OphthoMatch 2019-2024 (2024)

ƒlomaCity# residentsCall ScheduleInterview FormatInterview Day End Time# of Interviewees per dateTotal # InterviewedPrelim Year Required/ Optional/ SuggestedResident Friendliness Rating (0-10)Program Pros?Program Cons?Upcoming Changessuga shane

ƒlomaAkron2six 1:1 stations. 10-15 mins each2:00 PM10~30 - 40Residents have close relationships with attendings due to smaller size of program. No fellows to compete with. Free parking. Money for meals. Priority for prelim year if you wanna go to Summa for IM. Get your own exam room for the duration of residency. Akron. Smaller size program if thats not for you. Not very research oriented. In the process of hiring new faculty

showtellSF@wolffolins.com

Albany3MommmmNo10Very tight knit -- the residents and faculty were absolutely wonderful to get to know. The PD/chair seem SO passionate about education and making the program better. Albany seems like a great city to do residency. Strong VA/continuity clinic. Strong oculoplastics and peds.Mostly private practice. Surgical #s good for Northeast but not as high as other regions. Spend most of PGY2 in VA, without early surgical exposure (though residents seem fine with their system). Not integrated.

University of MichiganAnn Arbor7Night float/consult rotation 3.5 weeks PGY2&3. Primary call q12 january pgy2-january pgy35 2:1 and 2 1:14:00 PM followed by social2060Required IM, 3 months ophthoResearch rotation, night float, excellent faculty, top of the field, reputation, friendly residents, beautiful facilities. The nicest chair ever. 'Ann Arbor (?)

EmoryeddxAtlantaRolling out night float this winter6 IVs, 2 to 3:13ishRequiredExtremely high volume, great fellowship matches, facilities, and wold-renowned reputation. Switched to night float (residents reccomended it as a way to deal with busy call and program listened!). More autonomy than most places. See tons of pathology. Being in the same city as the CDC has its perks in terms of infectious disease cases and breadth of pathology both during intern year and in ophthalmology. Lots of impactful research. Integrated intern year. Atlanta. Ms. Trotter (PC) is retiring soon :'(

Medical College of GeorgiaAugusta3q3 in PGY-2 year. No call in PGY-3 year except backup for 2 months. Buddy call for 2 months in PGY-4 year and backup call for 8 months, no call for 2 months4 1:1 interviews, 20 min each2:00 PM~20RequiredVery friendly and supportive environment. Faculty are approachable and devoted to teaching. Program has strong research funding and opportunities but research requirement is minimal. Cataracts average 200+ but last year was down because one resident got 90s. Strong plastics experience. Prison rotation provides lots of trauma. >50% do fellowships but good comp training. No fellows to steal cases. Required integrated year. EyeSi. Low COL in Augusta. If you buy, can rent your home during Masters and make bank.Facilities are unimpressive. Prison experience may not be for some. No MIGS opportunity currently. Neuro-ophth rotation seems weak. No global outreach opportunities. Small city may not be for some.Looking to hire more glaucoma specialists. (said they're working on her contract currently)

University of MarylandBaltimore4q8 pgy 2+34 2:1, 1 1:1 with chairhalf days28fNot available for 2020PD and Chair are both amazing. PD really seems to care about resident wellness and one of the more personable PDs on the trail. Good variety of autonomy and mentorship with NEEC/Tufts and Lahey clinic time. Numbers are excellent and residents seem to be extremely well prepared coming out. Go to New Mexico for 3 months during 3rd year and are essentially only ophthalmologist in the area, so you get crazy experience. Fantastic fellowship matches especially in Retina. Faculty seemed down to earth and you get a lot of facetime with chairman, Duker, who is very well known. Boston is a great city. ~215 cataractsArea around the hospital is extremely seedy extremely quickly, even compared to hopkins

Wilmer/HopkinsBaltimore5Amazing ophthalmology training -- from daily clinical responsibilities, to continuity clinic, wet labs, research, and beyond. Kind of seemed ideal. Post-call days are a definite plus. Collegial resident environment, and they seem to really enjoy the program -- lots of concrete curriculum changes that seem to contradict the old "hard-nosed" reputation. Family friendly leave policy for new parents (one of the few places that actually mentioned this outright). PD does weekly check-ins with residents to tell tham about system and program improvements that she's working on, and residents seem to really like her. Obviously amazing fellowship matches.Baltimore...enough said; unengaging program director during interview process. < Completely agree+1. Most unengaging PDs I have been around. Ranking low partly b/c of her +3

Baltimore35 2:12-4 Depending on AM or PM interview~20~40Required Integrated Prelim

University of AlabamaBirmingham5TBD3 4:1 interviews7303636No10Eye ER. Heavy surgical and clinical experience. Surgery numbers are excellent and VERY diverse (not just cataracts). Clinics are efficient, residents finished at 530 at the latest. Residents are very happy with work life balance, all landed top choice fellowships. All clinics on campus meaning no commute to other locations Call is busy and front loaded (however residents decide on night float or post call day off). Bcsc electronic (but they do give you an iPad). Eye ER is a con. < How tf is the Eye ER a con??Rumor of adding a resident in the not too distant futureVery nice facilities, great surgical numbers. Lots of autonomy. Eye ER, great to triage & see large variety of pathology (Also overwhelming). No traveling between sites, everything located on UAB campus. Scrubs (almost) every day, department provides free lenses/loops/iPad/BCSC books. Strong retina department, great collegiality between faculty and residents. Call first year q5 v night float system (based on decision of 1st years), incredible program director and chair, residents and spouses very close and spend a lot of time together, great work-life balance, Birmingham is a beautiful city with everything you need, ie mountains (outdoors), tons of breweries, nightlife, huge food scene, make what you want of it, great for families, single

Boston UniversityBoston42 x 1:1, 3 x 2:1 - 15 to 20 minmorning: 12:30, afternoon:4:30ish~21Absoultely amazing PD who is constantly asking for resident feedback & is really approachable. Diverse pt population, busy clinics, excellent surgical numbers (~250), largest safety net hosp in new england so you see a ton of pathology, great peds exposure (b/w rotating at Boston Children's and BMC), international trip to South Africa during 2nd or 3rd year. Emphasis on resident wellness (if you get <4 H of sleep post-call you are sent home the next day). Great fellowship matches. Current residents seem very happy.Cost of living in the South End of Boston. Residents have to pay for parking. Not much big research. No resident clinic (however it seems that residents are still trained well and contribute during attending clinics?). Not much eye trauma (it all goes to MEEI).None. (a bunch of changes were made recently - wet lab, change in call schedule, initiaton of South Africa program)I felt like they really cared a lot about me as an applicant and chose their applicants for a very specific reason, not just because of step scores/ geographic location. They seemed very committed to their goal of serving the underserved populations from all the faculty and were really proud of that.

Mass Eye and Ear/HarvardBoston8Obviously very prestigious institution. Outstanding research opportunities. Extremely large and world-renowned faculty in every subspeciality. Decent surgical #s with many changes in past 5 years to improve surgical curriculum. Beautiful wet lab. Outstanding fellowship match. Lots of autonomy in Eye ED.Definitely got a malignant vibe from some of the residents (+4) < got no such vibes (+2). Eye ED seems like an absolutely brutal experience. Resident complained to me about how difficult covering the ED is and they're supposedly making reforms to improve things. They complain that the ED gives you lots of experience but none of it is operating. The program will try and sell you on the idea that although their numbers (180 cataracts) aren't the highest, their faculty is really focused on doing quality teaching but I spoke to a graduated resident that recently went through fellowship at another top program, that they really only got comfortable operating during fellowship - this probably contributes to the nearly 100% fellowship completion rate of MEEI residents.

