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Ophthalmology Residency FAQ

Do Residents Receive Educational Funding?

Yes. The DMC Graduate Medical Education office provides a $3100 educational stipend to residents each academic year. In addition to the educational stipend Kresge Eye Institute will support residents up to $2,000 per ophthalmology conference if they are presenting first author work. There is no limit on the number of conferences you can attend if you are presenting. The residency program has also been able to provide PGY2-4 residents with paid subscriptions to an OKAP Question bank as a study tool.

How much vacation and time off do residents get?

Each year residents have 3 weeks of vacation plus an additional 5 personal days to be used throughout the year. PGY4 Residents are allowed to take up to 8 days for fellowship interviews, and are given time off to attend one conference that they are not presenting at, in addition to any that they are presenting first author work at.

Are lectures in person or virtual?

Residents will participate in both virtual and in person lectures. Typically, the basic science lectures on Wednesday afternoons and Friday morning PD rounds are given in person. Most of the evening or early morning sessions are held virtual to better accommodate residents and faculty schedules.

When do residents start doing surgery?

Residents start doing some primary cases in their first year of ophthalmology residency (PGY2), mainly with oculoplastic and strabismus cases! There is a robust surgical curriculum to prepare you for surgery including lectures, suturing courses, microsurgery course, Eyesi, etc. Residents well exceed the ACGME minimum requirement for surgical volume and Kresge Eye Institute implements our own minimum surgical numbers for residents to reach based on national percentiles and historical data from our graduated residents.

What is the Resident Clinic like?

The resident clinic at Kresge is an exciting and unique experience for residents throughout all four years of residency! Faculty staff the resident clinic (different subspecialties on different days) with appropriate levels of supervision, but patients see you, the resident as their doctor! The continuity of care clinics allow you to see the same patients throughout all years of residency and treat patients as you would once you are in practice.

How is the VA experience?

The Ophthalmology clinic at the VA is another unique and invaluable part of the residency program training. During your VA Rotations residents will see a wide variety of patient pathology and participate in a high volume of surgical cases. Dr. Hughes, one of our Glaucoma faculty is also the Chief of Ophthalmology at the VA.

What is the elective rotation in PGY4?

The PGY4 Elective rotation is a highlight for many residents. The 7 week rotation is split with 3 weeks onsite at Kresge and 4 weeks offsite. Residents submit a proposal for their elective to the program and are have a wide variety of opportunities. Previous residents have shadowed at private practices, traveled to other institutions to get additional experience in subspecialties of interest, spent time with program alumni in practice, etc. There are plenty of possibilities!

What is call like for residents?

Residents take “at home call” about every 6th day. We cover 7 hospitals, all of which are on main campus and accessible through the DMC tunnels, with the exception of Sinai Grace which is a 15 minute drive. Call duties for PGY2 residents are demanding at times. By PGY4, residents are on primary call only for intraocular surgery (ruptured globes, traumatic ocular injury etc.) Call starts at 4:30 pm and goes until 7:30 am. Residents are excused from clinical duties for “post call” at 2pm. The Resident lounge at KEI is available for residents to stay at if they do not want to commute and has a bed, and kitchen available. Sleeping quarters are also available onsite at DMC.

Kresge Eye Institute​
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4717 St. Antoine, Detroit, Michigan 48201

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(313) 577-8900

Detroit Walk in Clinic Hours

​Monday 8:00 am - 4:00pm

Tuesday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Wednesday 8:00 am - 3:30 pm

Thursday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Walk-in clinic offered for urgent eye issues only

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