Residency

[nvega13]

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Hey!

Does anybody have a list of residency positions available to Canadian students and for which they would get paid?

Thanks!

 

[jefguth]

Hey!

Does anybody have a list of residency positions available to Canadian students and for which they would get paid?

Thanks!

All residencies except for those in US Federal Gov't facilities. Additionally any residency in the state of Louisiana would not be possible since US citizenship is a requirement for licensure in that state. Salary typically 30-35,000 USD.

Consult ORMS for for info.

 

[nvega13]

Thanks for the info!!!!

I was also wondering if people who have done residencies (or know about them) can give me some feedback into what criteria is used to select students (i.e. GPA, Board scores, reference letters). I have applied for some this year, and although I only have an average (maybe slightly below average) GPA, I did pretty well on the boards and I'm hoping that one will compensate for the other. Also, do most students who apply for residencies get their top choice???

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[cunikki]

im applying for some too. i was told by some current residents that they just want to see a decent gpa... passing board scores.... good letters and really the most important part is the interview. basically they want someone that they would like to work with for a year, so that is really the most important part. i know a lot of people that got their top choice but not everyone

 

[gochi]

What's the point of doing a residency in OPTOMETRY ?

I doubt corporate locations will be looking for candidates with residency experience.

 

[DrSpontaneouz83]

Well if you don't want to be in commercial, it will help you if you want to work in a private practice with an OMD..like a low vision optometrist. It can set u apart....I am considering doing one myself now that I know how the market is.

 

[gochi]

Well if you don't want to be in commercial, it will help you if you want to work in a private practice with an OMD..like a low vision optometrist. It can set u apart....I am considering doing one myself now that I know how the market is.

Why would you want that! 😱

 

[DrSpontaneouz83]

Well ideally, a job I would want is the like the one at my last job was. It was an OMD private practice and he was looking for another ophthalmologist..he ended up hiring an optometrist. I saw him teaching her things and allowed her to do a lot more clinical stuff other than refracting, CLs, etc. She also worked mon-fri and was getting paid a decent salary.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

What's the point of doing a residency in OPTOMETRY ?

I doubt corporate locations will be looking for candidates with residency experience.

What's the point of your comment, besides being inflammatory?

 

[qwopty99]

What's the point of doing a residency in OPTOMETRY ?

I doubt corporate locations will be looking for candidates with residency experience.

Some people want to develop expertise in an area of optometry that interests them. Who knows, perhaps you'll decide you want to develop expertise in some area too, once you get to that stage of your life/career.

You're right though - it probably isn't necessary at all for someone who intends to work in corporate to do a residency.

If I had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted, I'd spend a year doing a residency. But at this stage of my life, it's probably not really worth it.

 

[gochi]

What's the point of your comment, besides being inflammatory?

Woah! 😱

My point was to ask the poster why he/she would waste 1 year of his/her life doing something which will not benefit him/her.

I really was not calling him/her an idiot. 🙄

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Woah! 😱

My point was to ask the poster why he/she would waste 1 year of his/her life doing something which will not benefit him/her.

I really was not calling him/her an idiot. 🙄

With all due respect, gochi, who are you to say that a residency would be of no benefit to this person?

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but it seems that most of the threads you participate in, you interject with an off-topic negative generalization about optometry. You're entitled to your opinion, but turning several legitimate threads into optometry sucks threads doesn't serve much benefit

 

[blysssful]

Does the optometry school you attend impact the choices of residencies? For example, if I were to attend SCCO but wanted to do a residency affiliated with SUNY, would students who receive their OD from SUNY be considered first?

Also, what criteria is used to determine who is more qualified for residencies with limited spots? Board scores and GPA?

 

[cunikki]

to gochi- why would it not benefit someone to get extra experience seeing things they have not seen in school? one example is a contact lens residency. at my school only the resident gets the opportunity to fit scleral lenses, gets most of the cone patients, many of the prosthetics, all of the peds contact lenses etc. if you are interested in something like that... i really have no idea how you would gain that experience and get the patient base to really learn this without seeing these patients? it could take you 10 years to get the same amount of experience you would learn in one.

to blysssful- im not really sure there is a universal answer to that question- in general most residency programs say that they do not discriminate based on school, but at the same time it seems like a lot of the residents at my school were former students. is this cause more students from a particular school will apply to a program at their same school or because the interviewers favor their own students?? who can say?
in terms of criteria.. definitely you must pass part 1 and 2 by the time you interview for a residency. i think in general having awesome rec letters and an awesome interview will be much more in your favor than higher board scores and a higher gpa. the interviewers are going to be looking for someone they want to work with for a whole year... and they definitely know that the person with the 4.0 is not necessarily the person who is an amazing clinician

 

[Habitual Rx]

What's the point of doing a residency in OPTOMETRY ?