Tufts Boston4q2 at Lahey and New Mexico, q3 at NEEC5 1:1 with faculty24 (12 AM and 12 PM)No10PD and Chair are both amazing. PD really seems to care about resident wellness and one of the more personable PDs on the trail. Good variety of autonomy and mentorship with NEEC/Tufts and Lahey clinic time. Numbers are excellent and residents seem to be extremely well prepared coming out. Go to New Mexico for 3 months during 3rd year and are essentially only ophthalmologist in the area, so you get crazy experience. Fantastic fellowship matches especially in Retina. Faculty seemed down to earth and you get a lot of facetime with chairman, Duker, who is very well known. Boston is a great city. ~215 cataractsNo Eye Si, wet lab pretty old (disagree, its old but I actually thought it was one of the largest and best equipped wet labs on the trail). 3 month rotation in New Mexico. High COL. Parking is $150/month or $9/night for call

Vitreous Bacterial Load for Endophthalmitis

Bronx2Great integrated PGY1

Bronx, NY52 x 3:1, 1 x 4:1~10 per AM/PM sessionyes, requiredSuper tight knit residents who all seem to get along (could see that at the social). Definetly helps that the program fosters a great environment for training with good mix of young and old faculty who are all approachable. Huge housing perks, super cheap housing and parking. Fully furnsihed apartment with TV, computers, etc. for the night float resident on campus. Night float seems like a nice way to break up weekday call, so essentially you are never on weekday call as a resident. Good numbers around 160 cataracts with a great ASC that they operate at. New wet-lab is probably the nicest in the country. Great fellowship match. residents seem happy and get along well with each other. Approachable faculty available Location. Rough parking situation. Need car, lots of driving around sites, some are in more dangerous areas. Weak Retina faculty it seems. No VA.

Aim: Investigate the capacity for human vitreous to support bacterial growth and quantify threshold concentration needed to cause infectious endophthalmitis.

Brooklyn7first year q5 24-hour in-house call at Kings + post call day; home call for other 4 hospital sites (however residents claimed that home call is light)2 x 3 person panel - 10 mins each; no pre-interview dinner.3:00 PM28-29Asked but it doesnt seem to be integrated this yearWide range of pathology and patient population at all the various hospital sites. Well trained enough to handle anything towards the end. On the stronger side of NYC numbers. Good fellowship match from what it seems like. Brooklyn. Outstanding reputation for producing ophthos who can handle advanced/complex pathologies. Best program in southern NYRough call and super busy first year (could be a pro if thats your thing). Very old facilities, Kings county clinic doesnt have the fanciest digs. Have to buy your own indirect as a resident for calls/work. Underfunded in general. Parking on site is $200 ($300?) per month. Minimal didactics and research opportunities (residents said they're too busy for research or didactics). From the interview day, seems like a disorganized place with not much support for residents.The chair is interim, so who knows, maybe that will change.

Buffalo3PGY2&3 :~1/weekday, 1 weekend/month3 3:1, 15mins each5:00 PM18,1230RequiredSuper down-to-earth residents and faculty. Great vibe. Everyone seemed happy, residents really fun and close with each other. Strong in peds. Buffalo is cheap/driveable living, and major airport is nearby. Very friendly.Location for some. 4 different EMRs for the 4 different hospitals. Not too strong in retina, uveitis, neuro-ophth.

Introduction:Chapel Hill

Charleston4q4, no post call day 7 4:1 15 min5:00 PM3060OptionalProbably one of the top peds fellowships in the country

Charlottesville4q4 PGY2 weekdays. q7 PGY2-3 weekends. PGY4 backup.4 2-3:1 10 minutes1:00 PM (AM group)2060Optional prelim IM or surgery~300 cataracts. Resident-run continuity clinic all 3 years. Call is front-loaded and not super busy (could be a con). Residents love the Salem VA experience, which provides about half the cataracts in a 3-month period of time. Ocular oncology experience seems strong. Charlottesville is quaint with lots of nearby wineries and outdoor opportunities.Facilities are meh. Salem VA is a 2-hour drive from Charlottesville (they put you up in a townhome). No county hospital. No integrated intern year. Minimal global outreach opportunities.4 residents starting 2021

Bacterial strains:

Chicago2reviews por favor

Different concentrations of bacteria grown in different mediums of human vitreous (diabetic, non-diabetic) and then cultured on *** plates and incubated at 37C.

Chicago

Materials & Methods:

Chicago41st years primary call: q4 on weekdays, and one weekend per month4 panels, 1:1, 10 minutes each20~40Optional TY year in the making9Excellent pathology, volume, and surgical numbers (>300). You see the most complex cases all day everyday. Diverse patient population with ~50% being Hispanic patients, so Spanish would be a + here, though it seems like all the residents are proficient in Spanish by the end of training. Busy resident clinic with a full waiting room of patients who have all been waiiting for 3+ hours. Brand new hospital with shiny new machines and facilities, each resident gets 2 rooms. Call only at one hospital (Cook). Kind attendings who are interested in your learning. No VA-- though VA like experience since it's a county Hospital and you get referrals from other programs in the Chicago area. Residents work HARD from 8am-6+pm everyday nonstop. Weak peds (you only see peds on-call for PICU) and weak oculoplastics. No research

Chicago6q6 Sept-Sept (no call first 2 months) of pgy2 that is very busy. 4wks/year at VA that seems light pgy3. Backup/surgical pgy46x15 mins (2 1:1 IVs, 4 2:1 IVs) with all attendings1pm morning session: 3:30 pm session if interview first ~20ishNow has a required year of IM at UIC ran by ophtho department, seems like a great way to get a head start before PGY-2Decent cataract volume (avg 170), well known attendings, program director is a gem, amazing city, very resident oriented institution, the faculty are all extremely supportive and the residents seem genuinely very happy. Tons of reserach opportunities with $ incentive for publishing. Brand new wetlab.Main building is old. There are plans for new building but it wont be ready until likely our 2nd-3rd year < they said the last year too... not so sure when it will actually be done, though they report they will be breaking ground in 2020. Lots of time in walk in clinic (can be a pro for some). Switching to Epic in May/June. New facilities (one day)Overall the program has a very nice feel. PC is amazing +1.

Chicago4think it was q4?5 panels with 2 faculty each except 1 with PDswitches at noon2550requiredCall is relatively light, PD is incredibly friendly and cares about resident wellbeing, fully funded trips to conferences, friendly faculty, in themiddle of downtown chicago, india rotation, plenty of research opportunities, the only travel is for VA for which there's a shuttle (car not needed), uber to VA on call reimbursed, 5 months of ophtho in prelim year (buddy call ends at midnight) - also 2 months IM, 2m EM, 3m Gen surg, residents are friendly, good culture, almost all residents subspecialize, supposedly Northwestern is the premier academic center of Chicago (not UIC according to PD), facilities all brand spanking new, early surgery with plastics, might have more free time at end of residency since they have 5 months in prelim year of ophtho. Interview lunch is amazing!110-140 cataracts (not including 40 in India). Lots of handholding in clinics. 3 surgery months in prelim year, seems overall strenuous

Chicago3q6 pgy 2 & 34 2:1 IVs 15 min eachhalf daysabout 20Optional prelim medicine1Nice facilities, program momentum, great chair and PD, strong surgical retina training/connections, good cornea training, location (Chicago), resident clinic at NorthShore, collegial environment, good culture among residents, UChicago as an institution (large research university with opportunities for interdiscplinary research with the #1 business school, etc.)Program rebuilding (new chair and PD getting the program back on its feet), no/minimal refractive training, minimal exposure to premium IOLs, lots of recent faculty turnover, small faculty, poor oculoplastics match, minimal research, no VA, location (Chicago South Side), Northshore Skokie can be a long commute in traffic, resident autonomy is on the lower side (mostly private patients)The eye clinic is new and very nice, all facilities are connected by foot bridges, people seemed nice. The downsides were a lack of VA, program is rebuilding, maybe not the strongest fellowship matches.

