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Partners in Peril?

Eve J. Higginbotham, MD; George Rust, MD, MPH

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(5):727-728.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In some ways, ophthalmology and primary care may be considered strange bedfellows. Twenty years ago, ophthalmology was at the pinnacle of subspecialties as measured by competition for residency slots and the median income of practitioners. Primary care, in contrast, has long struggled for a place at the academic medicine table, often losing out in the competition for US medical graduates to higher-paying specialties. From those disparate histories, imagine practitioners of both disciplines waking up together in a world where each faces quite similar challenges in retaining patients, in being compensated for excellent care, and in attracting the best of America's medical trainees.

What compels ophthalmology and primary care to face a common future? In 2004, a survey by the Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology found that most schools (70%) did not require a formal rotation in ophthalmology before graduating.¹ Unless ophthalmology . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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