--Board Scores: 1 -- 263, 2 -- 258
--AOA and class rank: No AOA at my school; top 10%
--Reputation of medical school: Well reputed American program within foreign med school
--Research: One ophtho case report, Seven basic science pubs (one first author)
--Honors in clerkships: All
--# and where you did away rotations: UCLA, Einstein, GW, Mount Sinai
--# of programs you applied to: 90+
--Where invited for interviews (both offers and the ones you actually attended): Med Col of Georgia, Yale, GW, Einstein, UCLA, Cole Eye, Boston U, UVA, Ohio State, Bronx Leb, Stony Brook, LSU New Orl, LSU Shreveport, U Minnesota, UT San Antonio. Did not attend -- NYMC, Geisinger MC, Univ. South Florida, Tulane
--Where matched: #4
--Anything that helped your app: Letter of rec from big wig, stated interest in academics, positive attitude
Yale New Haven Medical Center Medium sized program (5 residents per year). Rotations include VA, YNHH (which is like a county), DANA, Hill, St. Raphael, and the Bahamas. Call is manageable all three years and there is infrastructure available for residents to participate in basic or clinical science research. Clinical and surgical volume is good, for a northeast program. Didactics are relatively well organized. Facilities are nice. Cost of living is relatively good. Faculty are dedicated to teaching. There is a good balance of autonomy and guidance.
U Virginia Collegial atmosphere, small program, well-rounded. Clinical research is possible in a number of areas, especially considering the number of clinical trials that are happening. Basic science research is particularly strong in retina via Dr. Yates. There are also possibilities to do research in collaboration with the university campus. Clinical autonomy is stressed early on and the resident clinic is certainly an asset. That the program also is attached to a VA is certainly also an asset, but rotations at the VA only happen in the third year, and only 4 months are spent there (I think). Surgical numbers are said to be average (mid-100s?). Attendings are approachable and overall very nice. The program director Dr. Johnson is extremely friendly and seems to care deeply about the residents. The chair Dr. Netland comes across as a measured, controlled leader who is set on maintaing a high educational standard. There are excellent faculty members in each subspecialty area but, as it is a small program, there are certain subspecialties with only one attending. They are certainly strong in glaucoma (Drs. Netland and Johnson are both glaucoma specialists) and they have a new uveitis attending who seems very nice (and has an awesome pedigree). Dr. Newman gets mixed reviews from residents but is very intelligent and overall well respected. The didactics are well organized and there is a morning conference each day which covers both case presentations and the clinical/basic sciences. The facilities are nice, rich with equipment and already fully operational with Epic EMR, and the location is fantastic--UVA itself is extraordinarily beautiful. On the horizon they will be getting an eyeSI.
Ohio State University Larger program, six residents per year. Well represented in all subspecialties, even plastics. Research opportunities are plentiful, including studies on the ocular surface (led by Dr. Mauger). Residents are happy, and Columbus is a nice, relatively clean city. Rotations include Peds (in a particularly strong department) at an excellent Children's hospital and two VA's. Surgical numbers are in the ~85th percentile. Didactics are organized. There is an in-house ocular pathologist.
U Minnesota - Mpls. Mid size program. Many options for basic science research. County hospital and VA affiliated with program. Strong surgical numbers. Good balance of autonomy and supervision, both in the clinic and in the OR. Responsive residency program director (Dr. Wright) and strong leadership from Dr. van Kujik. Glaucoma and cornea services are undergoing changes. There is an in house ophthalmic pathologist, Dr. Cameron. Pediatrics and retina have numerous attendings and are well represented. I'm not sure if there is uveitis, or oncology. The plastics department is strong, and there is a fellowship program. I believe Dr. Lee is the only neuro faculty member, need to check on that.
Boston University Medium sized program. Strong clinical experience – Children's hospital is similar to county hospital, VA is shared with MEEI, BUMC is a level one trauma but is not a tertiary referral center. Research is pretty much only clinical. Residents are busy on call. Facilities are nice. Faculty is well represented in all subspecialties, perhaps with the exception of oculoplastics and neuro, which only have one attending for each. Residents appear to work particularly hard but do seem happy. Didactics have been recently strengthened – morning lecture every day at 7 am.
UT San Antonio Medium sized program. Reportedly good surgical numbers. Friendly faculty, strong didactics (7 am every day, BCSC topic reviews, quizzes each month). Associated with the military, which brings in excellent talent and research opportunities. Very strong in imaging research. As a resident, with the schedule as it is, research is possible and can involve basic or clinical or both. If a resident demonstrates competency on the quizzes, they are given the green light to participate in research. VA and county hospital settings included in the training. Residents do vitrectomies and numerous plastics procedures. Plastics takes care of orbit cases and also places plaques for melanoma. There are two ocular pathologists, and there is a part-time ocular pathology rotation as part of the neuro-ophthalmology block. San Antonio is supposedly a decent city. It is crucial to speak Spanish in the clinic.