The following bacterial strains were used…

Cincinnati4q8 pgy2-37 1:1 20 min3:301648required - 3 month ophtho, 1 month oculoplastics, 1 month EM, 1 month research, 6 months IM2 private hospitals (CEI, Children's). Well known faculty in many different areas. Nice VA clinic. Ocular oncology exposureAverage surgical #'s. Graduates skewed towards fellowship vs. private practive

Cleveland4q4 primary for 2 years. first year at Metro, second year at Cleveland Clinic, third year backup q4 for metro6 panels, 2:1, 12 min each3060noGorgeous facilities with an expansion about to happen. Surgical curriculum (protected time in the wet lab with attendings each week) and high numbers all around (cataracts >250). Good fellowship matches. PD seems very invested in resident education and success. Easy to get involved in research.2 years of primary call. No VA (VA-like experience at county). Pretty hands-off at the clinicAdditional eye building with 7 more eye ORs and new clinic/education spacesBest ppt presentation by far+4

Cleveland6Three panel interviews. One 3:1, two 4:12:00 PMProgram chair is a gem, very involved in resident education. Residents were very happy with surgical training opportunities. Not a research powerhouse but CWRU has a large image reading center for clinical trials and is a well funded hospital. Nice facilities.

Vitreous sample:

Columbia3q63 3:1, 15 minutes each

Columbia4Integrated (3 months ophtho, 3 months wards)High surgical volume (300+) with early exposure. Lighter call. Choose your own lenses and they're covered, new clinic opening above East location, financial incentives for OKAP performance, incredible PD, great faculty and good relationships with attendings, physician's lounge, nicer VA accross the street from hospital connected by tunnel. 2 call sites within 15 minutes of each other. Clinical and basic science research available if interested and cover conferences to $1500 if first author no limit to how many. International opportunities. Relaxed grand rounds, lighter didactic schedule.Cerner as ehr. no continuity clinic. Columbia.

Columbus6Q4-5 for pgy2. Q2 for pgy3 at children's hospital. Pgy4s take call as back up but not sure how often.6 10-15 minute interviews with 2 faculty in each room PM session; i was done by 2:30, stayed to talk with the residents after in the conference room, then left 24 (12 in each sesh)OSU Prelim Integrated required, 3 months ophtho experience with 2 months outpatient elective new Chair coming in from Michigan

Inclusion criteria for vitreous sample:

D.C4~15-20 each half day~70RequiredDC, ties to NEI and Children's National. Great fellowship placements.No cornea faculty. Rotation at Maine VA may be a con for some.

Exclusion criteria for vitreous sample: Recent antibiotic use, ….

D.C.3decided by first years1 7:1 panel lasting ~12 minshalf daysNot requiredHigh volume (250-350 cataracts) because of combination of Orlando VA and high volume at home. Strong clinical preparation supposedly makes residents score highly on OKAPS (90%tile). Safety net hospital means patient population is diverse. Strong alumni loyalty to residents. Residents feel prepared for comprehensive practice but some also specialize. In a fun part of DC. Involved in lobbying for ophtho. Monthlong ophtho book training for first month of PGY2.Schedule is NOT in blocks - rotate through every single specialty every single week with changing half-days and one OR day. Volume is high so finding time to study is difficult. Not the best for research but a project is mandatory every year and there are opportunities available, and there is funding for going to AAO. May depend on personal preference but for me spending separate time in Orlando and DC is a negative in terms of complicating living situation esp if family/SO involved (4 mo orlando 2nd year, 8 mo third year)

D.C.6Roughly Q63x10 min w/ 4 attendings3:30-510/session40Optional10Autonomy, diverse pathology, and residents are super happy. Seem to get along well. Call is reasonable and only cover call for hospital you are currently at. Nearby VA, active military hospital.Cataracts are ~120 average. Limited engagement in DC population outside of clinical training. Seemed like a limited level of support

Dallas9Q12 for first two years, backup call for third year6 1:1 - 20 minutes4:15 PM16NoAutonomy with extensive surgical and clinical exposure. 250-300 cataracts including 40-50 before PGY-4, lots of strab and plastics cases. Connected to largest county hospital in country. 9 residents per class who are happy with good camaraderie. Dallas is a large city yet COL is relatively affordable and resident salaries are relatively higher (also no state income tax). Residents match well for fellowship, or are well prepared to go straight into private practice. No integrated intern year. Global outreach opportunities are lacking. Some may not enjoy the autonomy. Texan heat and culture may not be for everyone but the culture is actually somewhat diverse. Sink or swim environment. Busy call. No dedicated longitudinal clinical experience. Not a ton of perks like loupes or lenses. No electives during PGY4. Resident interaction with faculty seems to be less than other programs. Have heard that their Chair is extremely old school (to the point of being misogynistic) --> He's old school, not misogynistic :)Building new county hospital outpatient facilities to which the clinic will eventually move. True integrated year (including rheum, endo rotations) starting 2021

ResultsDanville210

Denver6q6 pgy 2 & 3 but rolling out night float this coming July3:30 PM20ish60Required prelim IM 3 months ophthoIt's freakin' Colorado, most beautiful setting for training you could ask for. Heavy call exposure means you will be a great comp coming from this program. Beautiful eye center bldg. Commute between campuses. Seemingly most faculty trained at Colorado (lack of diversity in training?). Intraocular surgery is backloaded. Denver is relatively expensive and traffic can be tough.Night float. Additions to RMLEI (the faculty's eye center).Residents showed up to interview day hungover (lol that's awesome! Tells you that the residents get along and like to hang/drink/socialize together!!).The social was sort of weird with no real dinner food and no idea who was a resident +1 (<also showed up late my day). They were nice and interactive during the day, we played lots of games and had a good time.

1. Descriptive statistics

Detroit5Q5 PGY2, Get a post call day1:1 ~10 min each (one with residents is 2:1)ƒhocrequired TYBest PD on the trail +7. He is incredibly transparant about the IV process. Residents are all incredibly happy and very friendly outside of work. Great wetlab and sim, 24/7 access. Continuity clinic. TY year includes 3 months of ophtho and 1 month of research so great if you want to get headstart on research. Good fellowship matches. Free hat after interviewShady about surgical numbers -> very untrue, residents get ~200 cataracts and PD is trying to pump it higher. < also 24/7 access to wetlab and sim and several surg courses are a big plus. Surgical training starts early and seems great. >main con is not having a VA. But they dont have any trouble meeting their numbers.Cataract numbers are 130-150

a. Table 1. Vitreous sample/patient demographics

Detroit

Detroit7q7 PGY2 and PGY3 (back-up)NoneBusiest Detroit program, variety of interesting pathology, resident autonomy. Incredibly friendly faculty + residents. Resident clinic / COC. Strong research, decent fellowship matches. Only Detroit program that has the VA. Strong retina + glaucoma dept. ?Numbers?No post-call day off. Detroit (not a con lol). Not so cush. Extremely busy calls covering 5-6 different hospitals. Seem to only match Wayne state students. Is that because no one wants to go there? Any point in non waynes state/ midwest students applying?

