2017 Updated List on Best TY/Prelim Programs

[HG1HH217]

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[Misterioso.]

Generally speaking, the cush programs are the easy ones without as much experience, which translates to less learning. If you want to skate through, pick a cush program. If you want to get good at diagnosing and managing problems, pick somewhere non-cush that will help you develop your skills.

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Cush:
Scripps SD TY
Several midwestern TYs (?Gunderson, Chicago, Aurora in Denver)
Cottage Santa Barbara prelim IM

Prestige/Academic:
MGH
BWH
Yale NH

My advice for choosing prelims/TYs to apply to would be to find a good mix of programs that are rigorous and cush near where you live (as you want to be able to make sure you can interview easily at these places without extensive travel, also throw in some non-competitive ones near where you live too to make sure you can list at least a few on your ROL and avoid SOAP), and then a few others that sound interesting to you or are in neat places you might want to live. I ended up only interviewing at prelims I could drive to, as interviewing for prelim + advanced specialties really gets draining after about the 10th interview knowing you're only half way through..

 

[Bronze Medal]

Cush TYs are becoming less common as hospitals tighten their purse strings. I know of one program that used to be very cush and offered 2 months of research. Recently the program has changed their policy and now those months are used for other inpatient rotations. The rationale was that the program is paying residents a salary and so residents should be taking care of patients.

 

[OTOSwap]

You won't find cush anymore. I would try to pick the one that will give you the strongest base knowledge and management. You never know what the future holds and having a strong foundation will be beneficial even years later.

 

[ophthapp1]

You won't find cush anymore. I would try to pick the one that will give you the strongest base knowledge and management. You never know what the future holds and having a strong foundation will be beneficial even years later.

First sentence: False.

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[PDTY]

I wouldn't recommend "cush." Look for customization (elective choices) and fit (community vs academic). If you like teaching and doing research, don't look at community as heavily.

My current musing: "Cush" can set you up to be "lazy," and with current burnout rates for all age physicians, I wonder if the expectation for some was set in a "cush" program that work life would always be easy. As an attending, they got broadsided by CMS, hospital admin, partner expectations, and general regulatory systems that make physician life hard. And now are burned out.

In reality, I just think we're all burned out due to increased regulations, and previous resident experience doesn't play into it at all.

 

[catzzz88]

Yeah guys I am wondering if anyone has an excel sheet with the TY programs and things like # weeks of electives, # weeks of ICU, # weeks of night float, etc.

 

[Cognovi]

Cush TYs are becoming less common as hospitals tighten their purse strings. I know of one program that used to be very cush and offered 2 months of research.

BWH gives two months of research (or other electives).

 

[StrawberryTongue]

Yeah guys I am wondering if anyone has an excel sheet with the TY programs and things like # weeks of electives, # weeks of ICU, # weeks of night float, etc.

I'm also looking for this as I gear up to submit my application on ERAS in the next 2 days. If you, or anyone, manage to find one, please please DM me about it. I'd really appreciate it!

 

[AllDay24]

not sure why MSKCC TY and hopkins are not there on the prestige list

scripps is not cush anymore. st lukes in denver is arguably most cush

 

[recycledpaper]

Gundersen and Riverside Regional were the best TY programs I encountered. Also, the new TY at Riverside Community is super dank. I’m here for prelim, which is great in its own right, but the TYs have it a bit better.

 

[ytcmrr]

I interviewed last year at several of the transitional year programs that are frequently mentioned on these forums, and I echo what @recycledpaper mentioned about the Riverside Regional TY program. It seemed like they had the most flexible curriculum both in terms of core rotations and electives. This was ONLY TY program where you didn't have to do both gen surg AND ICU. You could choose them as electives but they were not part of the core set. Also, they had 6 blocks of true electives which were not just limited to sub-specialties of medicine, and you got to choose ALL of them (ie. derm, optho, rad onc, pathology, etc.). Furthermore, this is by far the best TY if you are going into rad onc because you can do two months of rad onc (1x rad onc, 1x radiosurgery) and 1 month of rad onc research which is unheard of for any intern program. Finally, all of the other comments about Riverside Regional from prior years are still accurate to this day . It has not suffered the same fate as the Scripps TY.

