Ophtho is overrated

[dirtyfalcon99]

Now, before you get offended and jump on me, hear me out. Ophtho is very competitive. But I think this is mainly due to people still holding on the old concept of Ophthalmology when they were compensated much better.

All the other competitive specialties (on the level of Ophtho -- Urology, Rads, Ortho, Neurosurg) have one thing in common. They all pay very well. Ophtho is not bad but it is more along the lines of IM pay not nearly as good as the others. If you want to practice in a city, you will be hard pressed to make over 200k and will likely be around 150-170k unless you work your ass off. Sure, if you move out to farm country, you could make into the 200s but who wants to do that?

Also, job security is in question. Optometrists are making more headway into procedures and can seriously affect Ophtho pay in this time when the nation is trying to cut costs in the medical field.

I'm not saying Ophtho is bad but I'm saying it is very overrated as can be seen by the match statistics. I have no dog in the fight but it is silly when very competitive candidates go into the field looking for money/lifestyle and end up disappointed. I'm ready for the onslaught, thoughts?

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[MAYOphtho]

Now, before you get offended and jump on me, hear me out. Ophtho is very competitive. But I think this is mainly due to people still holding on the old concept of Ophthalmology when they were compensated much better.

All the other competitive specialties (on the level of Ophtho -- Urology, Rads, Ortho, Neurosurg) have one thing in common. They all pay very well. Ophtho is not bad but it is more along the lines of IM pay not nearly as good as the others. If you want to practice in a city, you will be hard pressed to make over 200k and will likely be around 150-170k unless you work your ass off. Sure, if you move out to farm country, you could make into the 200s but who wants to do that?

Also, job security is in question. Optometrists are making more headway into procedures and can seriously affect Ophtho pay in this time when the nation is trying to cut costs in the medical field.

I'm not saying Ophtho is bad but I'm saying it is very overrated as can be seen by the match statistics. I have no dog in the fight but it is silly when very competitive candidates go into the field looking for money/lifestyle and end up disappointed. I'm ready for the onslaught, thoughts?

(1) Nice job creating an account today to throw gas on the flame

(2) If a "very competitive candidate (goes) into the field looking for money/lifestyle and ends up disappointed" then I cant feel bad for them...I picked it because of my interest in the field...I could have easily chosen Neurosurgery and made a lot more money and worked a lot harder...but I didnt because the Ophtho lifestyle/pay/fascination was fine for me, even if the pay is much less than some of the other fields

 

[Kashf Oyoun]

The scope of ophthalmology is quite appealing to many, combining medical and surgical aspects of medicine. This sets it apart from fields like IM, rads, radonc, which you discussed.

Also, there is an allure to 'curing the blind' that cannot be measured by monetary compensation, which I think attracts some to ophthalmology.

As far as being "very overrated," ophthalmology is important, enough so to warrant dedicating entire hospitals to ophthalmic services and research (eye hospitals and institutes, National Eye Institute, etc.). So, regardless of variations in compensation from decade-to-decade, vision is so cherished that an ophthalmologist's services will always be appreciated.

While your concerns about compensation in ophthalmology are reasonable, I still think ophthalmology is appropriately competitive. Perhaps the intellectual challenges of encountering a host of systemic diseases, the appeal of mastering microsurgical techniques, and the diverse diagnostic modalities available (OCTs, confocals, angiography) help attract good students to ophthalmology.

 

[GAA]

Sorry to tell you, but two of my seniors that just graduate, not only they really enjoy being ophthalmologist, but they got jobs in rural areas with VERY VERY GOOD SALARY!!!!(>250 starting salary).

So still not a bad specialty right!!!!

I rather make 150 and enjoy my field, then doing something for the money and not having the time to enjoy life.

 

[Ophtho24]

I am in my final year of ophtho residency and have absolutely no regrets. I fully realize that I may not be compensated as well as other specialists. My lifestyle in residency is really quite good and even when I am called in at 4 in the morning (unless its for a floor fracture) I usually feel like I provide a valuable service to the patient, the primary team, or the emergency room. Many of the fields mentioned don't even come close to ophtho in terms of quality of life. Rads might, but I think anyone paying attention to the current state of healthcare realizes that rads is about to get hit very hard in terms of reimbursement. 300K per year is just not reasonable for sitting staring at a monitor saying "clinical correlation required." The only value in the original post is that it does shed light on the fact that ophtho is not the way to go if you want to get rich. However, if you want to feel like a valuable member of a healthcare team, do amazing surgery, and have very happy patients , please apply I hope you will enjoy the field as much as I do.

