider to be "top tier", but that definition is all over the board. As long as you receive good training, good experience, you should not have any issues finding a position. Now, finding the position you want in the location you desire could be more difficult.

 

[newby000]

What do you guys think of private vs academic retina fellowships? As far as I know there are some hidden gems out there especially in private groups but curious if that will hurt you during job search (regardless of the excellent training you will get)

 

[WhiteDots]

Retina is a very small world. Everyone ends up knowing everyone. If you plan on going to academic, I think it matters less where you go to fellowship as long as it’s a recognized fellowship with decent surgical numbers because there is a big shortage of retina surgeons in academia and more about how much you want to teach and do research. If you plan on going private practice, if you want to join a good private practice such a retina only group, it matters a ton who you trained with and where. More about who you train with. If you want to join a multi specialty, then doesn’t matter as long as it is a recognized retina fellowship.

I would say who you train under and with matters the most because in the end, when you finish fellowship, it’s your mentors and the connections they have that helps you get your job.