ER,
I can only comment on the Army's procedure. When you are a 4th year you apply for FYGE (first year graduate education) otherwise known as internship. In the fall of your internship year you will apply for residency.
For many residencies the applicaiton made in the fall of intership year is just a formality. For example: if you match for a FYGME in family Practice you are pretty much guaranteed to continue on to your residency at the PGY2 level.
On the other hand if you are applying for competitive residencies such as Ortho you may not contiune onto your PGY2 year directly. If you do not get selected for the PGY2 year, you may be offered a deferment or possibly even a general medical officer tour.
In the Army, you are required to apply for an Army residency. If you do not match to the FYGME year you apply for then you may be offered a deferment to do civilian residency. Since the Army has such a large system, the chances of getting defered are slim to none. I know that the other branches have higher rates of deferment.
Yes, the military residencies do qualify for dual accrediation, but I think you have to submit paperwork to the AOA to get official approval. The internship year is definitely AOA approved.
Hope this helps,
Bill
M4 CCOM