 

[MAYOphtho]

I am in my final year of ophtho residency and have absolutely no regrets. I fully realize that I may not be compensated as well as other specialists. My lifestyle in residency is really quite good and even when I am called in at 4 in the morning (unless its for a floor fracture) I usually feel like I provide a valuable service to the patient, the primary team, or the emergency room. Many of the fields mentioned don't even come close to ophtho in terms of quality of life. Rads might, but I think anyone paying attention to the current state of healthcare realizes that rads is about to get hit very hard in terms of reimbursement. 300K per year is just not reasonable for sitting staring at a monitor saying "clinical correlation required." The only value in the original post is that it does shed light on the fact that ophtho is not the way to go if you want to get rich. However, if you want to feel like a valuable member of a healthcare team, do amazing surgery, and have very happy patients , please apply I hope you will enjoy the field as much as I do.

I wish I had been able to say this myself...this is exactly the reason I chose Ophtho and couldnt care less about making a fortune...really...again, had I chosen to be a Spine Surgeon after doing a Neurosurgery residency, I'm SURE I could make 7x (minimal exaggeration) what Ophtho makes...but I really will be happy with a lower salary, good quality of life, and helping patients with their vision...you cant put a dollar amount on that

 

[asmallchild]

I am in my final year of ophtho residency and have absolutely no regrets. I fully realize that I may not be compensated as well as other specialists. My lifestyle in residency is really quite good and even when I am called in at 4 in the morning (unless its for a floor fracture) I usually feel like I provide a valuable service to the patient, the primary team, or the emergency room. Many of the fields mentioned don't even come close to ophtho in terms of quality of life. Rads might, but I think anyone paying attention to the current state of healthcare realizes that rads is about to get hit very hard in terms of reimbursement. 300K per year is just not reasonable for sitting staring at a monitor saying "clinical correlation required." The only value in the original post is that it does shed light on the fact that ophtho is not the way to go if you want to get rich. However, if you want to feel like a valuable member of a healthcare team, do amazing surgery, and have very happy patients , please apply I hope you will enjoy the field as much as I do.

I was reading that ophtho actually stands to enjoy an 11% increase with the new CMS proposal. Radiology, on the other hand, is one of the fields to be hit hard with this new proprosal.

 

[WhatNEyeTem]

Probably the #1 best thing about Ophtho is independence from the hospital environment. You can run your own 5,000 sq ft office space with adjacent ASC... and never have to step foot into a hospital (with all of its bureaucracy) again.

I too wish that Ophtho salaries were higher...but then again, what we're doing (though important) is not life and death or as pressure-cooker filled compared to spine, brain, or heart surgery.

-J

 

[azzarah]

Over-rated or not, I loooooove ophtho. It is by far the most interesting field in medicine.

 

[oculaire]

It's funny to read about how much more spinal and neurosurgeons are paid in the US. In Canada Ophthalmology and Radiology are the top billers, with Neurosurgery and Ortho the same or lower for much more work. 150k doesn't seem like much with all the student debt many have, especially with overhead and tax. We don't have salaries up here though so it's mostly based on what you bill. I guess the average would be 400 with retina earning double that and lasik contributing on the side to those who do refractive but it can be half or double that based on the region. Tax/retirement and overhead would come out of that too and most of the cities are getting saturated.

Ortho and Neuro rank low on the list of competitive specialties in Canada, I guess due to the hours/pay. Ophthalmology is still the best specialty but no fun if you're practicing in a competitive or saturated market.

 

[dirtyfalcon99]

(1) Nice job creating an account today to throw gas on the flame

(2) If a "very competitive candidate (goes) into the field looking for money/lifestyle and ends up disappointed" then I cant feel bad for them...I picked it because of my interest in the field...I could have easily chosen Neurosurgery and made a lot more money and worked a lot harder...but I didnt because the Ophtho lifestyle/pay/fascination was fine for me, even if the pay is much less than some of the other fields

1. Have to start somewhere my friend.

2. I like most of the Ophtho residents I've met. I am not badmouthing the specialty, it seems very interesting. I am just saying that most competitive specialties are that way because of the money and Ophtho breaks that trend. Personally, I think its because of people still have a view of Ophtho as the booming field it was earlier on with much better compensation. I have no doubt many residents enjoy what they do now but it would be naive to say that many med students apply because they truly enjoy the field. Many of them don't even know what they are getting into b/c their exposure to Ophtho is limited in med school. I think many apply thinking it is a lifestyle specialty that pays very well. And they are misguided to think that because, while the lifestyle is typically decent, it does not pay nearly as well as the other competitive specialties. If students knew that they could very well be looking at a salary of 150k, I think applications would go down.

 

[dragonfly99]

opthalmology is still a good specialty because the residency is MUCH better hours than most of the other specialties you mentioned. They only have a very few bad emergencies that they have to panic about and run in to the ER in the middle of the night...as opposed to a lot of surgical specialties, IM, peds, etc. which require a lot of middle of the night work during residency. Being able to have the option to avoid working in hospitals later in your career would be a plus also...I never thought of that until recently. I'm doing cards,and for me avoiding the hospital will not be an option...hospital practice requires quite a bit of red tape, hospital politics, etc. Hospitals are also some of the most overregulated places EVER!

