Residency Programs

[Schroder79]

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Last week we had a couple of advisers come through that talked about different residency programs associated with the school. It sounds like a great opportunity for extra experience but I was wondering if there is anyone here who has gone through a residency program. Factors like costs, life, and money all play a factor in choosing whether to fullfill one or not. It almost sounds like in the future that more and more optometrists are going to do a residency so those without one will be left with few choices for working except as a tech. What do you guys think?

 

[KHE]

Last week we had a couple of advisers come through that talked about different residency programs associated with the school. It sounds like a great opportunity for extra experience but I was wondering if there is anyone here who has gone through a residency program. Factors like costs, life, and money all play a factor in choosing whether to fullfill one or not. It almost sounds like in the future that more and more optometrists are going to do a residency so those without one will be left with few choices for working except as a tech. What do you guys think?

I completed a residency and I recommend one.

However, a residency will not make you more marketable to a prospective employer nor will it garner you a higher salary. Ironically, the positions that REQUIRE residency training are generally positions that pay LESS than others such as academia, the federal system or working for ophthalmologists.

A residency will DEFINATELY not garner you any more prestige from your patients and will only garner you minimal more prestige from your fellow ODs. Most patients don't even know what an optometrist is/does much less what a residency trained optometrist is.

The main benefit of a residency is that it will expose you to more complex cases that you will be more comfortable handling when you have completed school. If you can keep patients in your office and handle their problems, that is more money in your pocket. This is the only real way that a residency will get you "more money."

If you elect to do one, I would recommend that you do one that is NOT affiliated with the school that you attend. The residency that I did was good, but in retrospect I think that I probably should have done it through a different school so that I would have had the opportunity to work with different instructors. Some people will claim that a residency is just a 5th year of optometry school. I strongly disagree with that. Most people who claim that did not complete a residency themselves and do not have an adequate frame of reference from which to judge.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

If you elect to do one, I would recommend that you do one that is NOT affiliated with the school that you attend. The residency that I did was good, but in retrospect I think that I probably should have done it through a different school so that I would have had the opportunity to work with different instructors. Some people will claim that a residency is just a 5th year of optometry school. I strongly disagree with that. Most people who claim that did not complete a residency themselves and do not have an adequate frame of reference from which to judge.

I was talking to a recent Pacific grad and she said the EXACT same thing... Don't do the residency at the school you graduated from. Each professor has their own style and unique background, and if you do one at the same school you've been at for the last four years, you won't be getting anything "new".

Just curious, KHE, what type of residency did you complete?

 

[cpw]

I'd definitely ditto the don't do a residency where you went to school sentiment. I didn't do one, but I have friends who did. half of them stayed at UHCO and half went somewhere else. The ones who seem the happiest with the experience are the ones who left to do something new.

 

[Ben Chudner]

Some people will claim that a residency is just a 5th year of optometry school. I strongly disagree with that. Most people who claim that did not complete a residency themselves and do not have an adequate frame of reference from which to judge.

Some residencies are essentially a 5th year of optometry school and that is why it is important to carefully select where you apply. There are some really great programs out there such as Bascom Palmer (I am a little biased), Kansas City VA, Barnet Dulaney, etc that present an opportunity to truely gain experience in the treatment of ocular disease. I would stay away from residencies at the optometry schools unless you want to do low vision or binocular vision.

 

[gsinccom]

Some residencies are essentially a 5th year of optometry school and that is why it is important to carefully select where you apply. There are some really great programs out there such as Bascom Palmer (I am a little biased), Kansas City VA, Barnet Dulaney, etc that present an opportunity to truely gain experience in the treatment of ocular disease. I would stay away from residencies at the optometry schools unless you want to do low vision or binocular vision.

How difficult are residency programs to get into? i.e., do you have to finish in the top half of your class or other things like that?

 

[rpames]

How difficult are residency programs to get into? i.e., do you have to finish in the top half of your class or other things like that?

Some residency programs are more competitive of course, but I have known some pretty dumb people who have gotten into a residency. If you really want one, you can get one. I have even seen people get them w/o passing all of the NBEO.

 

[Opii]

Some residencies are essentially a 5th year of optometry school and that is why it is important to carefully select where you apply. There are some really great programs out there such as Bascom Palmer (I am a little biased), Kansas City VA, Barnet Dulaney, etc that present an opportunity to truely gain experience in the treatment of ocular disease. I would stay away from residencies at the optometry schools unless you want to do low vision or binocular vision.

ditto

 

[iiiidave]

a residency will not make you more marketable to a prospective employer nor will it garner you a higher salary. Ironically, the positions that REQUIRE residency training are generally positions that pay LESS than others such as academia, the federal system or working for ophthalmologists.

A residency will DEFINATELY not garner you any more prestige from your patients and will only garner you minimal more prestige from your fellow ODs. Most patients don't even know what an optometrist is/does much less what a residency trained optometrist is.

The main benefit of a residency is that it will expose you to more complex cases that you will be more comfortable handling when you have completed school. If you can keep patients in your office and handle their problems, that is more money in your pocket. This is the only real way that a residency will get you "more money."

This post summed it up almost perfectly. I wanted to reiterate that residencies do not garner you more money. Hopefully that will change someday. I'm out of school over ten years. Didn’t do a residency because it paid terrible. Looking back I would rethink doing a disease res. it would be very helpful and in the long run your income and wealth depends on other decisions. Make sure you pick a good one.