I doubt corporate locations will be looking for candidates with residency experience.

Who knows. Wal-Mart needs people like you anyways.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Woah! 😱

My point was to ask the poster why he/she would waste 1 year of his/her life doing something which will not benefit him/her.

I really was not calling him/her an idiot. 🙄

Unless you have done a residency, I do not think you are in the position to so strongly assert that doing a residency is a "waste of 1 year" and "will not benefit him/her".

 

[gochi]

Some people want to develop expertise in an area of optometry that interests them. Who knows, perhaps you'll decide you want to develop expertise in some area too, once you get to that stage of your life/career.

You're right though - it probably isn't necessary at all for someone who intends to work in corporate to do a residency.

If I had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted, I'd spend a year doing a residency. But at this stage of my life, it's probably not really worth it.

Even in private practice. Will a doc be willing to pay more to the OD who completed a residency? Probably not, so again, there is no point of wasting earning potential and time doing a residency.

However, if the residency taught some surgical procedures that oculo brought up some time ago, then yes it would be beneficial.

 

[gochi]

Does the optometry school you attend impact the choices of residencies? For example, if I were to attend SCCO but wanted to do a residency affiliated with SUNY, would students who receive their OD from SUNY be considered first?

Also, what criteria is used to determine who is more qualified for residencies with limited spots? Board scores and GPA?

It's you are going to do a residency its a good idea to do it at another school.

-KHE

 

[gochi]

to gochi- why would it not benefit someone to get extra experience seeing things they have not seen in school? one example is a contact lens residency. at my school only the resident gets the opportunity to fit scleral lenses, gets most of the cone patients, many of the prosthetics, all of the peds contact lenses etc. if you are interested in something like that... i really have no idea how you would gain that experience and get the patient base to really learn this without seeing these patients? it could take you 10 years to get the same amount of experience you would learn in one.

to blysssful- im not really sure there is a universal answer to that question- in general most residency programs say that they do not discriminate based on school, but at the same time it seems like a lot of the residents at my school were former students. is this cause more students from a particular school will apply to a program at their same school or because the interviewers favor their own students?? who can say?
in terms of criteria.. definitely you must pass part 1 and 2 by the time you interview for a residency. i think in general having awesome rec letters and an awesome interview will be much more in your favor than higher board scores and a higher gpa. the interviewers are going to be looking for someone they want to work with for a whole year... and they definitely know that the person with the 4.0 is not necessarily the person who is an amazing clinician

You graduate with 160k in debt (8 years)

You do a residency -30k in debt (1year) then work -80k in debt (1 year).

If you do a residency then work for a year, you shed off 110k of your tuition loans leaving you with 50k in debt.

If you do not do a residency,but work, you will entirely eliminate your school debt.

This was just a general outline without the additional taxes, interest rates etc. one would acquire.

The point of this was that you would still get paid the same even after you gain meaningless experience.

 

[gochi]

Unless you have done a residency, I do not think you are in the position to so strongly assert that doing a residency is a "waste of 1 year" and "will not benefit him/her".

Look at it from a business point of view. It's really not that hard.

 

[thanotoriousfob]

Look at it from a business point of view. It's really not that hard.

Yea but isn't it also true that a residency is a good resume builder for people who don't want to work in corporate?

You have applicant A who recently graduated and applied to a job at a local private practice.

You have applicant B who graduated and did a residency in ocular disease and is planning on applying to the same practice as applicant A.

Based off this information, who would you hire?

 

[KHE]

Yea but isn't it also true that a residency is a good resume builder for people who don't want to work in corporate?

You have applicant A who recently graduated and applied to a job at a local private practice.

You have applicant B who graduated and did a residency in ocular disease and is planning on applying to the same practice as applicant A.

Based off this information, who would you hire?

Let me answer that as someone who has hired other ODs.

The answer is:

I would hire the OD that I felt could make the most money for my office and therefore, for me.