 

[KHE]

I have no doubt many residents enjoy what they do now but it would be naive to say that many med students apply because they truly enjoy the field. Many of them don't even know what they are getting into b/c their exposure to Ophtho is limited in med school. I think many apply thinking it is a lifestyle specialty that pays very well. And they are misguided to think that because, while the lifestyle is typically decent, it does not pay nearly as well as the other competitive specialties. If students knew that they could very well be looking at a salary of 150k, I think applications would go down.

Surely medical students are not this stupid.

Are there actually people applying to ophthalmology residency who are that clueless about the marketplace/compensation for their skills?

Are there actually people applying to ophthalmology residency who haven't spent SIGNIFICANT amounts of time hanging around with and discussing these very issues with ophthalmologists?

If so, they pretty much deserve what they get.

 

[eyelander]

Educate yourself about the specialty you want to get in to. If it happens to be Urology or Rads, and you have enjoyed your experiences, apply. If you have loved your ophtho experience, apply. There are no guarantees you are going to get into to any of these fields as they are all highly sought after or 'competitive' but for different reasons.

The word 'competitive' is thrown around freely quite often on this forum. Undoubtedly, I found much competitiveness during the ophthalmology application and interview process. There were outstanding faculty to interview us, co-interviewees with stellar personalities to back their CVs, and an overall relaxed feel that reaffirmed that I had chosen the field for the right reasons.

I find the original post refering to the $150k average salary not meriting ophthalmology to be a 'competitive' specialty a bit near-sighted, excuse my pun. In the big picture, ophthalmology allows physicians to practice surgery and patient education/medicine in an environment that gives flexibility with one's interests both in and outside of medicine. Additionally whether you make $150k in downtown San Francisco or $350k in rural Arkansas, ophthalmology, like most medical specialties, allows physicians to make a good living and support their families.

I have many friends who applied to rads or anesthesia for 'lifestyle' purposes. One could also call these specialties 'competitive'. Again, I think the bigger point is that you truly need to choose the specialty you think will make you happy. That choice may be a dynamic one and luckily we are in a line of work where we can change our minds and train in something else if we choose to.

Have fun with this debate, and if you are interviewing for ophtho this year do yourself a favor and NOT bring up your interests in Rads, Ortho, Urology, Neurosurg, Plastics, or another 'competitive' specialty. You may appear to be applying to ophtho for the wrong reasons.

 

[Meibomian SxN]

Now, before you get offended and jump on me, hear me out. Ophtho is very competitive. But I think this is mainly due to people still holding on the old concept of Ophthalmology when they were compensated much better...

80% of the world is sensed through the eyes. Imagine closing your eyes and living life...what life is that? That is what amazes me most about this profession.

Besides, all other medical specialties will eventually develop presbyopia and need my expertise; whereas I may never need the services of the latter(knocking on wood)....

 

[BlondeDocteur]

I think ophthalmology is highly sought-after (among other reasons) because it does involve a bit of surgery without a remote taste of the surgical lifestyle. The so-called lifestyle surgical specialties are certainly not lifestyle residencies a la PM&R, genetics, or dermatology... but you'd be hard-pressed to work more than 50 hours a week once in your three year ophtho residency.

Compound this with the fact that you're restoring/preserving sight and enjoy enormous satisfaction from doing so... I can understand the appeal quite readily.

 

[4424]

you'd be hard-pressed to work more than 50 hours a week once in your three year ophtho residency./

i agree with most of your statement, but the above is definitely not true

 

[abcxyz0123]

80% of the world is sensed through the eyes. Imagine closing your eyes and living life...what life is that? That is what amazes me most about this profession.

Besides, all other medical specialties will eventually develop presbyopia and need my expertise; whereas I may never need the services of the latter(knocking on wood)....

You can place that kind of importance with any specialty. What if we had no heart...we would not even be living. Sweet i will be a cardiologist. What if we had no brain...same thing. I'll be a neurosurgeon.

 

[asmallchild]

I think ophthalmology is highly sought-after (among other reasons) because it does involve a bit of surgery without a remote taste of the surgical lifestyle. The so-called lifestyle surgical specialties are certainly not lifestyle residencies a la PM&R, genetics, or dermatology... but you'd be hard-pressed to work more than 50 hours a week once in your three year ophtho residency.

Compound this with the fact that you're restoring/preserving sight and enjoy enormous satisfaction from doing so... I can understand the appeal quite readily.

Not necessarily true. I'm not going to compare ophtho to neurosurgery or plastics but you'd be surprised how slammed the ophtho residents are at our county hospital. That month is easily a 60 hr/wk rotation.

 

[Corn Dog]

You can place that kind of importance with any specialty. What if we had no heart...we would not even be living. Sweet i will be a cardiologist. What if we had no brain...same thing. I'll be a neurosurgeon.

Well, if we had no vision, we could still live, but at a significantly reduced quality. I dunno about you, but it's kinda hard to imagine what it's like not to have a heart or brain.