Durham63 20 minsLike 8 bc dinner is after interviews 25ish50Required integrated IM with 3 months of ophthoGreat surg numbers (250-350 cataracts with ~500 as a record). Happy and cool residents. Great fellowship match. Research powerhouse. Huge, renowned faculty. Great exposure in every field. Connected to Durham and Asheville VA. 2 months of electives in 3rd year for research and/or international outreach. Partial night float. Integrated intern year. Virtually no call 3rd year.Durham for some. Seems like there isn’t much autonomy at some rotations, but 2 VAs to rotate should help with this. Asheville is 2+ hours away. No county hospital. Night float is kinda fake because you still have to go into clinic the next day post call

2. Comparing different bacterial growth kinetics

East MeadowNot too terribly many. Staff and residents very friendly. Location is suburban but close enough to NYC for bar nights/clubsweekends. chill call. 8-4 clinic. Residents seem to get good retina experince (core vits, endolaser, even membrane peels) because there are no fellows. cataracts are poor but apparently high quality (100-110). Seems like an incredibly sub-par program; did not include on my ROL (written 1/11/20).Terribly organized. Had us sit in a room for hours doing nothing waiting for three interviews. No tour, no presentation. Started at 9am and some people hadn’t had a single interview even by 3pm. Pretty pathetic. Cataracts dogsh*t

Gainesville58 1:1 10 minRequired(?) prelim IM with 3 months ophthoIncredible surgical numbers including 350+ cataracts, strong in strabismus, plastics, and glaucoma cases. Unique refractive surgical experience with 50+ LASIK/PRKs in Jacksonville. New, massive eye clinic will be completed 1/2020. Integrated intern year. Strong VA experience. Low COL and minimal traffic in Gainesville.Weak plastics experience (no orbital surgeries). Currently no neuro-ophthalmologist. Commute to Lake City VA and Jacksonville refractive rotation (gas reimbursem*nt provided). No county hospital. Weak international options. According to a resident, not the ideal program for those wanting to go into academics. Gainesville for some.New eye clinic, integrated intern year.

3. Comparing growth in different mediums

Galveston44 2:1 - 15 minutes~3:30-4pm25required integrated year (new this year)Get to work with Dr. Lee and ocular pathologist at Methodist who are world renowned. Residents match well for fellowships. Can complete a PhD in neuroscience if you have the initiative. Free insurance.Move around a lot. Hurricanes can be a problem in Galveston. Somewhat poor reputation in ophtho community. Did an away rotation here and would say besides the Chair, PD and one other physician, most of the attendings are blunt and rude. Residents range from nice to very obnoxious. Almost everyone toots their own horn constantly and thinks they are the best residents/attendings in all of ophthalmology.

Great Neck42 weekdays/month, 1-2 weekends/month$$$Would appreciate any info on their previous accreditation warning - had low surgical volume in the past, fixed by going from 5 to 4 residents

DiscussionHershey3q6 PGY2/PGY3, PGY4 back-up13 1:1, 2 3:1 15 min very relaxed1:301545OptionalExtremely strong surgical and clinical training. Lots of exposrue in the VA. High volume. 250-300 cataracts, including basic and complicated cases. Last year's third-years were performing sub-10 min cataract cases by the end. Great, supportive, well-connected faculty. Lots of research. Great opportunities for teaching. Residents are super nice. They seem very happy. Fellowship matches are excellent in all specialties. Nice facilities. Very low cost of living with little to no commute. High pay. Call at HMC only, ie no commuting between multiple sites when on call. Call 1x per week, q6 weekends. Extremely strong all around. Location

ConclusionHouston4Q8 for first 2 years, backup call for year 35 2:1 - ten minutes2:00 PM24OptionalNo fellows - so get to be primary on many cases. In largest med center in the world - see a ton of trauma (~27 average open globes) and diverse cases. Offer LASIK and femto certification if desired. Relatively young faculty, PD continually working to improve program. 200+ cataracts. Low COL for a big city. City has a lot to offer and diverse. Work with MD Anderson physicians as well in all aspects of ocular oncologyHeavy call (6-8 cases per night). Sink or swim environment, mostly learn on your own or residents teaching residents. Parking is very limited and $$$-- discounted parking is actually $40 a month per residents, much cheaper than regular TMC parking. Summer weather and flooding is brutal - floods make getting into med center awful. "floods" are like 2x/year - I wouldn't worry about this. Tense atmosphere at grand roundsTrauma Tower opening

Houston6q64 x 1:1, 1x 2:1 - 15min3:00 PM~15~60yes, required 4 months ophtho with medicine program10Amazing facilities. Exposure to tons of pathology and great volume (cataracts >250s, injections >300). Great/Lots of Peds exposure (may be con for some). Cornea department is second to none. Current residents are awesome, seem genuinely happy, and have created a great culture. Houston. Good salary. Great fellowship matches. Lots of autonomy (again, may be con for some)Apparently parking is awful when covering multiple sites. Residents were very upfront that call is very busy and this is a work-hard residency. “Most days you’ll leave around 7, and no one leaves until everything is done and then we all leave together” 8?? D:, brutal call schedule working all through the night every timeintegrated pgy1 and earlier peds exposure.

Indianapolis6

[Jjt1T1]combined? separated? storage?

Iowa City5Q5 PGY23 2:14-5:30 depending on group2060Integrated IM with 5 months ophtho11Obviously one of the best programs. The residents seemed very happy and super welcoming. Integrated year is very well organized andseems miles ahead of any other program (very cush but lots of learning and exposure).The surgical numbers are outstanding (50% >300 cataracts, crazy plastics) and it appears residents often get more corneal transplant (DMEK, DSAEK) numbers than most fellows in the country! Many other programs have been on record of replicating Iowa's wet lab curriculum. The reputation is unbeatable. Grand rounds/lectures everyday (8am-9am, clinic always starts 9am). Faculty seem very invested in teaching (record surgical cases and watch them after OR 1 on 1 with attending). Also,they arevery nice!New resident room and awesome facility including a dedicated ophthalmology library. Oh and get paid to do Eyerounds cases/articles $$. Tons of research opportunities. Hard place to beat overall.No resident continuity clinic. Uveitis is a confessed weak spot as well, with no faculty who completed fellowship training in uveitis, get most of this experience in the retina rotation --> did an away here and not true - there is someone who is fellowship trained in uveitis > Yes but she doesn't actually do this with the residents in clinic (also rotated there so can confirm). They also have a fellowship trained attending in ocular oncology. Iowa City is small and the local airport does not have many direct destinations. Most cons relate to location of program - it's Iowa.No major upcoming changesBCSC, loupes (monogrammed!), lenses, and ophthoquestions all paid for

UC IrvineIrvine3average of q3, spaced after black weekend3x 3:1 or 2:15:00 PM45Optional10Nice young well known PD, high volume (250-350 cataracts), excellent clinical training, strong ties to industry, residents all nice, housing stipend ($3000/yr) might increase with union negotiation, busy call at UCI but not at VA, might be adding a fourth residentprimary call for first two years, commute between Orange and Long beach and Irvine for training sites, mix of block schedule and weekly changes of all different specialties, housing market top 5 worst in nationmay add pediatrics rotation at CHOCPD wants you to score high on OKAPS

University of MississippiJackson4Q4 primary call during pgy2; Q4 backup call during pgy3; pgy1s take primary call for one month in the spring when pgy2s are gone for okaps course6 2(or 3):1 faculty and 1 3:1 resident panel; all 15 minAbout 322Required integrated medicine year with 6 months of ophthoInto the OR very early (some even in intern year) with most people having one primary cataract as a pgy2. Super nice faculty and residents. Good (not great) cataract numbers, but impressive vitrectomy numbers. Residents seemed super happy and were really nice people overall. Great comprehensive experience. Hard to really tell, but it seemed like their surgical skills are really really strong and they put people into comprehensive that are very good and confident to do lots of surgery right out of residency. Techs for VA and residency clinics and they have a tech on call with them for when they have to go into surgery. They have an Eyesi. Program pays for you to go to conferences. An intern presented at ARVO. 6 months of ophtho during integrated year seems to be the most in the country.No fellowship programs in Jackson. Jackson is a smaller town with a lot of residents married. Probably not a good program if you're wnating to match a top fellowship or academics. They match good fellowships but just don't have the connections of a more academic program.Pgy2s go to NYC for 1 month for an OKAPS review course (interns cover primary call as buddy call while they're gone- so you get to start taking call as a pgy1)No fellowship may be good, more opportunity for residents to do the case

NYMC - JamaicaJamaica2q4
2448Offered

University of KansasKansas City3q6 pgy 2 and 3, backup surgical call pgy 46 IVs, 3 2:1, 3 1:11224Required(new this year) 3 months of ophthoVery high cataract #s. Other surgeries average. Program is mainly focused on producing strong general Ophthos. KC seems pretty cool. Residents seemed happy with a good work life balanceVery few research opportunities if that's your thing.Trying to add a 4th resident

