University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program

Program Identity & Fit

UNMC's Ophthalmology residency is a small, integrated four-year academic program (three residents/class) built around the tertiary-referral Truhlsen Eye Institute and the Omaha VA Medical Center, giving residents graduated autonomy in resident-run clinics and early, high-volume surgical exposure (averaging ~330 primary cataracts by graduation). Research is mandatory rather than optional: every resident selects a faculty mentor, presents annually at the Gifford-Truhlsen Conference, and must publish or present at least one peer-reviewed paper, supported by dedicated wet lab/simulation facilities and a program-specific research journal. The program supports both trajectories explicitly, with roughly 60% of graduates pursuing subspecialty fellowship (including in-house surgical retina and pediatric/strabismus fellowships) and 40% entering general practice, reflecting a structure built for surgical independence and academic productivity rather than a fellowship-only pipeline. Its small size, one-on-one faculty supervision, and emphasis on resident-run VA clinics suggest a program that values self-directed clinical ownership and scholarly output within a tight-knit cohort.