 

[speyeder]

I think ophthalmology is highly sought-after (among other reasons) because it does involve a bit of surgery without a remote taste of the surgical lifestyle. The so-called lifestyle surgical specialties are certainly not lifestyle residencies a la PM&R, genetics, or dermatology... but you'd be hard-pressed to work more than 50 hours a week once in your three year ophtho residency.

Compound this with the fact that you're restoring/preserving sight and enjoy enormous satisfaction from doing so... I can understand the appeal quite readily.

Ophtho is cush but not that cush. I'd say as a 1st year, including call, I worked 60-65 hours/week.

2nd year probably 55-60 hours/week.

Third year, 50-55 hours/week.

My worst week, I worked 70 hours, so still not bad at all.

 

[eyehope]

I think ophthalmology is highly sought-after (among other reasons) because it does involve a bit of surgery without a remote taste of the surgical lifestyle. The so-called lifestyle surgical specialties are certainly not lifestyle residencies a la PM&R, genetics, or dermatology... but you'd be hard-pressed to work more than 50 hours a week once in your three year ophtho residency.

Compound this with the fact that you're restoring/preserving sight and enjoy enormous satisfaction from doing so... I can understand the appeal quite readily.

Man, I went to the wrong progam. Save a few weeks, we never had a 50 hr work week.

We certainly do not have it as bad as the other surgical subspecialties (ENT, plastics). But, residency at major academic centers, is not as 'cush' as people like to think - especially at a level 1 trauma center when you are called to 'bless the globe' on every facial fracture within a 100 mile radius. So, while there are not many true ocular emergencies, residents can still be busy seeing facial fractures all night long.

Even the so-called cush (dermatology, radiology) residencies have tons upon tons of reading.

 

[asmallchild]

Man, I went to the wrong progam. Save a few weeks, we never had a 50 hr work week.

We certainly do not have it as bad as the other surgical subspecialties (ENT, plastics). But, residency at major academic centers, is not as 'cush' as people like to think - especially at a level 1 trauma center when you are called to 'bless the globe' on every facial fracture within a 100 mile radius. So, while there are not many true ocular emergencies, residents can still be busy seeing facial fractures all night long.

Even the so-called cush (dermatology, radiology) residencies have tons upon tons of reading.

Very true

 

[Eyescan]

I'm surprised at how little eye surgery does. True, get your eyesight back and it's the greatest thing in the world. I don't disagree. However, the mechanics of how little tissue you tease out. That is a reflection on how delicate the eye is. To the ophthalmologist, when there is major bleeding..."gimme the q-tip". To a general surgeon, major bleeding is when blood drips to the floor.

Another thing I that still amazes me is how little surgery can do for the eye. One accident to your eye and it's toast.

Of course, everyone of you knows this.

 

[Meibomian SxN]

I'm surprised at how little eye surgery does. True, get your eyesight back and it's the greatest thing in the world. I don't disagree. However, the mechanics of how little tissue you tease out. That is a reflection on how delicate the eye is. To the ophthalmologist, when there is major bleeding..."gimme the q-tip". To a general surgeon, major bleeding is when blood drips to the floor.

Another thing I that still amazes me is how little surgery can do for the eye. One accident to your eye and it's toast.

Of course, everyone of you knows this.

And your point is.....?

 

[Eyeguy123]

Over-rated or not, I loooooove ophtho. It is by far the most interesting field in medicine.

Agreed!

 

[MstaKing10]

Choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life based exclusively on the compensation you will potentially earn is a huge mistake. I realize that pay is important, but not so important so as to trump everything else that you should look for in a career. I think your analysis is flawed and simple minded. There is much more to the field that makes it appealing (see previous posts).

 

[AYOTUNDE]

Hai.............
The optic nerve is easily observable during an eye exam. There are different techniques in getting a view of the optic nerve such as using a direct ophthalmoscope, a slit lamp with a condensing lens, or binocular indirect ophthalmoscope. The visual cortex is part of the brain and cannot be viewed during an eye exam, but it's function can be inferred through ancillary testing. Hope this helps

 

[JMK2005]

Hai.............. Hope this helps

No, it does not help.

 

[fjpod]

Now, before you get offended and jump on me, hear me out. Ophtho is very competitive. But I think this is mainly due to people still holding on the old concept of Ophthalmology when they were compensated much better.

All the other competitive specialties (on the level of Ophtho -- Urology, Rads, Ortho, Neurosurg) have one thing in common. They all pay very well. Ophtho is not bad but it is more along the lines of IM pay not nearly as good as the others. If you want to practice in a city, you will be hard pressed to make over 200k and will likely be around 150-170k unless you work your ass off. Sure, if you move out to farm country, you could make into the 200s but who wants to do that?

Also, job security is in question. Optometrists are making more headway into procedures and can seriously affect Ophtho pay in this time when the nation is trying to cut costs in the medical field.