University of Missouri - Kansas CityKansas City4q8 pgy2/32 2:1, 1 1:1; 10 min each02465-70highly suggested. 13 "+1" weeks of ophthoBreadth of surgery, good placement in private practive and fellowship. Fatigue day post-call prn. ocular oncology in-housephacos 150-225. minimal refractive exposure. Covering call at 5 sites. No meal stipend. Paper charts in clinic and 4 different EMRs for different sites. No VAMajority of faculty are also employed at the Chair's private practice in KC - most are at UMKC for clinic 0.5 - 1 day and the OR for 0.5 - 1 day. Interview day and dinner were poorly structured

UCLALA8two 2:1 (one room is faculty, other is residents), the rest are 1:1 interviews

Interview day is followed by Grand Rounds and then a co*cktail party

8:00 PM16-1750Required at Harbor. 3 months ophtho, 2 months ICU, 1 month Trauma call, 1 month ENT, 3 months medicine$1000/mo additional stipend for housing is ridiculous. Also, $80/day for hospital food and $25/day for ubereats. Ridikilous. Other benefits included lenses, BCSC (in both print & electronic versions), new smartphone, new laptop, and free healthcare (mecial/dental/vision)! During grand rounds, residents showcased how damn impressive they were. Also, nicest facilities of any place I went to. Home to some of the most well-respected ophthalmologists, and most are leaders in their field. Attendings seemed very passionate about resident education and invested in their success (for fellowship match and after). High surgical volume across the board and residents said they felt well trained. Also, Los Angeles!Call can be tough and have to drive multiple places. From my interview day there, I can say that it definitely is a more intense program hours-wise, and I think the residents are superrr tired and not happy at times due to this, but I definitely did not get a malignant vibe. Faculty seemed supportive and passionate about teaching. +1 on the bolded. Also they are starting up integrated program this year, so there may be some issues with this--additionally it seems like one of the more time-intensive integrated years1k/month housing stipend. Integrated at harborMay be one of the few ophtho programs that is malignant. <What makes you think that its malignant? < Heard this on the trail from someone who rotated there < can we reserve this tab for input from people that were the actual person that did the away there or actually interviewed there in person? Word of mouth rumors do not seem productive.

DartmouthLebanon2PGY2: 8 call days/month w/ 1 weekend
PGY3: 6 call days/month w/1 weekend
PGY4: backup w/2 weekends (i think)5x20 mins, all 1:1 including PD2:00 PM10Optional surgery prelim w/ derm, ENT, plastics, and 3 months ophtho. Seems to be on the chill side of surg prelims Predict great surgical volume (projecting 300s for cataracts) and faculty are very kind and approachable. > +3, very genuine, kind people. Well trained faculty and well connected. Has VA nearby > Expect this program to be very strong, will consider new status as strength (energy, fresh minds)New program > +1, liked that they were honest about it being a new program, that incoming residents should be flexible/grow w/ program. Location is a bit isolated, although beautiful - may not be for everyone

University of KentuckyLexington46 2:1 10 minutes eachLunch ~12:30-1:3012Required (3 months of ophtho). No call for 7 months. Weak plastics experience (no orbital surgeries). Currently no neuro-ophthalmologist. Commute to Lake City VA and Jacksonville refractive rotation (gas reimbursem*nt provided). No county hospital. Weak international options. According to a resident, not the ideal program for those wanting to go into academics. Gainesville for some.Residents are all married, so might be a problem if you are single. Many have children too.

University of ArkansasLittle Rock45 1:1 15 min each

*Our day had a 2:1 resident interview as one of the five

9Great program with huge surgical volume, supportive PD, happy residents, brand new toys, every resident has an office (not a cubicle!). VA right next to the hospital. Incredible numbers: cats 300, strab 80, plastics 116, glaucoma 31, trauma 40, laser 137. Access to clinical and basic science research upstairs in Eye Center (which is shiny and new). Lenses, books, Qs, OKAP review course, etc. paid for by program. Very nice and enthusiastic residents. Was blown away by program, which puts up training and opportunities that can stand up to what virtually any other program can offer.Location, not great fellowship match. Unbalanced faculty, there are way more peds in proportion, that translates in long period of peds rotation<Fellows this year matched at Duke and Baylor. Fellowship matches are excellent. Many resident choose comprehensive because they feel very well prepared

Loma Linda UniversityLoma Linda University5

University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles7q7 w/ post call day4 2:1 and 3:1, 12 minutes each~3:30pmNone

University of LouisvilleLouisville42 4:1 15 minutes Half days~20 in AM x 3 days60

Required w/ 3 months ophtho

Strong surgical numbers (270+), high refractive surgery numbers, lots of resident autonomy, diverse patient population & pathologies (large volume of West African refugees), basic and clinical research opportunities, VA, laid back, residents were cool, Louisville is nice & low COL, good fellowship matchOlder facilities, busy call, no full time neuro-ophthalmologist (U Cincinnati's PD comes once a month for neuro clinic), some recent faculty turnover, each site uses a different EMREncourages organized mentorship between residency and faculty. Apparently Sen. Dr. Rand Paul hangs out with the ophtho program occasionally?

Texas TechLubbock4PGY2 - q4 Monday-Thursday and one weekend per month.
backup as 3 and 4required i thinkPD and assitant PD are nice, kind, and approachable. Surgical training seemed very strong. The residents seem very confident doing comprehensive comp when they leave. Residents were really nice people that seemed to know each other well. Lubbock is smaller but seems to be growing w a good art scene and young professionals at other medical programs/ law school. Quiet/ safe/ good place to raise a family.Program location (a lot of the residents talked about flying home/ to visit friends/ significant others about one weekend per month). VA is 1.5 hours away and you stay there monday-thursday when you're there (but get Friday monring off). No resident clinic, only work in attending clinics (they said that they liked it because they always had someone checking on things and teaching them though).

U WisconsinMadison31 day/wk, q3 weekend (avg 3.5 days a week over the month)5 interviews; 2 by 2 people and 3 by one person; beginning of the day is a talk with the Chair and PD plus a tour of the VA and the city; interviews in the afternoon : 20 min each and 20 min between each interview to process3:30ishAbout 8-10Prelim required; four months Ophtho (VA block)Super non-malignant with a very open and transparent PD and APD; high surgical numbers across different specialties with multiple certifications in LASIK, Femto, and MIGS surgeries; residents are very friendly; dedicated research blocks during each year plus AAO/ARVO budget for third year; VA affiliated; cheap housing within 15 min of the hospital with above national average salary; residents are comfortable going into fellowship or comprehensive once they graduateNo real resident continuity clinic; "resident clinic" is the VA clinic but since you are only there for a four month block you may not keep the same patients. New dedicated subspecialty building being planned within 5 years (maybe, they don't know when)A great program overall; residents will even give you questions to ask during other interviews because they weren't sure what to ask when they interviewed

LoyolaMaywood42 1:1, 1 2:1, 4 3:1, 13mins each3:302040TY at McNeal, 4 months ophthoNicest PD I've met on the trail. Genuinely cares about the residents and the students. Same can be said about lots of the faculty members. Surgical numbers consistently in the 90th+ percentile across the board. Only main hospital + VA and are within walking distance of each other. Surgical sim with protected time. Residents are very close and such great people. No issues with jobs/fellowships. Opportunities to network with other ophtho residents/faculty in the Chicago area, at the expense of a few saturday lectures that are only half daysChicago weather, some saturday didactics along w rest of chicago ophtho programs

University of TennesseeMemphis5q102448integrated4Weird atmosphere. Residents don't seem happy. Memphis.I thought the residents were happy and it was a good vibe - am I the only one? -I thought they had a good vibe as well, actually one of the friendlier groups I met

