You’ve decided to become an ophthalmologist—congratulations! Some medical students are not fortunate enough to have been exposed to ophthalmology, and thus the specialty may not even be on their radar. Determining which specialty is best can be challenging. Now that you have chosen to pursue ophthalmology, the difficult task of choosing a residency program lies ahead.

Last year, according to the SF Match, there were 509 positions available for prospective ophthalmology residents.¹ That means that likely many different positions across the country could be a good fit for you. This article reviews factors to consider when selecting an ophthalmology residency program.

START AT HOME

Some medical students have the luxury of having an ophthalmology residency program at their school. If this is the case for you, take advantage of having a home program. Try to get to know the residents and faculty members. If you’re interested and have the time, help a resident write up an interesting clinical case or assist a faculty member with an in-depth research project. Reach out to the program coordinator. They are major assets to every ophthalmology residency program and are incredibly knowledgeable about many things, including where other medical students from your school have matched. They may also have strong connections with the coordinators at other programs and may be happy to help when a promising medical student (like you) comes their way.

CONSULT MORE EXPERIENCED PEERS

If you don’t have a home program, don’t fret! I didn’t either when I was going through the residency application process, and it’s much more common than you think. I did my best to seek advice from past students at my home school who had matched in ophthalmology. Because these individuals were familiar with the school and had already successfully matched, they offered an excellent starting point. If you don’t come across any students from your school who matched into ophthalmology, look at residency programs where you could see yourself and reach out to people there. Ophthalmology is an amazing specialty full of knowledgeable and friendly people who are willing to help.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ROTATIONS

Regardless of whether you have a home residency program, you should complete as many audition rotations as your school allows. These audition rotations, most of which are through the Visiting Student Application System, allow prospective medical students to spend time with ophthalmology residency programs for a 2- or 4-week period. In my opinion, this is the most important and effective avenue for determining which program is best for you.

These auditions will give you a boots-on-the-ground view of what residency is really like. How well do you get along with the residents? Do the residents enjoy spending time with each other? What do their schedules look like? During surgery, are the faculty members operating by themselves, or do the residents operate? Can you see yourself living in the city and enjoying life outside work?

FOCUS ON FIT

Last but certainly not least, think about whether you see yourself fitting in with a residency program. “Fitting in” can mean different things to different people. Based on my personal experience, I try to advise students to find a program where they see themselves excelling and thriving. Residency, and ophthalmology in general, is extremely challenging. However, each ophthalmology resident deserves to be in an environment that is supportive and full of individuals who are dedicated to helping residents achieve their personal goals.

If you want to publish a lot of research during residency, target programs that prioritize resident involvement in research projects at larger academic institutions. If you want to pursue a certain fellowship, you may want to target programs that have a strong faculty presence in your subspecialty of interest. If you don’t know yet what you want in a program, then my best advice is to seek out the place where you feel most at home. I feel at home at my residency program, and my hope is for others to find a place where they will, too.

1. 2022 Summary Report Ophthalmology Residency Match. SF Match. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://sfmatch.org/files/c537a66b076b48d09474ac73af17758e.