I'm not saying Ophtho is bad but I'm saying it is very overrated as can be seen by the match statistics. I have no dog in the fight but it is silly when very competitive candidates go into the field looking for money/lifestyle and end up disappointed. I'm ready for the onslaught, thoughts?

Team up with the right OD and you'll do better than you think. It's gonna be a lonnnnnnnnnng time before ODs are doing invasive surgery. Choose your life's work based on your interests and skills, and passion.

 

[zmzmzm]

I completely understand your concerns with salary and compensation. Someone who devoted so much time and effort does deserve adequate compensation. I, too, considered this before I picked Optho. But there are 2 things that really helped solidify my decision.

1. I love Optho. I'd rather have a smile on my face and make $100k less instead of making more and being miserable

2. What is the future of Optho? I think its going to get better than it is today...Yes Optometrists are trying to do more and more..BUT think about the next generation. When the baby boomers get to be 60+, there will be a greater # of cases of Glaucoma/Cataracts etc.

 

[vtrain]

I completely understand your concerns with salary and compensation. Someone who devoted so much time and effort does deserve adequate compensation. I, too, considered this before I picked Optho. But there are 2 things that really helped solidify my decision.

1. I love Optho. I'd rather have a smile on my face and make $100k less instead of making more and being miserable

2. What is the future of Optho? I think its going to get better than it is today...Yes Optometrists are trying to do more and more..BUT think about the next generation. When the baby boomers get to be 60+, there will be a greater # of cases of Glaucoma/Cataracts etc.

At my institution we have recently implemented electronic scripts which is turning out to be a nightmare, simply because our clinic flow doesn't work well with the system. Our glaucoma guy is cutting back the number of patient he's seeing to allow for the extra time his technicians will have to take to incorporate this change. While it's true that the baby boomers are coming of age and there will be more cataracts/etc to go around, increasing government bureaucracy, which I can only see as getting worse, will limit us in terms of how many patients we can see.

 

[Visionary]

At my institution we have recently implemented electronic scripts which is turning out to be a nightmare, simply because our clinic flow doesn't work well with the system. Our glaucoma guy is cutting back the number of patient he's seeing to allow for the extra time his technicians will have to take to incorporate this change. While it's true that the baby boomers are coming of age and there will be more cataracts/etc to go around, increasing government bureaucracy, which I can only see as getting worse, will limit us in terms of how many patients we can see.

EMR/EHR does take time to adjust to. You typically see a drop in volume, and therefore collections, for the first several months. After the adjustment, however, volume typically returns to normal. This won't have a significant effect long-term. As far a bureaucracy goes, I don't see how it could get much worse. I'm more concerned about the solvency of our current health care system. Something has to give, and it will likely be reimbursements across the board. Once Medicare drops their reimbursements, the private carriers will soon follow suit--always do. And some think we have a free market health care system....

 

[orbitsurgMD]

EMR/EHR does take time to adjust to. You typically see a drop in volume, and therefore collections, for the first several months. After the adjustment, however, volume typically returns to normal. This won't have a significant effect long-term. As far a bureaucracy goes, I don't see how it could get much worse. I'm more concerned about the solvency of our current health care system. Something has to give, and it will likely be reimbursements across the board. Once Medicare drops their reimbursements, the private carriers will soon follow suit--always do. And some think we have a free market health care system....

I have used some of the top products in ophthalmic EHRs. Some do some nice things, but the smaller the practice, the cost/benefit ratio becomes damagingly high. The general problem is a lack of comparable ergonomic facility to a handwritten brief note on a checklist form. The printed reports are too long and generate much too much noise that exists solely to satisfy perceived auditing needs, not communication. Most fail as tools designed to enhance communication and to improve efficiency of the professional. They do OK at records integrity and security--with appropriate backup discipline.

As for reducing reimbursement across the board, there are limits to what will be tolerated. I would say we are already there now with many specialties and with nearly all of primary care. One cannot legislate low prices without also at least inviting market failure. Driving down payments to the point where a practitioner does not make a living wage is on its face a non-starter. And what has to pass for a living wage has to be proportionate to the risk, need to fund one's own retirement and expense and opportunity cost for a doctor.

Few people have experienced a failed medical market: one where the income derived cannot support anyone willing to provide services: it exists commonly only in low income rural and urban areas. Unfortunately the federal government is pulling the tiger's tail, stupidly behaving as if the same things couldn't possibly occur elsewhere. Mandating that doctors accept Medicare as a condition of licensure or anything else is an idea doomed to fail. That kind of thing just will not work.

Really, if the U.S. Government expects to not totally destroy Medicare and contain costs, they have to do one of two things: either outright exclude certain codes as non-payable either completely or by certain age categories and adequately fund others, or allow balance billing. The former is basically rationing: never politically popular, and the latter is the abandonment of the pretense of Medicare as a defined benefit program and open acquiescence to the notion that it must be a defined contribution to survive at all.

