I can provide some detail regarding this program since I interviewed at this program, was pleasantly surprised
Pro's
- Number of cataracts - 140+
- 4 residents per year
-Residents seem very happy, especially since you cant beat the weather in tampa
training sites at the VA eye clinic (huge off site new clinic with all lasers, and full time attendings in all subspecialties that we toured at), USF eye clinic (private clinic, with full time faculty in all subspecialties), and tampa general hospital (community hospital with all trauma exposure)
- Call is front loaded and heavy, home call, and residents were honest that its pretty busy (q8 for couple months, and q4 during first yr) back up call second and third year
- heavy on plastics surgery exposure, and lasers, and cataract, and retina
- do not share any of the facilities with any other program (huge plus, tampa is large city and they dont split with another program)
- they have a full time ocular pathologist
- diverse amount of pathology and one of few programs with large community hospital, large VA eye clinic, and private clinic
Cons
- weak in glaucoma, and peds (no childrens hospital)
- no national recognition
- hospitals located within 20 miles from each other could mean driving around during call
- not a research heavy program
- structured didactics, but residents re-iterated that studying is usually independent and resident driven
- cataract surgeries start towards second half of second year and all third year
Overall
this program is solid middle tier clinical program, that has been chastised for the doings of its previous chairman. They have made a lot of improvements and seems to be on stable footing, fully accredited, happy residents, and decent clinical and surgical training