Here's a question for you:

How are you going to use your residency to generate additional money in my practice?

 

[cunikki]

i really do not understand how you can continue to call it meaningless experience?? what exactly are you gochi?? are you a doctor? a student? a pre-opt? a lurker with nothing more to do with their life than be argumentative with everyone on this forum?

some of us are actually interested in eyes, in learning more and seeing more
not everything is about money.. but even if it was.. i really dont see how 1 year where i make 50k or 100k or whatever less is going to significantly impact how much money i will have in 10 years or when i can retire or how many vacations i will be able to take.. etc

a residency can give you more experience, let you work with PASSIONATE doctors who are interested in teaching, can get you half the points you need to become a fellow of the academy....
im sad for you that all you think about is money.. i got into this business because i truly truly love looking at eyes

 

[gochi]

Let me answer that as someone who has hired other ODs.

The answer is:

I would hire the OD that I felt could make the most money for my office and therefore, for me.

Here's a question for you:

How are you going to use your residency to generate additional money in my practice?

Exactly what I meant when I was reffering to "buisness point of view"

With the current saturation problems and whatnot that optometry is facing, residency is almost pointless.

 

[gochi]

Yea but isn't it also true that a residency is a good resume builder for people who don't want to work in corporate?

You have applicant A who recently graduated and applied to a job at a local private practice.

You have applicant B who graduated and did a residency in ocular disease and is planning on applying to the same practice as applicant A.

Based off this information, who would you hire?

Like KHE said, there are other factors which would help determine a suitable candidate.

Anyhow, putting those factors asside, I would hire applicant A. BUT, I would pay them equally.

Knowing this prior to enrolling into a resdency, would applicant A still pursue a residency ?

 

[gochi]

i really do not understand how you can continue to call it meaningless experience?? what exactly are you gochi?? are you a doctor? a student? a pre-opt? a lurker with nothing more to do with their life than be argumentative with everyone on this forum?

some of us are actually interested in eyes, in learning more and seeing more
not everything is about money.. but even if it was.. i really dont see how 1 year where i make 50k or 100k or whatever less is going to significantly impact how much money i will have in 10 years or when i can retire or how many vacations i will be able to take.. etc

a residency can give you more experience, let you work with PASSIONATE doctors who are interested in teaching, can get you half the points you need to become a fellow of the academy....
im sad for you that all you think about is money.. i got into this business because i truly truly love looking at eyes

Nice insults, though I never said anything about you.

I will say this however. A good reason to do a residency is if you want to teach. Showing your passion for optometry by doing a residency is simply an excuse for taking the easy route. There are many more things one could do which would satisfy him/her, than a plain old residency.

 

[OpticalBlackOut]

You graduate with 160k in debt (8 years)

You do a residency -30k in debt (1year) then work -80k in debt (1 year).

If you do a residency then work for a year, you shed off 110k of your tuition loans leaving you with 50k in debt.

If you do not do a residency,but work, you will entirely eliminate your school debt.

This was just a general outline without the additional taxes, interest rates etc. one would acquire.

The point of this was that you would still get paid the same even after you gain meaningless experience.

Wow, this is impressive. You survived two years without spending a single penny on food or housing!

 

[thanotoriousfob]

Like KHE said, there are other factors which would help determine a suitable candidate.

Anyhow, putting those factors asside, I would hire applicant A. BUT, I would pay them equally.

Knowing this prior to enrolling into a resdency, would applicant A still pursue a residency ?

Based off resumes alone you would hire a candidate with less experience? That doesn't make sense to me. If I was hiring, I'd try to get the more qualified candidate. I don't think applicant B would be overqualified if they had a residency either. It's a good thing to have a residency, at least that is what every optometrist I have ever spoken to has told me.

 

[thanotoriousfob]

Let me answer that as someone who has hired other ODs.

The answer is:

I would hire the OD that I felt could make the most money for my office and therefore, for me.

Here's a question for you:

How are you going to use your residency to generate additional money in my practice?

I would say a "specialty" in a subdivision of optometry might help with referrals or bring in a certain patient base which could build up with time. I would also say the ability to network could play an even bigger role in making money.

I am just wondering, how can you tell who is going to make more money for you? Is it their personality? Their business acumen or what?

 

[optometristan]

You do a residency -30k in debt (1year) then work -80k in debt (1 year).