 

[200UL]

A few points on EHR/EMR:

1. I feel the more complex the patient, the more EHR actually reduces quality of care. I have seen many things missed on complex patients because data retrieval is so challenging with most EHRs. Doctor: "Its time we give your first subtenon's injection." Ms. Jones: "Your partner just gave me one of those 3 months ago." Doctor: "Oh, that was 10 notes ago, and I only had time to look through the last 5 at today's visit. Sorry." We focus most on negatives of data entry but data retrieval is terrible with most EHRs I have used. Nothing can replace the speed of flipping though the hard chart in terms of speed. Perhaps a format like a giant IPAD would assist in making the record still seem like the thing we are trying to replace.

2. EHRs probably do not hurt efficiency as much if your practice is full of "normal exams." The same holds true for all of medicine. Typing in a smart phrase that populates "normal exam" or "normal review of systems" helps if the patient is normal, but most doctors are not seeing "normals." I have also seen some primary care doctors hit the "normal exam" button when they only did 3 of the actual exam elements - now that is great.

3. It will be a complete joke if Medicare requires every physician office enter a patient's complete medication log, complete health history, complete social history….. First of all - most elderly patients struggle to even produce a list of the medications they are on or what surgeries they have had – so what good is the bogus list anyway. Think of the number of clicks it will take the extra technician we must hire to enter some of those 15-30 medication logs. Metoprolol (click) Dose (click) Oral (click) Frequency (click). Last dose (click)...... Of course this occurs requires our offices to actually call the PCP and get the list. Then we must take 15 minutes to enter the list. Then the orthopedic surgeon practice can repeat the same thing the next day. The following week the cardiologist can do the same. But at lest it is electronic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. EHRs are the biggest give-away to the IT industry. If the people who felt these were the answers to our healthcare problems were actually serious, there would likely be one system or at least a way for sharing of information between different doctors/different healthcare systems. The bottom line is if someone from California drops over with an MI when they are in New York City, it is still going to take the 80 year old lady at the fax machine on Monday morning to send hard copies of the "electronic" health record with technology that existed in the 1970s (fax). Therefore, what has been gained? I understand the possible privacy implications of what I am proposing, but we are very comfortable as a society with allowing all our banking records online.

5. I do feel if one is seeing nothing but complex cases, performing proper documentation in the EHR can be an excellent way to ration care given less ability to see patients quickly. Perhaps EHRs will save the healthcare system?

 

[iluvmac]

http://www.ophmanagement.com/article.aspx?article=85973

how accurate is this article from 2003?

 

[orbitsurgMD]

http://www.ophmanagement.com/article.aspx?article=85973

how accurate is this article from 2003?

Who knows? It is pretty out of date just by the calendar.

 

[MKE2STL]

Ophtho is a great specialty. The combination of surgery + clinical, the laid-back lifestyle, the amazing technology, the tremendous amount of value placed on sight, and the lack of death are all very appealing.

However, ophtho is very overrated. The compensation is tanking with no signs of improvement. I actually am forecasting a takeover by ODs who will complete 3-year surgical residencies after optometry school and perform surgery for pennies on the dollar. Get ready for salary parity!

It almost makes sense too. The eye is relatively isolated from the rest of medical school education, so it kind of makes sense to not have to learn every detail about the body to practice ophthalmology. This process is already in place for dentistry and podiatry. You learn about the mouth or the feet for 4 years, then you enter a surgical residency to learn to perform complex surgeries.

I suspect psychiatry will see a similar takeover from psychologists doing 'psychiatry residencies' and having full access to psychiatric meds.

 

[OMD]

Thanks you Nostradamus. I could use some stock tips while you're at it. Any ideas?

 

[Shnurek]

Ophtho is a great specialty. The combination of surgery + clinical, the laid-back lifestyle, the amazing technology, the tremendous amount of value placed on sight, and the lack of death are all very appealing.

However, ophtho is very overrated. The compensation is tanking with no signs of improvement. I actually am forecasting a takeover by ODs who will complete 3-year surgical residencies after optometry school and perform surgery for pennies on the dollar. Get ready for salary parity!

It almost makes sense too. The eye is relatively isolated from the rest of medical school education, so it kind of makes sense to not have to learn every detail about the body to practice ophthalmology. This process is already in place for dentistry and podiatry. You learn about the mouth or the feet for 4 years, then you enter a surgical residency to learn to perform complex surgeries.

I suspect psychiatry will see a similar takeover from psychologists doing 'psychiatry residencies' and having full access to psychiatric meds.

I concur, and OMD's don't like hearing about these sort of changes, hence the poster above lol. But hey, I'm all for working together and limiting arrogance.

 

[Visionary]

I concur, and OMD's don't like hearing about these sort of changes, hence the poster above lol. But hey, I'm all for working together and limiting arrogance.

And I'm all for full-on arrogant conflict!

