Activities	Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries of the eyes and related structures.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$166,400+ per year in 2008.
Work Context & Conditions	Ophthalmologist diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids. Prescribe treatments or therapies such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy, and low vision therapy. Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders. Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, and oculoplastic surgeries. Perform laser surgeries to alter, remove, reshape, or replace ocular tissue. Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits. Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests. Prescribe corrective lenses such as glasses and contact lenses. Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain. Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care.
Minimum Education Requirements	M.D.
Skills	Persuasion, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Instructing, Management of Material Resources, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Equipment Selection, Time Management, Troubleshooting, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science
Abilities	Oral Expression, Control Precision, Speech Recognition, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Speech Clarity, Inductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension
Interviews	Emily Chew

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		Ophthalmologists diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries of the eyes and related structures, and may perform eye surgery. Ophthalmologists may perform a number of tasks including: Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids. Prescribe ophthalmologic treatments or therapies such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy, and low vision therapy. Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders. Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, and oculoplastic surgeries. Perform laser surgeries to alter, remove, reshape, or replace ocular tissue. Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits. Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests. Prescribe corrective lenses such as glasses and contact lenses. Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain. Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care. Document or evaluate patients' medical histories. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of health professionals to provide optimal patient care. Conduct clinical or laboratory-based research in ophthalmology. Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services. Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision. Instruct interns, residents, or others in ophthalmologic procedures and techniques. Provide ophthalmic consultation to other medical professionals. Refer patients for more specialized treatments when conditions exceed the experience, expertise, or scope of practice of practitioner.
Working Conditions		Many physicians work in small private offices or clinics, often assisted by a small staff of nurses and other administrative personnel. Increasingly, physicians are practicing in groups or health care organizations that provide backup coverage and allow for more time off. Physicians in a group practice or health care organization often work as part of a team that coordinates care for a number of patients; they are less independent than the solo practitioners of the past. Many physicians and surgeons work long, irregular hours. Over one-third of full-time physicians and surgeons worked 60 hours or more a week in 2008. Only 9 percent of all physicians and surgeons worked part-time, compared with 15 percent for all occupations. Physicians and surgeons must travel frequently between office and hospital to care for their patients. While on call, a physician will deal with many patients’ concerns over the phone and make emergency visits to hospitals or nursing homes.
Salary Range		Earnings of physicians and surgeons are among the highest of any occupation. The median annual earnings for salaried Physicians and Surgeons were $66,400+ in 2008. The Medical Group Management Association’s Physician Compensation and Production Survey, reports that median total compensation for physicians in 2005 varied by specialty. Self-employed physicians—those who own or are part owners of their medical practice—generally have higher median incomes than salaried physicians. Earnings vary according to number of years in practice, geographic region, hours worked, skill, personality, and professional reputation. Self-employed physicians and surgeons must provide for their own health insurance and retirement.

