Wilmer Residency Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are frequently asked questions about the Wilmer/GBMC Residency in Ophthalmology. Keep in mind that there are changes in the schedule from year to year, so that certain rotations and resident responsibilities may change.

1. What is the call schedule? 
   

   First year (PGY-2):	Wilmer ER (in house) GBMC (from home)
   Second year (PGY-3):	Bayview (from home) Wilmer back-up (from home)
   Third year (PGY-4):	Bayview back-up (from home) GBMC back-up (from home)
   All residents take call from home except when covering the Wilmer ER (WER) during the first year.  The first year night-float resident covers the WER overnight from Monday through Thursday. The second-year resident on Wilmer back-up call is in house for the first month of the year to assist the first-year on primary call.

2. What is the application deadline?
   For the 2007-08 Match year, the application deadline is September 15, 2007.
    
3. What are your interview dates for the 2007-08 Match and how many applicants do you interview?
   The dates are Monday, October 15; Monday, October 29; and Saturday, November 3.  These are subject to change.  We will interview approximately 45 of the 300-400 applicants.
    
   
4. What is the size of the residency?
   7 residents per year.
    
   

5. What major changes are planned for the program?
   In the current match year, the program will select 7 residents who will begin ophthalmology training in July 2009. Following a careful review of the merger with Sinai Hospital of Baltimore/The Krieger Eye Institute after ten years, it was decided not to renew the merger. The Krieger Eye Institute has been granted its own residency by the ACGME beginning in July 2007, and will select two applicants in the Match this year. There will be a gradual transition between the Wilmer/GBMC residency and the Sinai residency over the subsequent few years. Residents who are selected in and subsequent to the Match of 2006-07 will not rotate through Sinai.

6. Are USMLE Step 2 scores required?
   No, but they are helpful if available. Any updates to an applicant’s file must go through the Centralized Application Service (CAS) at www.sfmatch.org.
   
   
7. Do you consider foreign medical graduates and what visa requirements do you have?
   Foreign medical graduates are considered for interviews. Applicants must be from an ACGME-accredited medical school or one that is approved by The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for reciprocity. There is an approved list of such schools; applicants from other schools must go through a review process. Foreign Medical Graduates must hold a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) at time of appointment. Applicants must have a J1 visa sponsored by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Johns Hopkins Hospital will process the visa on your behalf. In rare cases, an H1 visa may be acceptable, but this would require an internal review. A B or T visa is not acceptable.
   
   
8. What does the program look like for applicants?
   Above all, we look for candidates who demonstrate a true passion for ophthalmology and who show the potential to become leaders in the field.  There are no absolute requirements beyond what the CAS lists. We do not have minimum cut-off scores for USMLE or ECFMG examinations.  We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality,or year of graduation from medical school.  In general, however, applicants selected for an interview will have all or most of the following:
   
   1. Excellent board scores.
   2. Outstanding grades.
   3. Selection to AOA (if available) at the applicant’s medical school.
   4. Evidence of scholarly activity (clinical or bench research, publications).
   5. Outstanding letters of recommendation from faculty who can comment on applicants based on personal interaction.
   6. Favorable Dean’s Letter.
    
   
9. Why is a criminal background check required for residents?
   It is the policy of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that all offers of a house staff position (as well as offers to applicants for medical school or fellowship in any Graduate Medical Education program sponsored by Johns Hopkins) are conditional, based on a review of the prospective house officer’s criminal background. The University reserves the right to rescind an offer of appointment to any educational or training program, including the Wilmer Eye Institute, to any individual whose background investigation reveals a history of criminal conduct that:

   a) the University reasonably determines increases the risk of harm to patients or individuals on Johns Hopkins premises;or
   b) was not accurately disclosed in response to a direct question regarding criminal history on any application for admission or appointment in connection with the program; or
   c) is inconsistent with the high standard of ethical conduct required of all members of the academic community or is otherwise unbefitting a member of the academic community. A complete description of the policy is available upon request.

10. Is there anything additional beyond what CAS requires?   Can I send additional information after the deadline date?
    We do not require anything beyond the minimum requirements listed by CAS.  We recognize that our early application deadline results in some relevant information becoming available after the deadline, such as election to AOA, publication of a scholarly journal article, grades, Dean’s Letter, or board scores, and such information can be sent to CAS for forwarding to our admissions committee.  Do not send the information directly to Wilmer, as it may very well not be distributed to all members of the committee.  Please do not send extra letters of recommendation, reprints of publications, etc.
    
