Army TY Confusion

[Treehun]

hello team,

I matched an Army transional year without a PGY 2 year attached.
What are my options in pursuing residency after internship?
Can I apply as a PGY2? Will I have to redo PGY1? Or something in between?
Will I likely have to do a GMO or something like that?
Will they force me into IM or FM ?

Are there any benefits at all to my situation?!

I’m really pretty confused on the process. Thank you for your feedback or links!

-confused maniac

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[AvoidMilitaryMedicine]

hello team,

I matched an Army transional year without a PGY 2 year attached.
What are my options in pursuing residency after internship?
Can I apply as a PGY2? Will I have to redo PGY1? Or something in between?
Will I likely have to do a GMO or something like that?
Will they force me into IM or FM ?

Are there any benefits at all to my situation?!

I’m really pretty confused on the process. Thank you for your feedback or links!

-confused maniac

Many of my peers have been TYs and have matched into virtually all the different specialties (from Derm to EM to Rad Onc to Psychiatry). Of note, I wouldn't necessarily think of IM or FM as specialties that people are being 'forced into,' as I've had friends who've applied to both as TYs and never get picked up for a variety of reasons and ultimately, allowed to complete their contracts as GMOs and get out.

You'll have the opportunity to reapply during your TY to go directly into the PGY2 program of another specialty -- some tips to help your case: take (and pass) your Step 3 early -- do well on your first few rotations (to get Letters of Recommendation). If you already know what you want to apply for, it helps to use as many of your electives to complete the intern year pre-reqs of the specialty you are applying for. In some cases you may have to make-up/redo some of the PGY1 requirements as a PGY2, but first things, first.

If for whatever reason you don't match into a PGY2 program, you likely will have to be a GMO for at least a year or 2-- I have friends who've been GMOs from anywhere from 1-4 years, some like it, but most hate it. I'd encourage you to keep applying every year until you get picked up.

Hard to say if there are 'benefits,' from everything I've heard, it's like the 5th year of medical school and for those who are unmatched, may feel a little like the 'unwanted step-children,' of the hospital. All a matter of perspective. As I personally know, many people who went unmatched and did very well for themselves.

Provided that there are no red flags on your application, I would say the most beneficial thing to do would be take and (hopefully, ace) Step 3 as early as you can (July/Aug/Sep) and if you already know what you want to apply for, take the pre-reqs of that specialty early, and do well in them.

Good luck!

 

[HighPriest]

The only benefit, I would think, is if you really aren't sure what you want to do. TY can give you the opportunity to sniff things out a little more. It can also, potentially, give you a chance to have more face time with a specialty you're interested in. As long as you do well on those rotations, that can be helpful. we had a few TY applicants who did really well, and it definitely helped them when it came to match time the following year.

 

[Treehun]

Thank you for your responses so far,

If a program did not have PGY2 spots, would an applicant be allowed to apply for A Pgy1 spot or is that unheard of ?

 

[HighPriest]

Yeah, that happens not uncommonly. If a PGY2 opens up, all the better. Although you may still have trouble with ACGME requirements in some situations. For example, ENT residents are supposed to do Neuro, OMFS, and Plastics rotations as interns. If you didn't do those during your TY year and you applied for a PGY2 ENT spot, you'd be a bit of a burden on the program because you would have to go back and do them. So you're probably more likely to get PGY1.

 

[Gastrapathy]

What do you want to do?

 

[Treehun]

What do you want to do?

psychiatry.....(maybe IM too)

 

[Cooperd0g]

I have seen several people get full PGY1 credit for psych and probably close to 11/13 credit for IM coming from TY. If you tailer your TY electives towards either it will help your cause later on.

 

[deleted707454]

If you do a TY, then fulfill your contract as a GMO for 4 years, are there specialties which you wouldn't be eligible to apply to as a PGY-2 on the civilian side?

Fairly sure I read that you would have to repeat intern year for some specialties but not for others.

 

[colbgw02]

any "advanced" specialty, meaning ones with separate residency and internship, ought to accept a TY internship, e.g. radiology, anesthiology, rad-onc, derm, ophtho.

 

[244913]

hello team,

I matched an Army transional year without a PGY 2 year attached.
What are my options in pursuing residency after internship?
Can I apply as a PGY2? Will I have to redo PGY1? Or something in between?
Will I likely have to do a GMO or something like that?
Will they force me into IM or FM ?

Are there any benefits at all to my situation?!

I’m really pretty confused on the process. Thank you for your feedback or links!

-confused maniac

When I was a PGY 1 some yrs ago most of the TYs went straight to GMO- the physically qualified to flight and the rest to TMCs or WTUs. That was when optempo was extreme.

At that time IM, FP and Neuro ran short and so every TY program made a big push to get them to switch into categorical residency training. A few did. Most chose to do a gmo tour. I don’t know if those residencies still run short in army gme but that’s your best bet for residency training.

It was unheard at that time for TYs to get picked up into competitive specialties bc there were few slots available and they competed with returning gmos. I think one guy matched into EM. Also the gen surg programs were pyramidal (are they still?) and lost 1 intern or so each year to cull the herd.

Doing a TY will count for anesthesia, derm, Rads, maybe Ophtho, possibly Neuro. Most FP and IM programs would make you repeat at least 1/2 of pgy1 because you wouldn’t have enough inpatient and icu months. Psych I think requires at least 6 months of medicine wards for pgy 1..which most TYs don’t give you.

Psych isn’t traditionally competitive in or out of the Army. You have nothing to lose by applying again but you should ask yourself why you didn’t match the first time. Bad interview rotations? Step failures? What feedback have you gotten about this?

- ex 61N