Bascom PalmerMiami78-9 1:1, 15min22~66yes, required prelim IM 10I’ll take a bite. Crazy surgical experience. You can basically get fellowship level numbers in the specialty of your choice in many cases as a resident. My impression may differ from others but the class seemed super cohesive/supportive of each other and invested in the program, definitely a fun bunch of residents. Ideal intern year now that is integrated with dedicated ophtho/research time and pretty chill requirements (basically created by the upper years). Insane perks/support for research and travel (>$2k for conferences and no cap on how many you want to visit). Connection to a network of ophthalmologists/academicians that is second to none. Miami seems like a great/fun city to be in as a young adult. At the end of the day though, it was an ophthalmology program that will work you really hard and help you reach your potential. There are other programs that will also help you do that and may fit your learning style better. Here you are very autonomous and get a lot of teaching from residents/fellows rather than attendingsDefinitely some egos here (elitist vibe among some of the residents)
< lol i definitely did not get this vibe from the residents +1 < I did also, but from only a few. most were awesome < a few definitely were "too cool for school", but agree most were nice << haha (and agreed) with the "too cool for school" >> Many residents didn't love living in Miami, at times wished they had more time to read, very difficult if you are not well-versed in Spanish +2; there were a few weird interview moments I heard about from multiple people (questions about significant others and really pushing to know about other favorite programs (not accepting a "this is the place for me" kind of answer)) -- not sure why a program like this would risk something like that? +1, got some very weird and somewhat innapropriate questions< I didn't have or hear about any questions like this. All of my interviewers were very nice.Free glasses and contacts is nice. Sounds like R1 year is a lot of late nights with everyone working in the ED together until the list is empty. Not neccisarily a bad thing (good experience and help your coresidents) but many nights 7PM or later. The intern year sounds well thought out and very reasonable.>> Heard even 9 PM the first few months...

Larkin Miami36 x 10 min (3 2:1, 2 1:1, 1 3:1)none1013 rotation sites, VA up in Tampa. Salary low-40s. Private practice-based residency. Minimal info about sites on website; made it feel like a bait-and-switch

Medical College of WisconsinMilwaukee35 2:1 interview with faculty, 1 1:1 interview with the chairHalf days18-19NoneExtremely strong surgical training. Faculty schedule time in the wet lab with residents to practice techniques. With this attention from faculty, last year's seniors were performing 12 minute cataract surgeries. Great volume. Exceptional fellowship matches. Department has a great feel. The residents are an important priority for the faculty. Very interesting research opportunities, especially in areas like ocular genetics and imaging. The 8-floor Eye Institute is outstanding with clinics, ORs, and research floors all in one place. Connected to parking and the Children's and main hospitals by tunnel. VA is very close (15 min drive). Great reputation. Very strong in plastics and peds. Low cost of living with excellent pay (60K+). Milwaukee is cute. Lots of good food and beer in the area. Great activities in the area, like Summerfest.Cold. Busy call (avg 4-6 cases/night). Work of 4 residents placed upon 3. Building seems a bit older. 7 am lectures almost every weekdayNew chair TBD in December. Trying to add a 4th resident MCW is known to have the top oculoplastic fellowship in the country

University of MinnesotaMinneapolis5Q35 2:1 with faulty (including PD and APDs) and 1 2:1 with PGY3sMorning session finished at noon. Mixer on night between two interview days2444Optional TY at Hennepin County (will get phone call interview with Hennepin PD after matching). Will become required in 2021Great city, lots to do, amazing culture. Faculty genuinely love teaching. County hospital is pretty and supposedly has amazing food. 175 cataract average. has VA, county, and academic setting. Front loaded call in chunks as opposed to spread evenly throughout residency/years - means lots of free time in second and third years. On average half subspecialize and other half do comprehensive. This year all area subspecializing, 3 retina, 2 cornea. Close affiliations with big name private practices in cornea and retina in town. Residents and faculty are nice. Several of the residents have children including a PGY2. Diverse patient population in county (refugee populations, hmong, somali, hispanic). HCMC has top tier emergency med program means they consult only after thorough workup. Exposure to occuloplastics in the first year is unique and probablhy a huge advantage for people interested in it. Residents started a wellness committee and PD is very receptive to making requested changes.This is somewhere inbetween a pro and a con; They are research friendly, but have no formal structures for incorporating it. Students have historically made research work if they want to.Potential structured international elective. Chair hinted at potentially adding a 6th resident. May be moving clinic and adding more refractive surgery operating rooms (very close by)

West Virginia UniversityMorgantown46 rooms, mix of 2:1 and 1:1 interviews 15 min eachAM and PM sessionsoptional this year10Only tertiary eye care center in West Virginia, lots of referrals from neighboring states (ie Ohio, Maryland). Great surgical numbers ≈200 cataracts. Close relationship with faculty and all sub-specialties represented. Faculty and residents seemed genuinely happy and excited about WVULocation for some, VA rotation is 40 min drive away

VanderbiltNashville5night float/ day consult3, 2:1 and 1, 1:1 with chair, 20 min eachrequired gen surgNo traveling/driving on call (VA, Childrens, Vanderbilt Eye, and hospital are all across the street from each other), all subspecialties represented extremely well. It's Nashville. Several attendings are extremely well connected (Chair is current president of AUPO, past AAO president.) Also, Dr. Law is the chair of the AAO Young Ophthalmologists committee (useful if you're interested in advocacy or getting involved nationally.) Residents are all nice and seem genuninely happy.~120-170 cataracts, will have to travel to Blanchfield (~1 hour), Murfreesboro VA (~45 min), 100 Acres
Required General Surgery Internship
I actually did not get the impression that residents "seem genuinely happy" as is written in the pros columnChair plans to retire soon

YaleNew Haven5Q5 days for 1st year then Q1wk5, 3:1 and 1 :1:1 with chair, about 20 min each3:30 for AM group25ish?optionalGood balance between hand-holding and autonomy. All hospitals (Yale, St. Rafael's, VA, Yale Eye Center) are within 1.8 mile from one another, so minimal driving. Residents are not overworked. EMR in every location. Free iPhone from hospital. PD is very invested in residents' well being. Excellent VA with good/many surgical cases. Excellent pay (one of the highest in the country). Didactics are during the week, so you get your weekends free if you're not on call. One of few programs in the country with ocular oncology. Excellent history of fellowship match.New Haven weather, no parking at the Eye Center, previously got a lot of surgical numbers during the Bahama rotation but they are not sure if this rotation will be happening anymore after Hurricane DorianPrograms is in expansion mode by recruiting more attendings and opening up a second location (residents won't be going there).Kinda awk/tense interview rooms if you're into that +5 residents who were there on my interview day mostly just talked to each other and didn't seem very interested in helping us know more about the program

Louisiana State UniversityNew Orleans7varies depending on site, but sounds like PGY2 and 3s cover primary call5 x 15 min (3 1:1, 2 2:2)staggered throughout the day2575Integrated with a TYMandatory integrated PGY-1 at LSU with 3 months ophthoregional program, lots of traveling around LA. All sites except 1 have >1 hour drive from NO, and that's basically every day (except for the rotation that's in Lafayette - so far away that you have to stay there for 2 months)

TulaneNew Orleans5q34 1:1 with faculty, 1 2:1 with residentsoptional7NOLA is fun, surgical volumePD doesn't seem to be very supportive<seconded, sounds like he's on the way out bc the APD was in contact with the future chair, has a vision for the program etc. APD was awesome +1Chair is gonna be replaced soon. Probably turning it into a more academic center

ColumbiaNew York4Review please!6x12min, five 2:1 one 3:125~50NoDecent numbers by nyc standards. Resident clinic seemed like a good learning experience. Cataracts >200, strong faculty in all subspecialties, outstanding fellowship matches, focus on precision medicine, innovative wellness curriculum, great culture.No VA. Cost of living

CornellNew York31st year: q3 weekends, then one of MWF, not covering NYH Queens
2nd year: T/Th primary call + NYH Queens call
3rd year: NYH Queens call4x12mins, 1:1 with PD then 2-3:1 for others16~48noBeautiful facilities, surgicenter, clinic. PD passionate about global health and able to do global health elective (not use up vacation time). Standout camaraderie among faculty and trainees. Queens clinic has diverse patient population with majority non-english speakers. Fellowship matches are great. Many faculty stay on. Car service to take you to queens. Great numbers for NYC (200s)No resident clinic, but will have 4 month blocks as seniors for continuity. Rent subsidized but still expensive (~2300-3200). Queens clinic is far from the Upper East Side. Pretty brutal call schedule > Is this known as a shadowing residency? I got that vibe on interview day. They didnt actually disucss the program very much. They seemed hung up on the "beautiful facilities" and that NYP is so highly regarded even though the only thing the residents do at NYP is take consults...weird interview day > I felt the same way! The tour just consisted of nice but useless patient spaces.

