Transitional year vs. Prelim Medicine year

[Cuts]

I'm planning to apply to both Rads and Anesthesia this fall... I think both of these fields require a PGY-1 year internship before beginning speciality PGY-2 year training. I'm trying to decide b/w going for a Transitional year or a Prelim medicine year, but I don't exactly understand what the difference is b/w the two. Can anybody offer some help please? Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[drusso]

Transitional year programs are broader-based experiences with rotations in IM, surgery, peds, Ob/gyn, ICU, etc while prelim years in medicine are basically rotating through different medicine services and subspecialties and more intensive ICU/CCU experience. Transitional years tend to me more flexible about setting up electives to tailor your experience toward your selected career and tend to be a bit more competitive than prelim years in medicine (partly because there are fewer of them). I'm planning on doing a transitional year for PM&R and most of the applicants I met on the trail were either going into radiology, anesthesia, radiation oncology, derm, PM&R, etc. If you go into neuro you have to do a prelim year in medicine...most psych residents also do a prelim medicine year too.

Here's some more info on transitional year programs

<a href="http://ahme.med.edu/councils/ctypd/" target="_blank">http://ahme.med.edu/councils/ctypd/</a>

 

[migraineboy]

I applied to both prelim-IM and transitional programs this year. One thing I kept hearing from both pre-IM and transitional residents along the interview trail was that the transitional year is a little less difficult, but many felt that they were nothing more than "5th year med students" whereas the pre-IM residents felt that their level of responibility had increased dramatically, but they kept very busy. Other than that, the anesthesiology resident that I am working with now warned me against a pre-surg year. He said he got worked like a dog and almost left medicine completely.

 

[Sevo]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by migraineboy:
[QB]I applied to both prelim-IM and transitional programs this year...QB]••••Agreed. Don't do a prelim general surgery year, especially at a university program.

You don't get to go into the OR and you're run down to the bone by senior residents and attendings who know full well that you 1) aren't going into gen surg and 2) that you aren't going to be operating with them next year, much less anytime that month.

Also, forget about learning how to think even somewhat independently, especially in regards to patient management. Surgeons dictate and they love to micro-manage.

 

[Stinky T]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by migraineboy:
•.....many felt that they were nothing more than "5th year med students" whereas the pre-IM residents felt that their level of responibility had increased dramatically, but they kept very busy.•••••I know quite a few TYs who are more than happy to be a MS-V. :wink:

Stinky, MS-V.

 

[Cuts]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by migraineboy:
[QB]One thing I kept hearing from both pre-IM and transitional residents along the interview trail was that the transitional year is a little less difficult, but many felt that they were nothing more than "5th year med students"QB]••••Aha! That litte factoid/opinionoid is actually what I was interested in knowing... I too have heard that the transitional year is less demanding than the prelim medicine year (I don't even want to THINK about the prelim surgery year). Can anybody back this claim up with real life examples? Hours/week, call schedule, etc.? One of the main reasons I'm interested in Rads and Anesthesia is b/c of the lifestyle benefits they have to offer. So naturally, I'd like to make my PGY-1 as painless as possible...

 

[Voxel]

Let's just say that on average the transitional year is a lot less painful than an prelim medicine year. Especially if you can pick out the right transitional year programs. I even applied to 2 transitional years that did not have any ICU/ CCU rotations and atleast 4-5 months of electives that could be outpatient/no call and no cross-covering. If I was going into Anesethesia, I'd probably set up an elective to do ICU. The difference is that I would have a choice. It's always better to have a choice than to be forced to do a rotation in X.