Alabama| U Alabama - Birmingham: |  | | - Rotated at this institution
- Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| WARING: the one interview date will be tactically placed on a common date, however I would strongly recommend applicants to find a way to attend. Split into AM/PM times with 3 group interviews which were laid back and conversational. The residency dinner |
- Program Advantages:
| Best kept secret in ophthalmology. Eye ER which requires residents to be in-house call during 1st year (advantage is having a post-call day). Largest number of ophtho-specific ORs in Callahan which were just renovated (17 in total). Ridiculous surgical nu |
- Program Disadvantages:
| For some reason this program is much better than it's ranked. Research is not the emphasis. Birmingham downtown appeared a little bit run down and old. Also this program very much prefers applicants from certain med schools in the south (LSU, MUSC). |
|
Arizona
California| Stanford University: | | | - Applied
| | U California - Davis: | | | - Applied
- Received interview
| | U California - LA: | | | - Applied
| | U California - San Diego: | | | - Rotated at this institution
- Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 5 interviews each with 2 faculty followed by tour of facilities and the city of San Diego. Some of the faculty appeared somewhat arrogant on interview day. |
- Program Advantages:
| Faculty are at the top of their field. Research research research! Early and strong surgical experience (350+ cataracts). San Diego is a beautiful city which doesn't seem to have an outrageous cost of living compared to other coastal cities. |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Outside of the PD, not overly welcoming faculty. Emphasis appeared to be more on leadership roles after graduation and research than it was training exceptional residents. |
| | U California - SF: | | | - Applied
| | U So California: | | | - Applied
|
Colorado| U Colorado: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 4 group interviews which are very laid back. PD and chair appeared to be two of the most approachable leaders on the interview trail. Insignificant, but curious that the Beer mecca was the only place on the interview trail where applicants were asked to b |
- Program Advantages:
| Well represented in all fellowship and comprehensive. Split time at VA (in the midst of relocating), county, children's and Rocky Mountain Lions eye Institute. Surgical experience has been a point of emphasis over past few years (180-190 cataracts) with e |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Denver is an incredible city, but cost of living is going through the roof. Two years of primary call & very busy. Apparently the VA has been talking about moving locations for the past 5 years, yet there seems to be uncertainty on when this actually happ |
|
Florida| U Florida - Gainesville: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 8 individual interviews with soon-to-be PD, chair, and chief resident. Impressive collegiality amongst faculty and residents; also very obvious residents are very close |
- Program Advantages:
| Well prepared surgically (avg 350+ cataracts, 95th%tile plastics) with one of busiest and recently renovated VA eye clinics. New Eye center planned to be finished by August 2018. |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Doesn't have the name and program reputation. Well respected in cornea and comprehensive, but maybe weak at glaucoma and oculoplastics. |
| | U Miami / Bascom Palmer: | | | - Rotated at this institution
- Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 7 interviews with faculty 1 on 1 and one interview with both chief residents. Relaxing atmosphere. One of the best resident dinners on the trail at a rooftop in beautiful downtown area. |
- Program Advantages:
| 'Exceptional surgical breadth (200+ cataracts, good retina and plastics) and clinical training with humble people at the top of the field. Didactics 4 days/week with one day a week devoted to ''imaging conference.'' Eye ER brings in incredible pathology. |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Miami is a different city. Over half population Spanish-speaking only. |
|
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa| U Iowa: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| Nearly everyone who attends this interview is blown away by the program. 3 Interviews with 2 people each (PD, chair, and one with chief residents). Walking and driving tour around Iowa City. Great residents dinner after interview day. |
- Program Advantages:
| Emphasis on residency education. Integrated intern year with 5 months of ophthalmology--reduces the stress of being on call as a PGY2. Above national average surgical experience (230 cataracts). |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Iowa City might not be for everyone, however hard to find a better cost of living. |
|
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan | | Missouri| St. Louis University: | | | - Applied
- Received interview
| | Washington University: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 5 interviews (one with chief resident and one with Chair/PD). Very impressive combination of young, enthusiastic faculty with well-known and respected faculty. Very collegial |
