OVS Residency Program

Resident FAQ

• Is there orientation during the first year?
  Yes. Because you will be learning Ophthalmology during three months of your intern year at UTMB if you match with us, you will already be familiar with our department once you start your PGY-2 year. However, we still provide a period of time where you phase in as a more independent resident in Ophthalmology. During your first several months as a PGY-2, you will take primary call with an upper-level resident using the buddy system, and you will also continue receiving introductory lectures and hands-on skill workshops to help you acclimate further to our field, along with rotating on various services in our department where you always will be able to have backup and teaching from more senior residents, fellows, and/or faculty.
• How many residents are in each class?
  We accept four positions into each year of residency.
• What is the current salary ?
  https://www.utmb.edu/gme/salaries
• What benefits are available (insurance, savings programs, etc.)?
  https://hr.utmb.edu/hrbbc/benefits/
• How do duty hours work?

  Duty hours are defined as all clinical and academic activities related to the residency program, i.e., patient care (both inpatient and outpatient), administrative duties related to patient care, the provision for transfer of patient care, time spent in-house during call activities, and scheduled academic activities such as conferences. Duty hours do not include reading and preparation time spent away from the duty site.

  Duty hours will be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period.

  Residents must be provided with one day in seven free from all educational and clinical responsibilities, averaged over a four-week period, inclusive of call. One day is defined as one continuous 24-hour period free from all clinical, educational and administrative activities.

  Adequate time for rest and personal activities must be provided per ACGME. This should consist of a 8-hour time period provided between all daily duty periods.

• What are resident call requirements?

  At-home call (or pager call) approved by the Graduate Medical Education Committee:

  • The frequency of at-home call is not subject to the every-third-night, or 24+6 limitation. However, at-home call must not be so frequent as to preclude rest and reasonable personal time for each resident.
  • Residents taking at-home call must be provided with one day in seven completely free from all educational and clinical responsibilities, averaged over a four-week period.
  • When residents are called into the hospital from home, the hours residents spend in-house are counted toward the 80-hour limit.
  • Even though our residents are not required to take in-house call, during busy periods while taking call (or to recover between clinical duties with a quick nap for fatigue mitigation) it may be necessary to use the sleep room facilities at Jennie Sealy hospital which are available 24 hours a day.  

     GME Resident & Fellow Lounge and Sleep Rooms

• Is there a library?
  Yes. The Moody Medical Library is located on the UTMB campus. UTMB also provides online access to the Moody Medical Library, with PubMed and other databases available by remote login. The ophthalmology department also provides books and other resources which can be checked out with the Program Director’s Office.
  
  Moody Medical Library
• Are there office accommodations?
  Yes. There is a residents' office/lounge which has workstations and desktop computers for individual use.
• Is parking available at UTMB?
  Yes. Parking is provided at a discounted rate for residents throughout the UTMB campus.