Pissed at my program-to-be!!

[Toadkiller Dog]

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Allright, stand back, I'm gonna vent!

I am currently an intern who matched in ophtho last year. I was originally very happy with the results of my match, but I have gotten nothing but bad news from them since Match Day (2005).

Bad News Bit #1: The Program Director quit. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but one of the reasons that I felt good about ranking them high was that I felt he was a really cool guy, and genuinely concerned about the welfare of the residents. Now he's gone, and I have no idea who the new guy is.

Bad News Bit #2: The hospital is no longer covering health insurance for dependents of residents. Wow. That one hit me like a ton of bricks. I was looking forward to finally having an income and not having to dress my kids in church hand-me-downs and maybe having a car less than 15 years old. Now I have to cough up literally hundreds and hundreds of dollars a month for health insurance (try $600-$900) PER MONTH or leave them uninsured.

Bad News Bit #3: I just got a terse e-mail from the program secretary stating that I "should have begun the process for a (state) medical license by now." Gee, thanks for letting me know! The last I heard from her was in August, when she said that I would "definitely be hearing from them around the first of the year regarding the necessary paperwork for our state)" Now it's the second week of frigging March! Well, let's hope I can get a license in the few months we have left (I have not even taken Step 3 yet-scheduled in April, which, coincidentally, is the same time most of the other interns here are taking it. But they're all going to other, better organized, programs).

Just goes to show that you can never fully evaluate a program in one day of interviewing. And in residency, you are at a lot of people's mercy, no matter which way you slice it.

And as one final vent: I HATE INTERNAL MEDICINE! I am so tired of working up foul-mouthed, heroin-addicted wenches at 4 in the morning for self-inflicted cellulitis! AAAAAAHHHHH!

Allright, now I feel a little better. Whew. Only 10 more hours of night call. Better get to work on my licensure paperwork. 🙂

 

[EYESURG]

I actually feel similar way to you, but not as much. The program director of my program quit one day prior to mach day. I am also so ready to have this year over with.

 

[f_w]

Relax.

Even if things go really really bad, in the end you will be an ophthalmologist.

As for the license issue:
In most states, all you need is a 'GME permit', 'temporary educational permit' or 'limited resident license' in order to start residency. While programs like you to have a full medical license, in a state that has some sort of GME license they won't be able to force you to have a full license to start. GME licenses are usually very quick because they don't need full board votes and the documentation requirements are less. So yes, for a full license the clock is ticking, but for a GME license there should be plenty of time.

Health insurance:
Bummer. Is that hospital going belly-up ? It is normal to have to pay a contribution to dependent healthcare, but not covering dependents at all I haven't seen before.


Venting is healthy.

 

[Lv4the1]

That sucks... But hey man at least you will be starting ophtho residency. 🙄 Many good people with great academic records don't match. I come from a great medical school with a top ophtho program but some years there is an applicant who doesn't match, even if they are AOA/etc. A buddy of mine didn't match this year... sometimes its not ranking enough programs, taking the words of a program director about how one will be ranked as unchangeable truth, etc.

 

[eyestar]

dude, you got to be in NY-this is common occurrence, bitchy secretaries, noncompliant demanding pts, poor organization in everything-for example, the program that i will be starting has housing, but the secretary wouldn't even let me talk to the manager to find out if i have an apt, even though i filled my housing application last nov. They told me i am on a waiting list! so may be i will get the housing, if not got to find a decent place in nyc soon. I hear you!

 

[OphthalmicPilot]

Bad News Bit #1: The Program Director quit.

Bad News Bit #2: The hospital is no longer covering health insurance for dependents of residents.

Bad News Bit #3: I just got a terse e-mail from the program secretary stating that I "should have begun the process for a (state) medical license by now."

(#4)Just goes to show that you can never fully evaluate a program in one day of interviewing. And in residency, you are at a lot of people's mercy, no matter which way you slice it.

(#5)And as one final vent: I HATE INTERNAL MEDICINE! I am so tired of working up foul-mouthed, heroin-addicted wenches at 4 in the morning for self-inflicted cellulitis! AAAAAAHHHHH!

#1. Don't worry. A lot of the stuff that the program director does is just busy work. That's why many chairman force the junior faculty to do it.

My program director was a swell guy before I found out he was a jerk and a criminal (did illegal stuff). He left and was replaced with another guy that seemed nice but was really a bureaucrat.

The important thing is that your program hopefully has a very good cataract surgery teacher (preferably 2) and some good teachers that give out pearls.

#2. This is common to most residency programs. If you think your kids are healthy, consider AMA (American Medical Association's) cheap, high deductible insurance.

#3. Check the state medical board website yourself. Some states (many midwestern states, FL, NY, etc.) have a easy to get permit for residents. A few states even don't require any kind of registration (AR). Some states require a regular license. Some don't require it until the PGY-3 year.

#4. Very true. There's a lot of misleading and even some lying by programs during interviews. Few programs say "our program is crap, we have crappy cataract teachers and lousy conferences, our faculty has lots of sloppy people". Often the lousy programs say they are great programs. Sometimes, residents are not aware their programs are really crappy. Others are pressured to say good things. Either that or the liars do all the talking and the residents who don't want trouble stay in the background.

#5. Why not look at another perspective. If doctors did not treat patients who were responsible for their own diseases, 70% of their income would be lost and lots of people would be out of a doctor. Skin cancers, obesity, smoking, drug abuse, poorly controlled glaucoma, eye injuries are all examples of the patient's fault. The way I look at it, we are all idiots. Just some more idiotic than others.

This is also why I think ophthalmology residents should not do internal medicine internships. I think the best are either a well structured transitional year or a surgery residency in a program where interns operate (they exists) and are allowed rotations in surgical specialties, such as ortho, plastics, etc. That's what I did, i.e. general surgery with rotations in plastics, ortho, ER, urology, trauma surgery, SICU as well as general surgery.