Transitional Year Programs

[dorkwood]

As a future PM&R doc ( I hope) I need to figure out where to apply for my intern year. I'm presently a med student at emory, and I get the impression that the transitional year program year is pretty brutal. Does anyone know of a good program that doesn't destroy its interns?

Possibly in the NYC area?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Stinky T]

Actually, TY programs are generally regarded as easier (in terms of hours) and more competitive than prelims in medicine or surgery. I assume your question is really about which programs are the cushiest. The TY programs that I liked in NY were as follows:

1. Mt.Sinai - Cabrini
2. NYMC at St. Vincent's Hospital

I can't remember all the details because it's been a long time since I interviewed. However, I remember both programs offering lots of electives and a very kind call schedule. I also interviewed at the Medicine Prelim at NYU - Downtown Hospital. I ranked the program fairly low, but the pay was much higher than the other programs ($50,000 for PGY-1) and they offered a studio for $100-$200 in the Financial District -- not a terrible deal if you're single!

Just outside of NY, I interviewed at the two TYs affiliated with Yale. I thought both programs were pretty good and the hours were pretty decent. Anyway, that's about it for me since I didn't want to be in NY for internship or residency. Both programs in NY are extremely competitive because you are competing with people going into Derm, Rads, EM, etc. Most of them would rather not do a prelim in medicine or surgery too (at least the smart ones ).

Anyway, most PM&R programs would prefer that you do a prelim in medicine (some even require you to). However, most of the residents in my program opted to do a TY. Unless you like IM or GS, I would highly recommend trying to get into a TY program. As a prelim in medicine or surgery, you pretty much get integrated into the medicine or surgery service. Therefore, you have more responsibilites and more is expected of you (at least that was the way it was in my program). Also, TY programs generally offer more elective time (I had four months) and this translates into no calls during those months. With the elective time, I spent two months doing Pain Management and the Rads Interns spent all four months in the Radiology department. Good luck.

 

[drusso]

Agree with Stink. I'm doing a transitional year right now in preparation for PM&R. It's nice having the elective time to rotate on rehab-related services during your internship (pain, ortho, rheum, sports, neuro, etc). Most of the transitional year programs are more competitive to land than a prelim year in medicine or surgery (shutter the thought). I'd recommend a transitional year program over a prelim medicine year any day.

 

[dorkwood]

Hmm, well obviously I would be better doing a ty than a standard IM or GS....

My only concern is--my grades suck and my board scores on step one were not so great (204/83) so if TY programs are really that competitive, I doubt I would match in anything decent...


So are good TY spots tough to get, really?

Of course, while NYC would be nice I likely will look at PM&R programs all over the country....so if I can find one thats matched with a nice TY program, all the better!

 

[Jim Picotte]

Go transitional without a doubt. I was given my transitional year when I matched into radiology here in Michigan. Every program has different requirements but here's what I'm doing. 2 months of general IM (q4 call), 1 month of Nephrology (q4 call), 1 month of General Surgery (q4 call). Those are all my call months and are required for the TY. A Family Practice OP month (no call) and Emergency Medicine (no call) month are required as well. This leaves me with 6 elective months. Because of my integration with the radiology program, they require me to do 2 months of Nuclear Medicine in my TY (this leaves an additional 2 elective months my PGY-5 year as we're required to have 6 months of Nucs by the ABR). That leaves 4 real electives which are very heavy on teaching, very low on scut, no call, usually no weekends (maybe 1 or 2 morning on Saturday).

My PGY-1 year is much easier than my 3rd year of medical school and I think it gives people a pretty broad based education and with the electives, you can take rotations that you're interested in or want to learn more about.

At other TY programs I interviewed at, some required Pediatrics and I remember one required 2 months of OB (I didn't rank that program, what am I going to learn delivering babies for 2 months and being on call q4 days as well). I didn't even look into prelim med or surgery programs, but I can't imagine doing a PGY-1 year in prelim surgery and then rads unless you love surgery.

Good luck.

 

[Voxel]

Yes, I agree that for the most part transitional years are much eaiser because you do basically 4 months-6months of electives and vacation. It is all a trade off. I do six, 4week blocks of medicine (with 1 block of night float), 1 block of surgery, 1 block ER, 4 blocks electives, and 1 block vacation. My electives are sweet 9-5 no call no weekends, the ER is doable I think with 20 - 12 hr shifts, medicine is q4-6 until 9pm with night float 7 days a week (no overnight call), surgery is q4 overnight during the weekdays with post call day off, and we cross-cover sat, sun in four 12hour shifts. It's not the cushiest place though. And some straight medicine programs were more cush than my program, but those programs offer only 1 month of elective time, so everything is a trade off. The patients in my hospital tend to be sicker and more complicated than other cush places I interviewed. Some patients who I believe are borderline ICU candidates do not get transferred at times on the medicine service. In other hospitals they would go straight to the unit... And you can imagine this can cause the new intern some distress.