IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - The 2025 residency interviews will follow a virtual format in line with AUPO and SF Match policy.

The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute will not use signals. We review all applications. Sending your application to us serves as a strong signal of your interest in our program.  

The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, which serves as the Department of Ophthalmology for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, offers a three-year ACGME approved residency training program in conjunction with Jackson Memorial Hospital. The program also provides three months of ophthalmology training to matched residents through a joint internship at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital Department of Internal Medicine.

Eight first-year residents will be entering our program this July 1. The 8 positions will be filled through the Ophthalmology Residency Matching Program. Learn more about the application and interview process.

How to Apply

                                                                                                                                                                  During internship, residents rotate through the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, attending ophthalmic pathology rounds, participating in cataract simulation training sessions, and evaluating patients in Bascom Palmer's dedicated eye emergency department and on the inpatient consult service. Interns also rotate through the Miami Veterans Affairs Hospital, where they evaluate patients, perform intravitreal injections, and apply retinal laser treatments when indicated.

As a first-year resident, residents learn the basic techniques of ocular diagnosis and medical management of a variety of ocular diseases. Subspecialty training is offered in neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, ophthalmic pathology, and pediatric ophthalmology. An ongoing basic science course is integrated into the training program throughout each year of residency.

The second year of training is dedicated to in-depth exposure to the subspecialties of vitreoretinal diseases, cornea and external diseases, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, and oculoplastics as well as an introduction to ophthalmic surgery.

The 79 full-time Bascom Palmer clinical faculty members examine 290,000 outpatients annually and perform 19,000 surgical procedures annually. During their subspecialty training in the third year, residents have the opportunity to participate in the medical and surgical care of these patients. The resident’s medical and surgical experience is further augmented by integrated experiences at the Veterans Administration Hospital (all three years) and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (final year).

The residents have their own continuity clinic throughout all three years of residency. The general eye care service is a unique experience that allows for longitudinal follow up of patients and serves to develop meaningful physician patient relationships, establish continuity of care, and foster an intimate understanding of the natural history of the broad spectrum of ophthalmic pathology. This high-volume clinic generates 30,000-35,000 clinic encounters/year and is funded in large part by the Public Health Trust/Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Our residents also serve in the front lines in the state of the art Bascom Palmer Emergency Department, open 24/7 to any and all patients in need of urgent/emergent ophthalmic care. This busy arm of our Institute generates approximately 30,000-35,000 emergency encounters per year. All clinical and surgical visits are supervised in a graded fashion by our faculty. Patients seen here are often followed up in the general eye care service.

Residents perform an average of 1,400 lasers and surgical procedures as the primary surgeon. This includes but is not limited to the following broad surgical categories: 220 cataracts, 315 lasers, 50+ glaucoma, 33 retina, 500 intravitreal injections, 105 oculoplastics, 46 strabismus, and 22 globe traumas.

Learn more about our residency program curriculum and unique educational opportunities.

Salary and Benefits

House staff salaries for the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center are uniform and are subject to change each year. Below is the current schedule:

• PGY-1 internship (through Internal Medicine) $63,637.31
• PGY-2 1st year $66,161.12
• PGY-3 2nd year $68,857.29
• PGY-4 3rd year $72,416.19

Medical Insurance

• AvMed Jackson First, AvMed Select HMO and AvMed POS
• No cost to employee for Jackson First Plan
• Employee responsible for 100% of dependent premium

Note: Health insurance premium rates and plans are subject to change. A no cost option will be provided for single employee coverage.

Dental Insurance

• Delta Dental DHMO and Delta Dental PPO (Standard Plan): No cost to employee. Employee responsible for 100% of dependent premium.
• Delta Dental DHMO and Delta Dental PPO (Enriched Plan): Employee responsible for portion of the premium and 100% of dependent premium.

Vision Insurance

• Davis Vision Plan: Employee responsible for 100% of employee and dependent premium.
• Free contacts are available at our contact lens clinic and free glasses and sunglasses at our optical shop.

Note: Dental and Vision insurance plans premiums are subject to change.

Mental Health Insurance

Optum for employees and dependents. Disability Insurance at no cost to employee while in training 60% of monthly basic earnings, to a maximum of $3,500/month.

Life Insurance

$50,000 at no cost to employee/ $50,000 Supplemental Insurance $60/ annually

Professional Allowance

$2,000/per residency academic year

Parking

Discounted at $5.54/bi-weekly

Lab Coats

Residents are provided with three new lab coats per residency academic year

Meal Card

Residents are provided with $2,250 for food expenses at Bascom Palmer and Jackson Memorial Hospital

Meeting Attendance

Unlimited paid conferences

Vacation and Sick Days

28 paid vacation days are provided per residency academic year including weekends and holidays. 14 sick days are provided per residency academic year. 

Wellness Day

1 day per residency academic year

Daily Rounds & Conferences

Rounds on most services begin at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

Monday

7:10-8:00 a.m. Morning Conference
8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon Pathology (Assigned Residents)

Tuesday

7:10-8:00 a.m. Morning Conference

Wednesday

7:10-8:00 a.m. Morning Conference

Thursday

7:30-9:00 a.m. Grand Rounds

Friday

7:10-8:00 a.m. Morning Conference

License

Residents are required to register with the State of Florida as an unlicensed physician.

(Include Visa status requirements for FMGs applying to residency, ECFMG requirements as well)

Affiliations

The University of Miami Medical School has an affiliation with Jackson Memorial Hospital, its teaching hospital, for the purpose of medical student training. Through this affiliation it permits faculty members to contract with and serve Jackson Memorial Hospital as attending medical staff.

Jackson Memorial Hospital attending medical staff in turn, hires, trains and supervises the residents within the Jackson Memorial Hospital residency program.

The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is responsible for the academic and research opportunities intrinsic to an outstanding residency experience and as such is proud of the exemplary blend of clinical training, research and community services that the school provides future specialists.

Contact

Damarys Menendez
Sr. Manager, Residency and Fellowship Programs
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
900 N.W. 17th Street
Miami, FL 33136

Phone: 305-326-6032
Fax: 305-326-6580
Email: d.menendez3@med.miami.edu