 

[Visionary]

Ophtho is a great specialty. The combination of surgery + clinical, the laid-back lifestyle, the amazing technology, the tremendous amount of value placed on sight, and the lack of death are all very appealing.

However, ophtho is very overrated. The compensation is tanking with no signs of improvement. I actually am forecasting a takeover by ODs who will complete 3-year surgical residencies after optometry school and perform surgery for pennies on the dollar. Get ready for salary parity!

It almost makes sense too. The eye is relatively isolated from the rest of medical school education, so it kind of makes sense to not have to learn every detail about the body to practice ophthalmology. This process is already in place for dentistry and podiatry. You learn about the mouth or the feet for 4 years, then you enter a surgical residency to learn to perform complex surgeries.

I suspect psychiatry will see a similar takeover from psychologists doing 'psychiatry residencies' and having full access to psychiatric meds.

Share more of your wisdom with us.

 

[Mirror Form]

However, ophtho is very overrated. The compensation is tanking with no signs of improvement. I actually am forecasting a takeover by ODs who will complete 3-year surgical residencies after optometry school and perform surgery for pennies on the dollar. Get ready for salary parity!

LOL, another med student who likes talking about things they know absolutely nothing about. You do realize that surgery is reimbursed by medicaire or insurance companies right? So, if OD's operated they would get the same amount as MD's. And who is going to pay for those OD surgical residencies and where would the patients come from?

Furthermore, compensation is tanking for most specialties. Ophtho has more options for making money via billing the patient than most other medical specialties. So our future is looking pretty good when you compare us to other fields.

 

[abu barney]

Ophtho is the most freaking rocking specialy out there. SALARY ASIDE, There are several "whoa" moments that during training have completely convinced me of ophtho as being the king of subspecialties. A few:

-After completing your first capsulorrhexis, realizing that you just manually, surgically, precisely dissected a 4 micron thick membrane working in a 2-3 mm plane. I JUST DISSECTED A BASEMENT MEMBRANE WITH MY OWN HANDS
-Doing a focal and realizing that you're treating individual 20-30 micron arterioles by shooting lasers at them through a handheld lens. I'M SHOOTING LASERS
-Doing an indirect PRP and realizing that you're shooting lasers from your head SHOOTING LASERS FROM YOUR HEAD through a handheld lens to make precise burns on the retina
-Examining the the conjunctiva at high-power and actually visualizing individual RBC channeling through the capillary network. DUDE THOSE ARE RBCS!!!
-Seeing your first PVD and understanding the dynamic forces that are behind a whole lot of retinal disorders.
-Looking at a high-res OCT, noticing the thin bright line known as the ILM, and then realizing that you can peel that bitch. YES I CAN!
-Seeing a purtscher's or a vasculitis or PUK as the first sign of a serious systemic condition. I SAVED A LIFE!
-Having your first 20/20 cataract post-op. SHE LOVES ME!
-Explaining to a consulting team what your eye findings actually mean and how it relates to their question. NO ONE KNOWS THE EYE LIKE ME BIATCH!!!

Even after all these years, seeing an intersting clinical photo or fundus photo or reading about a new technology or technique, never ceases to amaze me. It just seems to get cooler with every passing year (EXCEPTION: laser cataract surgery = not cool).

Average radiology salary: 400k or 1 million or whatever. Cost of the above moments: PRICELESS.

 

[abu barney]

One more, doing your first ophtho inpatient consult after your internship and writing:
"PMHx/meds/allergies: reviewed"

PRICELESS!!!

 

[Visionary]

Ophtho is the most freaking rocking specialy out there. SALARY ASIDE, There are several "whoa" moments that during training have completely convinced me of ophtho as being the king of subspecialties. A few:

-After completing your first capsulorrhexis, realizing that you just manually, surgically, precisely dissected a 4 micron thick membrane working in a 2-3 mm plane. I JUST DISSECTED A BASEMENT MEMBRANE WITH MY OWN HANDS
-Doing a focal and realizing that you're treating individual 20-30 micron arterioles by shooting lasers at them through a handheld lens. I'M SHOOTING LASERS
-Doing an indirect PRP and realizing that you're shooting lasers from your head SHOOTING LASERS FROM YOUR HEAD through a handheld lens to make precise burns on the retina
-Examining the the conjunctiva at high-power and actually visualizing individual RBC channeling through the capillary network. DUDE THOSE ARE RBCS!!!
-Seeing your first PVD and understanding the dynamic forces that are behind a whole lot of retinal disorders.
-Looking at a high-res OCT, noticing the thin bright line known as the ILM, and then realizing that you can peel that bitch. YES I CAN!
-Seeing a purtscher's or a vasculitis or PUK as the first sign of a serious systemic condition. I SAVED A LIFE!
-Having your first 20/20 cataract post-op. SHE LOVES ME!
-Explaining to a consulting team what your eye findings actually mean and how it relates to their question. NO ONE KNOWS THE EYE LIKE ME BIATCH!!!

