title: Attrition from ophthalmology residency programs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the incidence of and reasons for voluntary resident attrition from ophthalmology training programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was mailed to residency program directors of the 121 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited ophthalmology residency programs asking them to report the number of residents who withdrew from training during 2001 to 2002 and the reasons for withdrawal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 102 responding programs, 13 (12.7%) had one resident withdraw from training in the academic year 2001 to 2002. These 13 residents represented 1.1% of all ophthalmology residents in training at the responding institutions during that academic year. The most frequent reason for withdrawing was to enter another medical specialty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Voluntary resident attrition from ophthalmology training programs is uncommon. The 1.1% attrition rate in this study is the lowest among published reports of attrition from other specialties.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Mark_Hatton@meei.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Hatton
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Loewenstein
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013332:Student Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States