Transitional Year vs. Internal Medicine

[Llenroc]

I used to think that a Transitional Year was just one year of Internal Medicine, i.e. you do what the interns do, and then you leave before the second year starts.

But I was reading up about PM&R programs and they say, "We'll accept one year of Internal Medicine internship, General Surgery Internship, Family Practice Internship, or Transitional Year".

So what's the difference? 😕

Also, of the above 4 choices, which is the easiest for someone who just wants to get it done to start in PM&R?

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[RxnMan]

Transitional years are essentially (and anyone please correct me if I'm wrong) repeating 4th year. People do it to find out what kind of doctor they want to be, some use it as a safety net, and some do so because they want a spot in a specific city (e.g. Assuming a person doesn't match into any surgery program in Boston, they may choose to take a transitional year in Boston to make contacts and try again at the next Match). They're flexible enough to allow for more speciality rotations than most med schools and allow you to arrange for interviews.

Interns are generally part of a program that will feed into another one (e.g. You take a categorical surgical intern year before you go into a 4-year ortho residency for a total of 5 years of training). Categorical spots feed directly into another program (like the ortho example). Many places also have non-categorical interns, who may apply to get into another program (like Denver Health's PGY2-4 EM program). Non-categoricals often have to apply to two places (their internship and their final program) during the Match.

 

[sonso]

These days, for the most part, transitional year programs are the same as medicine prelim programs. The main difference is with a TY you get more electives. Translation: fewer months on the medicine floor which most people would equate with an easier year.

Some TY programs require a month of surg or ob-gyn.

Most would consider TY the easiet, that is why in most (if not all) places they are far more competitive than acquiring a prelim med spot.

Many PDs will say that they prefer a candidate to do prelim med year so that one can learn medicine better. I disagree (but I'm no PD, just a PGY-1).

 

[colbgw02]

I used to think that a Transitional Year was just one year of Internal Medicine, i.e. you do what the interns do, and then you leave before the second year starts.

But I was reading up about PM&R programs and they say, "We'll accept one year of Internal Medicine internship, General Surgery Internship, Family Practice Internship, or Transitional Year".

So what's the difference? 😕

Also, of the above 4 choices, which is the easiest for someone who just wants to get it done to start in PM&R?

as stated above, transitional years are typically easier, even if marginally so, than preliminary medicine. you'll definitely want to apply for transitional year internships unless you're going for a specific city in which one does not exist. they can be significantly more competitive than preliminary medicine though because you're going up against folks who have matched into rads, anesthesia, derm, and possibly ophtho.

 

[Llenroc]

Where do I find out about preliminary medicine programs? Do you just apply to IM residencies and then leave after the first year?

Also, if you're doing transitional year to go into Anesthesiology, PM&R, or whatever, do you apply to your specialty your 4th year of medical school while you're also applying to transitional year programs? Or do you just apply to transitional year programs your 4th year, and then apply to specialties during the job?

 

[ziffy 850]

If I were applying to a competitive match and my stats were awful(bad boards, etc.) and had a slim chance of matching, would I apply to a preliminary program or a transitional program-which is less competitive-which would make more sense if I was going into a nonsurgical field? I still don't get the difference and is it a lost year?

 

[medgator]

Where do I find out about preliminary medicine programs? Do you just apply to IM residencies and then leave after the first year?

Also, if you're doing transitional year to go into Anesthesiology, PM&R, or whatever, do you apply to your specialty your 4th year of medical school while you're also applying to transitional year programs? Or do you just apply to transitional year programs your 4th year, and then apply to specialties during the job?

You can check the AMA FREIDA website to find out which programs offer prelim years. It is a separate checkbox when you apply to a program on ERAS (i.e. pick categorical or prelim). All PGY-2 specialties (like PMR and anesthesia) are matched during your 4th year along with your prelim year/transitional year. When you rank programs, you have a supplemental list where you can rank the transitionals/prelims for the first year.

 

[medgator]

If I were applying to a competitive match and my stats were awful(bad boards, etc.) and had a slim chance of matching, would I apply to a preliminary program or a transitional program-which is less competitive-which would make more sense if I was going into a nonsurgical field? I still don't get the difference and is it a lost year?

Transitionals can be a lost yr if you dont match into an advanced specialty. You can, however, use a prelim med or surg year under certain circumstances as the first year of a full medicine or surgery residency.

A lot of people do a prelim med year just in case they cant match into their said competitive specialty (rads, rad onc, Anesthesia, derm etc.) so they can at least have a chance to continue on in medicine.