Even after all these years, seeing an intersting clinical photo or fundus photo or reading about a new technology or technique, never ceases to amaze me. It just seems to get cooler with every passing year (EXCEPTION: laser cataract surgery = not cool).

Average radiology salary: 400k or 1 million or whatever. Cost of the above moments: PRICELESS.

Oh, yeah! HEAD-MOUNTED LASER! Gotta love that!

 

[Mirror Form]

One more, doing your first ophtho inpatient consult after your internship and writing:
"PMHx/meds/allergies: reviewed"

PRICELESS!!!

^this

 

[Sammich117]

Ophtho is the most freaking rocking specialy out there. SALARY ASIDE, There are several "whoa" moments that during training have completely convinced me of ophtho as being the king of subspecialties. A few:

-After completing your first capsulorrhexis, realizing that you just manually, surgically, precisely dissected a 4 micron thick membrane working in a 2-3 mm plane. I JUST DISSECTED A BASEMENT MEMBRANE WITH MY OWN HANDS
-Doing a focal and realizing that you're treating individual 20-30 micron arterioles by shooting lasers at them through a handheld lens. I'M SHOOTING LASERS
-Doing an indirect PRP and realizing that you're shooting lasers from your head SHOOTING LASERS FROM YOUR HEAD through a handheld lens to make precise burns on the retina
-Examining the the conjunctiva at high-power and actually visualizing individual RBC channeling through the capillary network. DUDE THOSE ARE RBCS!!!
-Seeing your first PVD and understanding the dynamic forces that are behind a whole lot of retinal disorders.
-Looking at a high-res OCT, noticing the thin bright line known as the ILM, and then realizing that you can peel that bitch. YES I CAN!
-Seeing a purtscher's or a vasculitis or PUK as the first sign of a serious systemic condition. I SAVED A LIFE!
-Having your first 20/20 cataract post-op. SHE LOVES ME!
-Explaining to a consulting team what your eye findings actually mean and how it relates to their question. NO ONE KNOWS THE EYE LIKE ME BIATCH!!!

Even after all these years, seeing an intersting clinical photo or fundus photo or reading about a new technology or technique, never ceases to amaze me. It just seems to get cooler with every passing year (EXCEPTION: laser cataract surgery = not cool).

Average radiology salary: 400k or 1 million or whatever. Cost of the above moments: PRICELESS.

This post made me happy.

This is my first foray into the ophtho forum. I've wanted ophtho for...forever. The competition scares me, but things like this keep me going and aiming for it

 

[Wedgebuster]

Ophtho is the most freaking rocking specialy out there. SALARY ASIDE, There are several "whoa" moments that during training have completely convinced me of ophtho as being the king of subspecialties. A few:

-After completing your first capsulorrhexis, realizing that you just manually, surgically, precisely dissected a 4 micron thick membrane working in a 2-3 mm plane. I JUST DISSECTED A BASEMENT MEMBRANE WITH MY OWN HANDS
-Doing a focal and realizing that you're treating individual 20-30 micron arterioles by shooting lasers at them through a handheld lens. I'M SHOOTING LASERS
-Doing an indirect PRP and realizing that you're shooting lasers from your head SHOOTING LASERS FROM YOUR HEAD through a handheld lens to make precise burns on the retina
-Examining the the conjunctiva at high-power and actually visualizing individual RBC channeling through the capillary network. DUDE THOSE ARE RBCS!!!
-Seeing your first PVD and understanding the dynamic forces that are behind a whole lot of retinal disorders.
-Looking at a high-res OCT, noticing the thin bright line known as the ILM, and then realizing that you can peel that bitch. YES I CAN!
-Seeing a purtscher's or a vasculitis or PUK as the first sign of a serious systemic condition. I SAVED A LIFE!
-Having your first 20/20 cataract post-op. SHE LOVES ME!
-Explaining to a consulting team what your eye findings actually mean and how it relates to their question. NO ONE KNOWS THE EYE LIKE ME BIATCH!!!

Even after all these years, seeing an intersting clinical photo or fundus photo or reading about a new technology or technique, never ceases to amaze me. It just seems to get cooler with every passing year (EXCEPTION: laser cataract surgery = not cool).

Average radiology salary: 400k or 1 million or whatever. Cost of the above moments: PRICELESS.

Man, this makes me freaking excited for residency!
You Rock!

 

[MKE2STL]

LOL, another med student who likes talking about things they know absolutely nothing about. You do realize that surgery is reimbursed by medicaire or insurance companies right? So, if OD's operated they would get the same amount as MD's.

You do realize that insurance companies reimburse the least amount that they can right?. It's basic economics. If the market is flooded with ODs who are licensed to perform surgery and are willing to do it for less than OMDs, then insurance companies will be able to reduce their reimbursements.

By the way, I'm not guaranteeing that ODs will be performing surgery in the future. I just think it is a distinct possibility based on the increasing attention being paid to medical costs.