In this episode, Ferdinand Rodríguez Agramonte, MD, a surgical vitreoretinal specialist who completed his residency at Georgetown University and fellowship at the Cincinnati Eye Institute, discusses his decision to complete his training in the US, his mindset on risk and how to make the most of your ophthalmic education, how to improve your interactions with patients, moving back to Puerto Rico to serve his home country, and much more.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Opening | 0:00
- Returning to Puerto Rico | 1:01
- Life Transition | 2:46
- Logistics of moving | 4:17
- Retina in Puerto Rico | 6:07
- Growing up in Puerto Rico | 12:56
- Deciding to come to the USA | 14:51
- Applying to residency (strategies) | 17:08
- Orthopedic surgery vs. ophthalmology | 19:19
- Tactics | 21:22
- Worst case scenario | 22:06
- The Most Positive Day of the Year | 23:33
- M1/M2 Interlude | 26:27
- New York & COVID-19 | 28:22
- The Value of the Internship | 29:42
- Making the most of intern year | 36:27
- How to maximize your learning in residency | 38:04
- Committing to Retina | 43:36
- Choosing the right fellowship | 44:40
- Learning during fellowship | 46:39
- Interacting with Industry | 49:41
- Raising a family during training | 50:47
- Empathy, communication, & personal insight | 53:58
- Ophthalmology Residency Admissions Committee | 1:00:43
- Residency interviews during COVID-19 | 1:03:16
- Avoiding the Freshman 15 | 1:04:49
- The Art of the Deal | 1:10:33
- Natural Disasters & Fake News | 1:13:44
- The Sands of Sahara | 1:15:15