<p>Let's say i want to specialize in opthamology. And that my med. school does not have a clinical dept. in opthamology. In my fourth year of med. school, when we do the electives/clerkships, what happens if i want to specialize in opthamology but can't do an elective in that b/c my med. school doesn't have a clinical dept. in my specialty? Is it bad? Or do I just start on my specialty in my residency?</p>
<p>Electives in medical school do not substantially contribute to your training as a future specialist. Rather, electives allow you to see exactly what a particular specialist does and, more importantly, impress an attending physician with your enthusiasm and diligence. Many medical schools allow you to schedule electives at other clinical programs; ambitious medical students use this option to examine potential residency programs and get a leg up in the process.</p>
<p>The first thing is to know how to correctly spell the specialty when you apply. The lack of an offering at your medical school can be substituted for by fulfilling a subinternship in ophthalmology. If one is not offered at your school, I would advise completing one elsewhere. You should also be able to present cogent reasons for your desire to pursue a career in ophthalmology. What attracts you to the field? Have you completed any relevant research? Speak with local ophthalmologists to gain a better understanding of your desired field.</p>
<p>what exactly do the top residency programs look for in med students? what does a medical student have to do to get in the competitive programs?</p>
<p>Most of the residency criteria I've been hearing is about BOARD SCORES - specifically Step 1. Most M4's will take their Step 2 Clinical Knowledge tests early in the fourth year, and the most important part of those is passing, but obviously a decent score helps, but it's really step 1 that matters. I personally know very little about Step 2, sorry.</p>
<p>Research is good, particularly if it is ophthalmology, but it doesn't have to be in ophthalmology.</p>
<p>Grades are not that important, particularly for the pre-clinical years, but you still want to be doing well since it is so competitive. Class rank is more important than grades, but obviously dependent upon them. Getting named to Alpha Omega Alpha (top 10%) is a big gold star, and something that can really add to your app, though many people in Ophth. will have it.</p>
<p>Grades in your clinical rotations is more important than pre-clinical grades.</p>
<p>The interview and letters of rec are going to be important for any position, but again with the increased competition puts an even bigger premium on them.</p>
<p>If you are set on ophthalmology then you need to travel to some place where you can complete a subintership early in the fourth year. You need to perform well, and hopefully get to know the program director who can provide you with a good letter of rec.</p>
<p>You want to do a sub-I in a specialty you are thinking about, otherwise, how do you know you want to dedicate the next few years of your life to it?</p>
<p>Incidentally, for residencies, the name of the program matters not unless you are looking to get into academic medicine. If you're looking to practice outside academia, all they care about is your letters of rec. and interview, plus maybe some experiences you've garnered for yourself during residency.</p>
<p>Adding to DespSeekPhd's point: Residency name does not much matter for private practice. </p>
<p>What does matter for private practice is competence and efficiency in performing routine surgeries; established practices simply will not take you on if you take 90 minutes to do a cataract or have an unacceptable rate of complications. In choosing a residency you will want to see the senior residents' casebooks to learn how many procedures they actually do.</p>