    
11. What are the minimum board scores required to be considered for an interview?
    We do not have minimum scores.  However, most applicants who are invited for interviews have scores above the 90^th percentile.
    
    
12. Do you sponsor internships or transitional years?
    No; applicants must apply separately through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) for their PGY-1 year.
    
    For applicants who match with us and who wish to do their internship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital or at The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, we are happy to speak with the program directors at those institutions to facilitate the process as much as possible.
    
    
13. What makes the Wilmer/GBMC program special?
    
    

    1.	The breadth of the faculty, which includes nationally and internationally recognized experts in every subspecialty, who are committed to teaching the residents.  There are over 20 endowed chairs at Wilmer, signifying not only the  excellence of the faculty, but the extraordinary generosity of the patients and former faculty who have sponsored them.
    2.	The variety of patients seen at the different institutions.
    3.	The commitment to “learning by doing,” with busy and vibrant General Eye Services in which the residents are the primary care providers.
    4.	The Wilmer Chief Resident (Assistant Chief of Service, or ACS), a one-year faculty position filled by a former Wilmer resident who has done two years of fellowship training.  The ACS works closely with all three years of residents, and the bonds between the first-year residents and their “Chief” often last a lifetime.
    5.	The Wilmer Emergency Room, which is a trauma center for ocular injuries, and through which residents see an enormous range of eye pathology during their residency.
    6.	The Consultation Services, in which residents see inpatients on other services within Johns Hopkins Hospital, providing frequent interaction with other medical and surgical disciplines.
    7.	The interactions with one’s fellow residents, providing a “critical mass” of intellectual stimulation as well as close personal friendships.
    8.	In addition to their numerous publications in the peer-reviewed literature and presentations at major ophthalmology meetings such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Wilmer residents have received nine Heed fellowships in the last two years alone, far more than any other residency.

    
    
14. Who applies to Wilmer?
    In the 2004-05 Match, there were approximately 350 applicants, of whom 63 were interviewed. The interviewees included 24 women and 39 men from 29 different medical schools. Eight applicants had Ph.D. degrees and six had a Master’s degree. There were 3 foreign medical graduates. The average USMLE Step 1 scores ranged from 186-268 (mean 243) and the Step 2 scores (when available) ranged from 195-270 (mean 253).  The numbers for the 2006-07 years were comparable.
    
    

15. How are residents evaluated, how are work hours monitored and how do residents keep track of their surgical cases?
    Internet-based programs are used by residents to see their evaluations, monitor their duty hours and log their surgical cases.

16. What is the surgical volume for Wilmer residents? 
    The seven residents in the class of 2007 performed the following Class I procedures: a total of 961 cataract surgeries, 31 penetrating keratoplasties, 198 strabismus surgeries, 130 glaucoma surgeries, 53 vitreoretinal surgeries, 272 retina laser procedures, 478 oculoplastic procedures, and 84 globe trauma procedures.  Overall, they performed 2592 Class I procedures and assisted on 3400 procedures (Class III).
    
    

17. What did recent graduates of Wilmer do after completion of their residency?
    
    Class of 2005:
    Geoff Emerson: Retina fellowship (Heed fellow), Casey / U of Oregon
    Vaughn Emerson: Retina fellowship, Casey / U of Oregon (Assistant Chief of
    Service, 2007-08)
    Howard Fine: Retina fellowship (Heed fellow), Columbia & Cornell
    Stephen Kim: Uveitis fellowship, Wilmer / Johns Hopkins
    Todd Klesert: Retina fellowship, Doheny / USC
    Michael Lai: Retina fellowship (Heed fellow), William Beaumont Hospital
    John Park: Oculoplastics fellowship (Heed fellow), Mayo Clinic
    Michael Rizen: Cornea fellowship, UC Davis
    
    Class of 2006:
    Husam Ansari: Glaucoma fellowship (Heed fellow), Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
    Margaret Chang: Retina fellowship (Heed fellow), Wilmer/Johns Hopkins (Assistant Chief of Service, 2008-09)
    Kevin Lee: private practice, San Francisco, CA
    Jawad Qureshi: Retina fellowship (Heed fellow): Duke
    Pradeep Ramulu: Glaucoma fellowship (Heed fellow), Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
    Leejee Suh: Cornea fellowship (Heed fellow): Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
    Homayoun Tabandeh: private practice, Los Angeles, CA
    Henry Wiley: Retina fellowship, Wilmer/Johns Hopkins
    
    > view past graduates