oculoplastics?

[md_doc]

Hi all,

I wanted to see if I can get some more information regarding the subspecialty of oculoplastics (lots of threads are outdated it seems)...specifically:

1. What is the demand for oculoplastic surgeons in big cities like NY, LA, chicago? I imagine you are competing with lots of dermatologists, facial plastics, OMFS, plastics for same patients/procedures in these areas so how hard is it to find a good job in these cities?

2. What is the average starting salary in these bigger cities? and what about the potential to grow assuming you don't become one of the top 1-2% in the country and are in the middle of the pack in general.

3. Is it the most competitive ophtho fellowship? if so, why?

4. What are the bread and butter cases/patients you do/see every day in private practice? Typically, how many patients/cases per day on average?

If anyone has any insight, that'd be awesome. Thanks so much.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[eyeguy85]

1. Definitely not high, there are a large number of plastic surgeons in general in large cities. That being said, if you are willing to find your niche or practice in a location that other providers aren't yet traveling to (suburbs) then you can make it work but "good" jobs in large cities are not plentiful and can be very competitive.

2. Completely depends on private vs. academic and how your compensation is calculated (base + bonus, only production based, salaried, etc). In general, large cities saturated with providers pay less relative to their cost of living.

3. Yes, based on the limited number of ASOPRS approved fellowship spots available relative to the number of applicants (40-60 per year). Additionally, within the 20-25 spots available per year, the top 2-3 spots are extremely competitive.

4. Again, it depends because oculoplastics is a very diverse subspecialty and there are a lot of different ways to "pay the bills". Functional bread and butter includes blepharoplasty, ptosis, lid malposition (ectropion, entropion, retraction), and lacrimal surgery. Other components include orbit (decompression, fractures, tumors), anophthalmic socket management, Mohs reconstruction, trauma, pediatrics, and cosmetics (including injectables, lasers, peels, skin care). Most providers see anywhere from 20-40 patients per day, but may see more or less depending on their patient population and practice model.

Hi all,

I wanted to see if I can get some more information regarding the subspecialty of oculoplastics (lots of threads are outdated it seems)...specifically:

1. What is the demand for oculoplastic surgeons in big cities like NY, LA, chicago? I imagine you are competing with lots of dermatologists, facial plastics, OMFS, plastics for same patients/procedures in these areas so how hard is it to find a good job in these cities?

2. What is the average starting salary in these bigger cities? and what about the potential to grow assuming you don't become one of the top 1-2% in the country and are in the middle of the pack in general.

3. Is it the most competitive ophtho fellowship? if so, why?

4. What are the bread and butter cases/patients you do/see every day in private practice? Typically, how many patients/cases per day on average?

If anyone has any insight, that'd be awesome. Thanks so much.

 

[md_doc]

Thanks for insight. In terms of compensation, what would you say is the average starting salary for oculoplastics in such large cities in private practice? I know there are lots of variables that play a role but in general what the ball park figure someone would expect to start at in these larger cities after completing a fellowship?

Also, same question about the other ophtho fellowships? what do they general start at in larger cities? I would imagine the demand for other subspecialties is greater than oculoplastics.

 

[Equality]

Someone told me Oculoplastics is deemed the most competitive fellowship in all of medicine with <50% match rate. Haven't seen data to support that though.

Look at aao.org job listings for real time demand for oculoplastic surgeons. You probably won't see starting salary listed, though.

American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Ophthalmology Job Center|Find Your Career Here

 

[Bgladney]

Someone told me Oculoplastics is deemed the most competitive fellowship in all of medicine with <50% match rate. Haven't seen data to support that though.

I would agree just due to the fact that there are so few fellowship spots.

 

[eyeguy85]

Thanks for insight. In terms of compensation, what would you say is the average starting salary for oculoplastics in such large cities in private practice? I know there are lots of variables that play a role but in general what the ball park figure someone would expect to start at in these larger cities after completing a fellowship?

Also, same question about the other ophtho fellowships? what do they general start at in larger cities? I would imagine the demand for other subspecialties is greater than oculoplastics.

This could be a wide range (dollar amount, highly variable) and information that would be best be obtained from talking to folks in your local department. Even then, they might not have a great idea because it's not like everyone talks to everyone else about how much they make. There are Medscape surveys etc that can give you a reasonable ballpark for ophthalmology and other subspecialties. But even then, the range is broad.

Caveat: pick a specialty/subspecialty you love regardless of the compensation, call schedule, prestige, etc. All ophthalmologists do relatively well compared to the amount of necessary effort. That being said, oculoplastics can be a relatively demanding subspecialty within ophthalmology.