NY Eye & Ear Infirmary (NYEEI)/Mt. SinaiNew York10about q74 panels 3-4 interviews each1pm if morning, 5:30pm if afternoon12 in morning session, 15 PM session. they said 11-15 per sessionRequired at Beth Israel, 3 months of ophtho included6-10New VA in bronx and hospital in queens. Urgent care clinic. incredibly diverse pathology. Very busy. Strong clinical trainingNew york cost of living. Seems like a sink or swim atmosphere +3. technically a new program, so you might be a guineepig. Work-hard-work-hard type of atmosphere +3 <didn't get this impression at all?< not chill program at all +1. Only a couple residents were interested in talking to applicants, the others kept to themselves < NYEEI residents were nicer than Mount Sinai residents <yeah i didnt pick up aloof vibes at allwe will be the first year of the merger with Mount sinai

NYUNew York5PGY2 q6 home call. PGY3 cover 1 call day per week (so all PGY2 are off together 1 day weekly)6 ~10-15 minute interviews with 1 or 2 faculty in each roomAM and PM sessionsIntegrated starting 2021Tremendous faculty growth over past several years (over 40 full time faculty hires in last 5 years). NYU brand name/prestige. High research capacity. Surgical volume steadily increasing (~150 this year). Its a true 3 hospital system in NYC with VA Experience, Bellevue (county), and Tisch. Train at Bellevue (country's first public hospital & notorious psychiatric ward). Has VAMC. Have plenty of opportunities for formal mentosrhip with you being assigned a mentor during your first year. Lots of autonomy at Bellevue with excellent clinical trainign and opportunities to do injections/lasers galore. Great fellowship matches. Chairman highly invested in growing program and bringing NYU to top 10 level.Manhattan is very expensive. 50% lottery subsidized housing (~$2000-2500/mo)Continued goal of hiring more full-time faculty
New optometry staff and surgical PA at Bellevue Hospital hired within the last year

RutgersNewark5interns take in-house call q6 except ?fridays5 x 1:1~12:30 for am
~4 for pmRequired Integrated PrelimStrong clinical training. Strong faculty presence in every subspeciality. Big names in both plastics and retina. Great fellowship matches. Relatviely close to NYC, and jersey city (cool area as well). Only program in state of NJ so they see a wide range of pathology and all complicated cases get turfed to them.Newark isnt the nicest neighborhood, but residents dont live in Newark, they commute (most from Jersey City). Really old facilities. The chair mentioned during his interview speech that in order to be a successful resident at Rutgers, you have to be able to "thrive in chaos."

EVMSNorfolk2PGY2 and PGY3 take primary calls equally, PGY4 backup, no post call day offOne room with 3 faculties 25min. No interview with PD for 66% of the applicants 12:3025~50Required faculties seemed nice. lots of autonomy, good enough pathology, Integrated internship. 170-200 cataracts (per chief). Affordable city for living. Free parkingonly one full time faculty! A couple of part time and many volunteer ophthalmologists who participate in the program time to time. Mostly seniors teach juniors. You feel like you are on your own. Both the first years and the second years cover the calls equally.Heavy call schedule covering 4 locations. Norfolk is too small. Nothing special about the city that you are going to spend four years there. Integrated (?) which could be good for some people but not for those who dont want to get stuck for four years. Residents looked burned out. Limited research opportunityPossibly adding 3rd resident since consult service can get heavy (Tried to say adding 3rd resident isn't going to affect the surgical numbers)

University of OklahomaOklahoma City5q10 primary pgy2/3. 1 month buddy call pgy2 Backup/surgical call 1 week q5weeks pgy4.8 1:1 & 1 2:1, all 15 mins4-51248?None, will have a prelim 4 months ophtho, 4 months surg, 4 months medicine in 2022Strong faculty, big names, great surgical experience (300+ cataracts), global health, flexible program based on your interests, nice eye center, cheap COL; no "post call" day but they do have a "fatigue day" policy at your descretion w/ no repercussionsOklahoma City (?), tough call (work all night q10). EMR (although may be switching to epic in the near future)Night float in future maybe, new OU medical center next yearStrange vibes, seems strong but questionable training culture

University of NebraskaOmaha26 months ophthoSeem like very nice people here. Brand new facilities and high-tech simulators. Strong surgical #s. Growing program. VERY low COL. 3rd year is pretty much exclusively operating at the VA. Good fellowship matches.Only 2 residents per class - call can be busy. paid parkingNew chair this year. Very research and refractive focused

StanfordPalo Alto5q10 weekdays + q5 weekends as PGY2 and PGY3. PGY4 is backup.7 1:1 or 2:1 15min each16~60Stanford surgical prelim that includes 4mo ophtho is guaranteed, but not required. Priority for Santa Clara Valley TY (not guaranteed).Great research opportunities.Super high cost of living. Though cataract #s are very high, their surgical #s for everything else are rather low.Chair said no dramatic changes will occur in the near future.

TemplePhiladelphia3~q3 weekdays; q4 (?) weekends3 x 4:1 Panels, 20 minAM - 12/1 PM
PM - 4/5 PM~20 x 2 days~40None

University of Pennsylvania / ScheiePhiladelphia5q5 weekends and 1 weekday during both PGY2 and PGY3 year. PGY2 covers Scheie/Presbyterian, PGY3 covers VA/CHOP/HUP1 1:1 & 2 2:1, all 15 minutes4:302060NoneInternationally renowned faculty, good surgical numbers and rising, tons of peds exposure at CHOP (may be con for some). Nicest chair woman in the field, great fellowship matches. All hospitals (Scheie, VA, CHOP, and HUP) located with ~10min walk of each other. Philadelphia. Heavy on research, lots of opportunities for projects. Random perks like free contacts/glasses, public transportation or UberPool credit2 years primary call (pgy3 busier than pgy2). Wet lab is kinda dank but has what you need. no meal stipend provided. Philadelphia again con for some. Lots of handholding. Didn't see many residents at interview day < I disagree, I met many during my day and especially the pre interview dinner (fellows even came!) < I also didn't meet many residentsNew main hospital to be opening in the next couple years. VA eye department recently redone with new equiptment

WillsPhiladelphia83 4-6:1 interviews, each 15 min 3468no10Philadelphia. Incredible wetlab. Nice facilities. World renowned faculty. Strong name and history. Cool ping pong table. Large resident class and they all seem very happyNo VA. Cataracts less than other top programs. Not planning on any big changes, program seems stagnant (or maybe just content). Resident run clinic is not particulalry well established yet. No prelim year offered. < as far as big changes, I would argue that huge new wetlab waas a "big change" < honestly idk if there's much to improve at Wills haha << Wills may not be the best place for academics (you spend significant time rotating in private practice clinics and reserach is not nearly as strong as other top programs though they seem to be trying to expand their program)

University of PittsburghPittsburgh6Q6 w/ post call day6 1:1 and 2:1, 15 minutes each4:30maxTY at UPMC w/ 3mo ophtho requiredFeedback please?