Education Required		The common path to practicing as a physician requires 8 years of education beyond high school and 3 to 8 additional years of internship and residency. All States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories license physicians. Formal education and training requirements for physicians are among the most demanding of any occupation—4 years of undergraduate school, 4 years of medical school, and 3 to 8 years of internship and residency, depending on the specialty selected. A few medical schools offer combined undergraduate and medical school programs that last 6 or 7 years rather than the customary 8 years. Premedical students must complete undergraduate work in physics, biology, mathematics, English, and inorganic and organic chemistry. Students also take courses in the humanities and the social sciences. Some students volunteer at local hospitals or clinics to gain practical experience in the health professions. The minimum educational requirement for entry into medical school is 3 years of college; most applicants, however, have at least a bachelor's degree, and many have advanced degrees. In 2008, there were 129 medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is the national accrediting body for M.D. medical education programs. The American Osteopathic Association accredits schools that award a D.O. degree; there were 25 schools accredited in 31 locations in 2008. Acceptance to medical school is highly competitive. Most applicants must submit transcripts, scores from the Medical College Admission Test, and letters of recommendation. Schools also consider an applicant's character, personality, leadership qualities, and participation in extracurricular activities. Most schools require an interview with members of the admissions committee. Students spend most of the first 2 years of medical school in laboratories and classrooms, taking courses such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, microbiology, pathology, medical ethics, and laws governing medicine. They also learn to take medical histories, examine patients, and diagnose illnesses. During their last 2 years, students work with patients under the supervision of experienced physicians in hospitals and clinics, learning acute, chronic, preventive, and rehabilitative care. Through rotations in internal medicine, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery, they gain experience in the diagnosis and treatment of illness. Following medical school, almost all M.D.s enter a residency—graduate medical education in a specialty that takes the form of paid on-the-job training, usually in a hospital. Most D.O.s serve a 12-month rotating internship after graduation and before entering a residency, which may last 2 to 6 years.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Health, Physics
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		All States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories license physicians. To be licensed, physicians must graduate from an accredited medical school, pass a licensing examination, and complete 1 to 7 years of graduate medical education. Although physicians licensed in one State usually can get a license to practice in another without further examination, some States limit reciprocity. Graduates of foreign medical schools generally can qualify for licensure after passing an examination and completing a U.S. residency. M.D.s and D.O.s seeking board certification in a specialty may spend up to 7 years in residency training, depending on the specialty. A final examination immediately after residency or after 1 or 2 years of practice also is necessary for certification by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). The ABMS represents 24 boards related to medical specialties ranging from allergy and immunology to urology. The AOA has approved 18 specialty boards, ranging from anesthesiology to surgery. For certification in a subspecialty, physicians usually need another 1 to 2 years of residency. Medical Licensure Graduates of United States and Canadian Medical Schools: Applicants for Board Certification must hold a valid and unrestricted license(s) to practice medicine in the United States, its territories or Canadian province in which the applicant's practice of medicine is regularly conducted and in each other place in which the person practices or has practiced medicine and has an unexpired license. Applicants must notify the Board of any action taken by a state medical licensing board within 60 days of such action. Additionally, the American Board of Medical Specialties, in conjunction with the Federation of State Medical Licensing Boards, provides all Boards with disciplinary action status on all candidates and diplomats.”

Interest Area		Enterprising Involves starting up and carrying out projects, leading people, making many decisions, and dealing with businesses, and it sometimes requires risk taking. Conventional Involves following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. There's usually a clear line of authority to follow. Social Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people. Artistic Involves a degree of self-expression and working with forms, designs, and patterns and without a clear set of rules. Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking. Realistic Involves working on practical, hands-on problems and solutions, often with real-world materials, tools, and machinery.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Independence Work alone. Working Conditions Good working conditions. Recognition Receive recognition for the work you do. Advancement Opportunities for advancement.
Skills		Persuasion Persuade others to approach things differently. Monitoring Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Instructing Teach others how to do something. Management of Material Resources Obtain and see to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Service Orientation Actively look for ways to help people. Equipment Selection Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Troubleshooting Determine what is causing an operating error and deciding what to do about it. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Complex Problem Solving Solving novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Control Precision Able to quickly and repeatedly make precise adjustments in moving the controls of a machine or vehicle. Speech Recognition Identify and understand the speech of another person Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer). Speech Clarity Able to speak clearly so listeners understand. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Optician, Physician, Surgeon
Job Outlook		Employment of physicians and surgeons is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. Job opportunities should be very good, especially for physicians and surgeons willing to practice in specialties or in rural and low-income areas where there is a perceived shortage of medical practitioners. Employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow 22 percent from 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. Job growth will occur because of continued expansion of health care related industries. The growing and aging population will drive overall growth in the demand for physician services, as consumers continue to demand high levels of care using the latest technologies, diagnostic tests, and therapies. Demand for physicians’ services is highly sensitive to changes in consumer preferences, health care reimbursement policies, and legislation. For example, if changes to health coverage result in consumers facing higher out-of-pocket costs, they may demand fewer physician services. Patients relying more on other health care providers—such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, optometrists, and nurse anesthetists—also may temper demand for physician services. In addition, new technologies will increase physician productivity. These technologies include electronic medical records, test and prescription orders, billing, and scheduling.
More Information		American Board of Ophthalmology
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Handbook, 2010-2011, Physicians and Surgeons, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos074.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-1069.06 American Board of Ophthamology, http://www.abop.org/index1.asp