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Optometry Residencies Rise for Third Year in a Row

April 8, 2018

ROCKVILLE, MD, April 8, 2018 – Every year, the Association of Schools and Colleges (ASCO) offers an optometry residency matching service – or ORMatch – to interested optometry students. The 2018 match occurred on March 12. Results from this year’s match continue positive upward trends from last year’s, and suggest that optometry students increasingly value completing a residency after graduation.

Below are some statistics from this year’s match.

  • The number of students who participated in 2018 was the highest, at 517 participants, an increase of 7.7% from 2017.
  • Applications submitted in 2018 was 2,614, an increase of 9.1% from 2017.
  • The average number of rankings per participant in 2018 rose to 3.5, from 3.2 in 2017, an increase of 9.4%.
  • The number of residency sites in 2018 increased to 240, a 2.1% increase.
  • Residency programs filling all positions also rose in 2018 to 8.2, from 7.2 in 2017 an increase of 13.8%.
  • Seventy percent (364) of participants were matched with a residency, a decrease of 4% from 2017.
  • Residency programs filling all positions also rose in 2018 to 8.2, from 7.2 in 2017 an increase of 13.8%.

“The Optometry Residency Match shows a continued upward trend in interest in residency education,” according to Dr. Diane T. Adamczyk, Professor and Director of Residency Education at State University of New York, College of Optometry. “This year’s match, when compared to prior years, has seen an increase in the number of applicants, an increase in residency sites, and an increase in residency positions offered. The match reflects the growing interest and importance residency education provides to the practitioner, the patient, and the profession.”

Completing a residency in optometry is a unique and invaluable experience. The rich rewards gained from the year of advanced clinical training under an experienced mentor serve to enhance career opportunities and add to the level of confidence the resident has when beginning his/her post-residency career.

For more information on optometric residency programs, visit ASCO’s website.

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The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) is a non-profit association representing the interests of optometric education. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Rockville, MD, ASCO is committed to achieving excellence in optometric education and to helping its member institutions prepare well-qualified graduates for entrance into the profession of optometry. Its membership encompasses the schools and colleges of optometry in the 50 states and Puerto Rico. A number of optometry schools outside the United States are affiliate members.