- Program Advantages:
| Heavy emphasis in residency education. Cutting edge research with young passionate faculty (Sheybani). Surgical experience has been an area they've emphasized over past 5 years (currently 55th percentile cataracts). Plentiful research opportunities with t |
- Program Disadvantages:
| St. Louis cost of living is very reasonable but not most desirable of cities. Surgical numbers are not on an elite level. |
|
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma| U Oklahoma-Oklahoma City: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Matched here
- Interview Experience:
| Class size increased to 5 beginning 2018, however they seem confident it will not alter surgical numbers. |
- Program Advantages:
| One of the highest surgical volumes in the country (260 cataracts, 220 oculoplastics). Residents are prepared to go comprehensive immediately with no problem, also good fellowship match. Chair and PD are two of most accomplished leaders in ophtho (previou |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Grand rounds are NOT malignant, however more than any other place I visited faculty would frequently question residents--will not be for everyone. OKC is an upcoming city, but optimal for families. |
|
Oregon| Oregon HSU: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 4 panel interviews (3 faculty per panel). Not intimidating and very friendly faculty. Huge faculty turnout during lunch despite rainy Saturday. |
- Program Advantages:
| Some of the happiest residents you meet on the interview trail. Well-respected and match well for fellowship. There seemed to be a pipeline between OHSU-Iowa-Utah. Beautiful facility with VA med center connected by sky bridge. Fully equipped Casey vision |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Hand holding environment (ie. 1st year residents must work-up any attending patient with the upper level or faculty through the first 6 months). Portland is a very unusual city which was not for me. |
|
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas| Baylor CoM: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 6 individual interviews which I found to be pretty blunt and interrogative compared to other residency programs. Residents appeared exhausted and worked to the edge. |
- Program Advantages:
| Highly-autonomous program with very busy call. Great surgical training (230+ cataracts, glaucoma, plastics) with a world-renowned pediatrics department. Chair is very strong. |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Houston isn't a very pretty city. 85% go into fellowship. Personally, I just didnt get a very good feel from Baylor--residents didn't appear overly happy and I found the faculty (outside of the chair) to have big egos. |
| | U Utah: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| Pannel interview with 4 faculty and 1 resident. Not intimidating, but standardized interview process. |
- Program Advantages:
| Exceptional surgical training with many of the top faculty in the field (ie. Dr. Crandall considered by many to be best phaco surgeon in country). International opportunities with over 80% faculty involved. Cutting edge technology and protected research t |
- Program Disadvantages:
| None, but I will say it seems this program prefers to take students they're very familiar with (Utah students, or students who rotate there). |
| | UT Southwestern- Dallas: | | | - Rotated at this institution
- Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 6 individual interviews with faculty. I was blown away from the PD (Dr. Blomquist)--he's an unbelievable recruiter and face to the residency program. |
- Program Advantages:
| 50/50 split with fellowship vs. comprehensive. Outrageous surgical experience (~280 cataracts). Emphasis on preparing you for practice (ie. billing and socioeconomic). Parkland Memorial is the nicest county hospital in the country with top-end ophtho equi |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Very autonomous program which might not be for everyone. Driving to county hospital 40 minutes a day; residents carpool to the location and are compensated for the miles driven |
|
Virginia| U Virginia: | | | - Rotated at this institution
- Applied
- Received interview
|
Washington| U Washington: | | | - Applied
- Attended interview
- Interview Experience:
| 9 interviews (8 faculty 1 chief). Exceptional tour of beautiful Seattle! Chair sits down with applicants to discuss what they seek in a program. One interviewer will challenge your knowledge of research you've done. |
- Program Advantages:
| Diverse pathology with large amount of autonomy. This is due to Seattle being the referral center for WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho). Van Gelder (chair) is exceptional. Protected research time (with a strong bioinforrmatics research). |
- Program Disadvantages:
| Surgical experience middle of the road. Seattle is gorgeous but issues with high cost of living. Very very busy call (q5 for first two years then q10). |
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Wisconsin |