If you do a residency then work for a year, you shed off 110k of your tuition loans leaving you with 50k in debt.

If you do not do a residency,but work, you will entirely eliminate your school debt.

This was just a general outline without the additional taxes, interest rates etc. one would acquire.

The point of this was that you would still get paid the same even after you gain meaningless experience.

Wow, this is impressive. You survived two years without spending a single penny on food or housing!

I got a kick out of what OpticalBlackOut said

And also, can't you differ paying off student loans with a residency? If the loan would not gain any interest during your residency period, and you managed to save $10,000 of it to pay off the loan (or all of it, if you were gochi 🙂) wouldn't that be at least somewhat helpful?

And with board certification looming near, I can't help but to think, at least eventually, a residency will open up greater opportunities. Kind of like the ability to practice therapeutics in the 80s and 90s.

 

[KHE]

I would say a "specialty" in a subdivision of optometry might help with referrals or bring in a certain patient base which could build up with time. I would also say the ability to network could play an even bigger role in making money.

I am just wondering, how can you tell who is going to make more money for you? Is it their personality? Their business acumen or what?

In theory, that's true. But what are you going to actually DO?

For example...you come to me and say: Dr. KHE, I would like to work in your practice. I say "I would love to have you." You say "I'm residency trained in XXXXX."

And I say "what is your plan to use that residency in XXXXX to help out my practice?"

You say.........what?

And to answer your second question, it's 90% personality, the ability to carry on a conversation, to build rapport, etc.

 

[thanotoriousfob]

In theory, that's true. But what are you going to actually DO?

For example...you come to me and say: Dr. KHE, I would like to work in your practice. I say "I would love to have you." You say "I'm residency trained in XXXXX."

And I say "what is your plan to use that residency in XXXXX to help out my practice?"

You say.........what?

And to answer your second question, it's 90% personality, the ability to carry on a conversation, to build rapport, etc.

It is good to know these things. Thanks for the constructive threads. 🙂

 

[gochi]

Based off resumes alone you would hire a candidate with less experience? That doesn't make sense to me. If I was hiring, I'd try to get the more qualified candidate. I don't think applicant B would be overqualified if they had a residency either. It's a good thing to have a residency, at least that is what every optometrist I have ever spoken to has told me.

Woops, I meant B.

Assuming all other factors are equally distributed amongst the two candidates, then yes the more qualified applicant would be hired. However, applicant a salary=applicant b salary.

 

[gochi]

I got a kick out of what OpticalBlackOut said

And also, can't you differ paying off student loans with a residency? If the loan would not gain any interest during your residency period, and you managed to save $10,000 of it to pay off the loan (or all of it, if you were gochi 🙂) wouldn't that be at least somewhat helpful?

And with board certification looming near, I can't help but to think, at least eventually, a residency will open up greater opportunities. Kind of like the ability to practice therapeutics in the 80s and 90s.

To be honest, why does everything require GROSS explaining? I implicitly stated that such factors would be cancelled out of the math.

The loan issue would depend on the corporation distributing the loan. For example, I've heard some companies give you a 6 month grace period, then after that you start paying your installments.

 

[blysssful]

Woops, I meant B.

Assuming all other factors are equally distributed amongst the two candidates, then yes the more qualified applicant would be hired. However, applicant a salary=applicant b salary.

Regardless of whether you personally would pay them the same, person B has a job and person A doesn't. Considering the saturation issues, this is reason enough to CONSIDER a residency.

To be honest, why does everything require GROSS explaining? I implicitly stated that such factors would be cancelled out of the math.

The loan issue would depend on the corporation distributing the loan. For example, I've heard some companies give you a 6 month grace period, then after that you start paying your installments.

Along with considering a residency to be the most competitive candidate or to gain experience, a mature, rational individual would want to weigh the pros and cons to make the most informed decision. This includes knowing things like whether student loans would be deferred during a residency.

 

[gochi]

Regardless of whether you personally would pay them the same, person B has a job and person A doesn't. Considering the saturation issues, this is reason enough to CONSIDER a residency.



Along with considering a residency to be the most competitive candidate or to gain experience, a mature, rational individual would want to weigh the pros and cons to make the most informed decision. This includes knowing things like whether student loans would be deferred during a residency.

Well person A could always go to corporate and make more. 😎