OregonPortland5q5 for PGY2. PGY3 backup call q5. q10 trauma call at a satellite hospital for PGY3 and PGY4.4 3:1 15-minute interviews~4:00 PM for AM group. ~5:30 for PM group.2448Great culture among residents and faculty. Strong fellowship placement and good research opportunities. VA experience all 3 years, continuity clinic in PGY2-3 years. Dedicated consult attending. 2-week elective in 3rd year for research or local/global outreach. Portland and the surrounding outdoors.Lacking in some subspecialty surgical experience (e.g., glaucoma). Parking fees - approx $100/mo IIRC (most residents bike).

Brown UniversityProvidence3Two 2:1 and four 1:1, 20 minutes eachPreliminary medicine year is optional. It's pretty hard. One half-day each week of ophthalmology and 3 months of electives. Very committed and friendly core faculty that has recently expanded (new neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, medical retina). Many private practice attendings teach at Coro and the VA as well! Great balance of autonomy and supervision. Small residency class and no fellows means you see a lot and do a lot. Call is busy (average 5-6 calls/night) but you get post-call day off to rest, study, research, or scrub into extra OR cases. Average cataracts is 170. Protected time on the EyeSi proctored by a faculty member. Last year revised didactics structure so didactics are one morning every week. Good fellowship matches. Residents are fun and feel like a family. PD/Chair are very approachable and receptive to making changes based on resident feedback. VA is 10 minute drive away from RIH/Hasbro. BCSC, AAO QBank, $60/month meal stipend, call room. Providence is a diverse city with a lot of tasty restaurants.No wet lab facility but there are a few sponsored wet labs each year. Have to take some primary call as a PGY-3 but it's much less than PGY-2. Providence is pretty cold in the winter. Multiple residents have left the progam in the past for unknown reasons.Possibly expanding to new location

Medical College of Virginia (VCU)Richmond3please add reviews?2 1:1, 1 2:1 (with PD and chair) 10-15 min eachfIntegrated

Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond415-ishrequired10Got asked very sexist questions. Don't recommend to females < like what? <--"isn't rock climbing a man's sport?" for starters

Mayo ClinicRochester4Each class decides their call schedule, but averages out to q4 call as a first year and q4 back-up as a second year. Third years take surgery call (q4?)8 1:1 interviews, 20 min each with two 20 min break and a lunch break with residents. ~2:30 PM1050-60Optional prelim with 3 months ophthoMean cataracts 200 (To whoever changed this, their slides definitely say their mean cataracts for 2019 was 240, mine said 180? > looking at my slides in our packet, the table says 240 cataracts unless they changed) with expected growth, super friendly and supportive environment, good camraderie amongst residents, dedicated time for longitudinal clinic with patients residents follow during their whole time here, graduated autonomy with lots of teaching/support and stepwise introduction to cataract surgery, 50-60% of residents do fellowship but others comfortable going into private practice, incredible referral network via mayo with high amount of interesting pathology to encounter as a resident, excellent representation of specialties amongst the faculty (multiple neuro-ophth and plastics for example). Tons of research opportunities. Great collaboration among different specialties, #1 hospital in the countryRochester, small city and pretty cold for majority of the year. Numbers for other specialties seem relatively weak. No county or VA experience until last year (3 months at Minneapolis VA). Retina faculty intimidating (from what residents told us, and this can include the PD).

U RochesterRochester4PGY2 & 3s take call. Frequency varies a bit but about Q6-7 for week calls and about Qmonthou weekend call (Friday noon to Sunday 4pm)6 1:1 with chair, PD, APD, and a PhD faculty. Day also includes tour of city and facility tour with residents. Residents stick around conference room to answer questions during 15min breaks between interviews5:00 PMnewly integrated. 3 mo of medicine floors, no ICU, 3 months of ophtho (no research), 1 Mo ED, and various other outpatient rotationsVery supportive faculty with very collegial support system. Average to above average surgical numbers (170s cats, over 100 plastics cases). Rochester is cheap for housing with ownership incentives, low COL, and ideal for those with families - many residents had children and over half are married. Despite being relatively small, it is the largest in the area and has large encatchment area with potential for interesting pathology, tertiary referral, and distant trauma. Residents usually match well - had someone match oculoplastics at Iowa last yearRochester is small city which requires connecting flights. Dr Feldon, long-standing chair, is stepping down to take in more industry/tech liaison role but staying on staff. No true continuity clinic. Weather was a freq addressed concern but is no worse than any other northern city, and better than many (eg Buffalo, Chicago, etc). Parking is expensive or 5 min walk away. Dr feldon stepping down with likely internal candidate to take over (Dr. DiLoreto). Feldon assured that DiLoreto has same values and culture will note change. Plan to make several faculty hires - claim the long process of Dr Feldon stepping down has caused hiring difficulties. Looking to grow residency (from 4 to 6 residents per year) and fellowships (plastics, yearly cornea, possibly second retina)

Beaumont Royal Oak3q610 x 1:1-1:3, 8 minVery friendy and supportive faculty. Chair is president of AAO. Great surgical numbers (cataracts increasing to ~180 and 80th percentile in all other subspecialties). Extremely strong retina department. Incredible fellowship placements. Low cost of living. Suburban location.

UC DavisSacramento4Q41 5:1 with faculty + PD, 1 resident panel, 1 on 1; total of 3 interviews5:00 PM2550None, wasn't discussed at interview dayEarly surgical exposure, PGY2 are primary on cataracts (6-19), many more when you’re not fully primary start to finish; Davis is catch all so lots of clinical experience; great surgical volume; many do comp; PD is very nice, young; residents seem close and down to each; 1 hr from everywhere (Tahoe, Bay area, Napa) but emphasized Sac has its charm!Very busy call, heavily front loaded (pro or con) to the point that PGY-2 residents stated their lives were pretty miserable (con), no resident clinic, recently was on probation but many many changes occurred including new PD and facultyTschannen Eye Institute developing by our year < definitely won’t be ready until maybe our pgy4 - haven’t even struck ground yet Got delicious hot cocoa on the tour; long interview day esp if you’re in the PM session; play wii with residents and peers in btwn interviews <strange dynamic with some residents, tour way too long, no free drinks at dinner but the food was really good

University of UtahSalt Lake City4q8 first 2 years, back up year 31 4:1 30 minutes, 3 1:1 15 minutes4:30 PM1040Required IM with 4 months ophtho280-300+ cataracts, mostly at VA. Amazing facilities. Strong research opportunities. Faculty is well-known but approachable, supportive, and invested in teaching. 3 months of electives in PGY-4 year. Extensive local and global outreach presence. Integrated intern year with 4 months of ophtho. Residents are very happy and have outstanding comaraderie. Breathtaking mountain views surround the city and outdoor opportunities abound. SLC is relatively affordable.No county hospital. No ocular oncologist (unusual considering size of faculty)> They actually hired one but havent announced the name yet. SLC may be small for some. No resident continuity clinic.

University of Texas - San AntonioSan Antonio4Q4 first month, then Q6. PGY3 Q8. PGY4 backup call.10 1:1 15 minutes2:3012Integrated new this year10Very friendly and collaborative faculty. Great refractive surgery elective 3rd year. No commute between hospitals for call. Exposure to all sub-specialties with good comprehensive experience. Fun city with a lot to do and low cost of living. Medical center is outside of downtown so less traffic. < Residents say PD is extremely responsive to feedback. He seemed very interested and had effectively memorized each applicant's application.Minimal surgical exposure and no cataracts first year. < not sure where this is coming from, and in the long run don't honestly know if # of cataracts first year makes a difference. Very busy call. Cool city, except for the temperature

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UC San DiegoSan Diego408 interviews 2:1 or 1:1interviews ended around 6pm, reception ended 7:30pm23~40No

OphthoMatch 2019-2024 (2024)

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