Overview
The University of Mississippi Department of Ophthalmology Residency Program is a fully accredited program consisting of a one-year internship followed by three years of ophthalmology training. Three residents are chosen each year and, upon completion of the program, are eligible for board certification.
Although competition for these positions is keen, careful consideration is given to every application. Use of the Central Application Service is required for our program. Applicants may obtain information through the Ophthalmology Matching Program, P.O. Box 7999, San Francisco, CA 94120, attn: Douglas Perry. The phone number for CAS is (415) 447-0350, or visit their web site at http://www.sfmatch.org/. The application deadline is October 15th of each year. Interviews are extended by invitation after review of credentials of all applicants by the faculty. Applicants may contact our program at 601-984-5023 or email to fbeach@ophth.umsmed.edu.
Our program is a progressive training experience that includes sufficient surgical experience for the finishing resident to be independently comfortable in solo practice. We have six full-time staff members, several part-time staff, and a total of thirty-four attending and consulting faculty covering all aspects of ophthalmology. The residency program is divided into blocks including rotations at both UMC and the adjacent G.V. Montgomery VA Medical Center and include General Ophthalmology, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Vitreoretinal, Oculo-Plastics, Cornea, and Pathology. Didactic lectures, Grand Rounds, and Journal Club are regularly scheduled on weekdays. Since the inception of this UMC-VA program in 1956, there has always been more than adequate medical surgical experience to meet all the requirements of the accrediting agencies, and there is no indication of any reduction of the clinical material for the resident experience.
Applicants who are selected for this program are requested to complete the internship year here at UMC. Three positions in the Department of Internal Medicine Residency Program are reserved each year for the applicants who have matched in Ophthalmology. These positions must be applied for and matched through the National Resident Matching Program. During the internship year, time is allowed for attendance at the Basic Science Course in Ophthalmology at the Texas Medical Center. Tuition is paid by UMC. The PGY-1 year is a medicine internship with rotations more appropriate to the needs of an ophthalmologist.
Stipends, Benefits, and Vacation
Residents at UMC are covered with professional liability insurance (occurrence type) for all duties related to official program rotations. Insurance coverage is provided under the terms of the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. This program provides liability coverage while at UMC on official rotation to another hospital or clinic. Residents rotating at the VA Medical Center are covered under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The UMC resident insurance program does not cover moonlighting. Health insurance is provided to the resident at no cost; family coverage is available at additional cost. Covered parking is provided at no charge.
House staff stipends for the 2009-2010 year:
| PGY-1 | $45,331.00 |
| PGY-2 | $46,419.00 |
| PGY-3 | $47,716.00 |
| PGY-4 | $49,011.00 |
A set of the Basic Clinical Science Course of the American Academy of Ophthalmology books (home study course) are given to each resident. Lab coats and laundering service are provided by the department. In addition to the Basic Science Course attended during the PGY-1 year, the senior Ophthalmology residents attend the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Course, the San Antonio Ophthalmology Review Course and the American Academy of Ophthalmology which is paid for by the department.
Fifteen working days of vacation are allowed each year.