Other Transitional/Prelim Year For Undecided

[New Memnber]

Posted in MD forum but didn't get a response. Made a new profile to remain anonymous. Thinking about switching specialties but understand its getting late therefore thinking about prelim or transitional years.

How exactly do these work? Should I start applying to them now? Are they for students who aren't sure what they wanted to do after 4 years? Do you do them for a year then apply to a residency you like after having a year to think it over?

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[buckets]

Hey! I would recommend applying to prelim internal medicine (or surgery if you like the more procedural aspect of things) rather than a transitional year. That way, if you like your prelim year in IM (or surg), you can work with your program director to *try* to stay on in that track (complete the 2 years left in IM / 4+ years in surg). If you want to do something outside of IM or surg, you'd apply again for those positions, but at least you're in a residency during and not out of it.

TY's are very competitive and are essentially a dead-end after the year is up, so I think prelim positions are the smarter route.