Easy to get Transitional Programs

[La Fiera]

Can anyone recommend some transitional programs that are easier to match into? I'm applying really late, but I thought I'd still give it a shot, as opposed to going with all Prelim programs. Furthermore, location is more important for me (eg. I'd like to live in the west or Hawaii) for the year!
Are transitional programs fairly competetive? And, are prelim programs a lot less competetive?
Thanks!

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[BKN]

Are transitional programs fairly competetive? And, are prelim programs a lot less competetive?
Thanks!

Yes and Yes. A change from the 80's.

from 2005 nrmp stats

Trans 95% filled 87% us seniors
Surg prelim 65% 45% us seniors
IM prelim 91% 77%
go to scutwork.com homepage to find details. Good luck.

 

[SFX]

Could someone please explain what the difference between a transitional and a prelim spot is. Thanks.

 

[BKN]

Could someone please explain what the difference between a transitional and a prelim spot is. Thanks.

Sure. A transitional year is a broad based one. It was originally called a "rotating internship". Back in the 30s-50s, most graduates did one year of it and went out to do general practice.

As specialty training evolved, most specialists went to residency after a rotating internship. Then it became possible to do a surgical or medical internship, cutting a year off. Later, Family Medicine was introduced and it became hard to get hospital privileges with only an internship.Then there were no internships, only residencies. What few rotatings were left became transitionals.

Surgical prelims come from requirements that subspecialists (ortho, urology, etc) have some general surgical training before entering at the PG2 level. Plus many surgical programs were pyramidal, shedding residents after 2 or 3 years.

I'm not sure how the medicine prelim came about. Possibly as an alternate feeder to derm and anesthesia.

So much for history. Anyway, if you match to a transitional year, you'll rotate between IM, surgery, OB-gyn, EM and others. IM prelims and Surg prelims will be the specialty and it's subspecialty\ies.

Hurry, times awastin'.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Transitionals are generally considered easier to get through. Fewer call months etc. IMO it depends on what field you are considering. I believe you are thinking EM and as such while most I have talked to said it doesnt matter some have told me that Transitionals are better because you get the broad base which is helpful in EM. You can do some ICU months, Gas, etc. Since Transitionals are harder to get into because of these factors. Hope this helps..

 

[La Fiera]

Thanks!
Are there any "less" desirable transitionals around? Or is it more based off of location. Eg. no one wants to do a transitional year in oklahoma, so its easy to get.
Also, yes, ectopic fetus, you saw my other post about EM, I was wondering can you do a prelim year in surgery, or in medicine, or what's the deal? what's better for going into er?

 

[BKN]

Thanks!
Are there any "less" desirable transitionals around? Or is it more based off of location. Eg. no one wants to do a transitional year in oklahoma, so its easy to get.
Also, yes, ectopic fetus, you saw my other post about EM, I was wondering can you do a prelim year in surgery, or in medicine, or what's the deal? what's better for going into er?

Remember that ER comes in different flavors: i.e. 1,2,3 or 1,2,3,4 or 2,3,4 or em/im and em/peds (5 years each) or finally there's 1 6 year program em/im/critical care.

We're a crazy bunch. Many of the 1,2,3 programs will not consider you if you do a prelim (it's a medicare reimbursement issue). The 2,3,4 programs generally will like transitional or either prelim, however I know at least one PD who likes IM prelims.

Some 1,2,3 programs ( mine and a couple of others) actually prefer people with advanced training.

Hope this helps.

BKN PD

 

[Apollyon]

Some 1,2,3 programs (mine and a couple of others) actually prefer people with advanced training.

So why not convert to a 2,3,4? (This will bridge the gap for Jacobi and Mt. Sinai going to 1-4; then again, Andy Jagoda is one of my heroes.)

 

[Peeshee]

If you do a transitional year, does that year count toward family medicine or internal medicine?

 

[cchoukal]

Transitionals are generally considered easier to get through. Fewer call months etc. IMO it depends on what field you are considering. I believe you are thinking EM and as such while most I have talked to said it doesnt matter some have told me that Transitionals are better because you get the broad base which is helpful in EM. You can do some ICU months, Gas, etc. Since Transitionals are harder to get into because of these factors. Hope this helps..

This is generally true, but I interviewed at one transitional program (Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis) that offered the luxury of 9-10 months of Q4 call and 2 weeks of vacation. No thanks.

I'm currently a categorical intern in the dept of anesthesia and critical care at the Univ of Chicago, and we rotate part time at a small, private, community hospital on the north side of Chicago (Weiss Memorial) that also has a transitional program (in addition to a prelim and a 100% FMG categorical IM program). Although the place is kind of a dump and the teaching is not at all remarkable, the hours and rotation schedule for the transitionals is really quite good. There's a night float, so on floor months, the interns only stay overnight if their long call night is on a saturday (the one night that nightfloat has off); the rest of the call is a 5 day cycle of short ('til 3pm) and long ('til 8pm) call. ICU, of course, is Q4 overnight, however. The nurseatient ratio (often 1:8) frequently make this a frustrating (and sometimes frightening) place to work, but if you're looking for a pretty cush transitional program in a great city, this is one too look at.

Talking to some of my colleagues at other area transitional programs, MacNeal hospital and Northwestern Evanston sound pretty cush and in FAR nicer settings with WAY better teaching. This is, however, word of mouth.

 

[trkd]

Some 1,2,3 programs ( mine and a couple of others) actually prefer people with advanced training.

Hope this helps.

BKN PD

Do you mean people apply after doing a prelim or TY year (i.e. attempting to match into PGY1 after matching into a single year gig the previous year)?

 

[cchoukal]

Do you mean people apply after doing a prelim or TY year (i.e. attempting to match into PGY1 after matching into a single year gig the previous year)?

Some do, if they can't find an open G2 spot. I can definitely think of a couple of surgery residents I know that didn't match into a categorical spot, ended up doing prelim surgery internships, then couldn't find an open G2 spot, but THEN matched into a categorical spot as a G1 for the following year, thereby signing on for 2 years of internship. Ish.

Not sure if this happens in other fields, though.

 

[BKN]

yes. We look at people who have completed other training as well.