 

[drg123]

I interviewed last year at several of the transitional year programs that are frequently mentioned on these forums, and I echo what @recycledpaper mentioned about the Riverside Regional TY program. It seemed like they had the most flexible curriculum both in terms of core rotations and electives. This was ONLY TY program where you didn't have to do both gen surg AND ICU. You could choose them as electives but they were not part of the core set. Also, they had 6 blocks of true electives which were not just limited to sub-specialties of medicine, and you got to choose ALL of them (ie. derm, optho, rad onc, pathology, etc.). Furthermore, this is by far the best TY if you are going into rad onc because you can do two months of rad onc (1x rad onc, 1x radiosurgery) and 1 month of rad onc research which is unheard of for any intern program. Finally, all of the other comments about Riverside Regional from prior years are still accurate to this day . It has not suffered the same fate as the Scripps TY.

@ytcmrr Thanks for the updated info. Sounds pretty great. I was lucky to get an interview here. Do they let you use those elective months for research time? Also, how important is Step 2CK? I haven't taken mine yet. My Step 1 was strong and I'm not certain I'll be able to replicate on 2CK (been away from wards for a while doing research).

 

[NoDakDok]

By far the cushiest TYs I noted (interviewed dozenS of programs with a capital S) were all in the Midwest. USD, UND, Gundersen, and the Milwaukee programs, probably in approximately descending order.

Cushy in terms of Intern year doesn't mean you never work. It means you have a lot of time outside the hospital, you have a lot of elective choices and elective time, Inpatient Medicine is limited to a few (3-5 months) and of reasonable time (e.g, 6 am - 5 pm with reasonable call schedules) and residents are not independent providers but work directly with attendings.

 

[atomi]

Suck it up and do a real prelim at an academic medicine program. Moving across the country for one year at a TY so you can get one extra elective month is a fools errand. There are plenty of decent IM programs that do one month wards one month elective, or even alternate 2 weeks. Intern year is hard with long hours for a reason. I feel I’m a better doctor now because of it. Going to great lengths to do a TY in some far away place just screams lazy and “I’ll do anything to avoid a little extra work.”

A year goes by fast. Get something out of it rather than the TY that is basically just the 5th year of Med school.

 

[Earl Simmons]

Any updated thoughts on the best (easiest and most desirable location) preliminary IM years specifically? Much of the discussion has been on TYs.

 

[Pink Eye]

Suck it up and do a real prelim at an academic medicine program. Moving across the country for one year at a TY so you can get one extra elective month is a fools errand. There are plenty of decent IM programs that do one month wards one month elective, or even alternate 2 weeks. Intern year is hard with long hours for a reason. I feel I’m a better doctor now because of it. Going to great lengths to do a TY in some far away place just screams lazy and “I’ll do anything to avoid a little extra work.”

A year goes by fast. Get something out of it rather than the TY that is basically just the 5th year of Med school.

How important your intern year is for your career depends on what field you are going into. I am an ophthalmologist, so I can only speak from an ophthalmologist’s perspective. My advice for a med student going into ophthalmology is to pick the cushest program you can get into.

Clinical knowledge or skills that are used in internal medicine or general surgery prelim years do not directly translate to ophthalmology. Residents who did hard core academic gen surg or internal medicine years did not do any better the first few months compared to residents who did TY years. I would almost argue that residents from tough prelims were burnt out by the time residency started.

So why bust your ass for no reason. I think your perspective on how important your intern year will change once you go into your chosen field that has nothing to do with your prelim year.

My TY year was one of the best years of my life!!! I loved every minute of it.