LSU / Ochsner Larger program, six residents per year (down from eight), multi-site. Average to above average surgical numbers. Lots of opportunities to do basic science research in some genuinely cool areas. Residents have good hours (typically done with clinical day at 5 pm or so) and plenty of time for research and extracurriculars. There is support for research projects (i.e. statistician, librarian, etc.) but no dedicated research time. The variety of clinical experiences make it hard to make any general statement about whether the program is more hand-holding or if residents are more autonomous. Variety of attendings in each subspecialty field, and a great educational environment where attendings and residents communicate well. (I am not sure how feedback is given, and I'm not sure how residents are evaluated.) A bit light on the didactics (only one grand rounds meeting per week). Most didactics are taught by senior residents. Numerous retina, cornea and glaucoma attendings. Fewer oculoplastics, neuro and uveitis attendings. Good results in the fellowship match. Fantastic city but car required to work in N.O.
SUNY Stony Brook Small program, friendly attendings, very nurturing atmosphere with a lot of positive vibes. The residents are a tight knit group and all seem to get along pretty well. Overall the residents seem very happy. The town itself is suburban and (for no particular reason) leaves something to be desired. Maybe it is because there is not much social life outside of the medical staff. (I am reminded of the story of Alan who met his girlfriend, an optometrist, in the clinic, so I suppose the isolation can be looked upon as an advantage.) A particularly strong aspect of this program are the didactics – they are extraordinarily well organized and there is a great deal of focus on ensuring that residents learn theoretical and clinical ophthalmology very well. I actually like that the program is so small, that the attendings are enthusiastic and that everyone seems to be a team player. The surgical numbers are OK (cataracts in the mid 100's) and the clinical volume is high. They will soon have a resident clinic. The wet lab facilities are clean and the hospital itself appears to be very nice. There are numerous opportunities to do research, and it was stressed that basic research is certainly possible, especially if there is a collaboration with professors in vision science at the university.
Bronx-Lebanon Hosp., NY Small, tight knit program. Two residents per year. No basic research, but clinical research is possible. Community program, many indigent patients, high clinic volume. Surgical volume is good, above average. Dr. Levine is extraordinarily nice, and is from Los Angeles. Dr. Mayers is more stern but also nice. Dr. Blace is extraordinarily intelligent, would love to train with her. There is not a whole lot on the horizon for the program – perhaps some expansion of clinic size and some new equipment, including an ERG. Residents are given autonomy from the start. There is no VA or county hospital associated with this program, but St. Barnabas is a level 1 trauma center and is loaded with pathology. Likewise, much pathology can be found at Bronx Leb. I get the feeling that this program has a community service type of feel, which is certainly attractive and endearing. Speaking Spanish is a huge asset here, and were I to be a Bronx Leb resident, I would come out of residency here a crushing level of fluency. The hospital looked busy and chaotic, which will probably make for some interesting clinical encounters.
Med C Georgia The South is very charming –- people are polite and friendly. Medium sized hospital that serves a large patient population. Level 1 trauma center, VA and Prison system are part of program. Approachable attendings, cordial and friendly residents. No fellows. Good surgical numbers. Facilities are relatively new, equipment is up to date, EyeSI coming (or has already arrived?). First years are slammed and second years get almost a year without call. Research is lacking, but is on the up and up; according to Dr. Nussbaum. Chair and program director are both very nice, very approachable, very focused on making resident experience excellent. Jewish community certainly exists. The area around the hospital is lackluster but there are some nicer areas just up a nearby hill. The positives of this program are that there isn't a whole lot to do in the surrounding area, so there is minimal distraction. The residents fly solo relatively early on. There are good surgical numbers, and tough clinical training which no doubt will whip me in to shape as an ophthalmologist clinician. The negatives are that the research is lacking, that ocular pathology is not a big part of training, and that there are few attendings per resident (i.e. teaching is limited to the perspective of that particular attending. This is a double edged sword in that one on one time is maximized but only one person's approach is given.) The didactics also seem to be limited to the grand rounds presentations, which are certainly valuable, but I'm curious about academic activities throughout the year (I don't think there are many but I acually am not sure about how didactics work after the first few weeks of residency.)
LSU - Shreveport Autonomy in the clinic. Astronomical surgical numbers. Minimal research and light didactics. Clinic days end at 5 pm. First year call is q8 weekdays and q8 weekends. There is plenty of time to study. Dr. Redens is a no bullcrap instructor and program director. Dr. Texada is extraordinarily nice. Overall the department is run by experienced surgeons and clinicians, and there is a great deal of attention paid to one-on-one clinical and surgical training. I have no doubt that I would come out of there a competent and confident comprehensive ophthalmologist. Would it forward my goal of going in to academics? I couldn't say. At least it's encouraging that two of three residents end up pursuing fellowship positions, and peripherally it seems like the chiefs end up matching in to excellent programs. Cornea at UT Southwestern is almost a shoe in for halfway decent residents. The residents seemed happy, but I only met a few. Three of the four residents I met were Shreveport locals.
