Transitional Year

[TwentyNine]

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I'm a 4th year student currently applying for IM categorical programs. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with the possibility that I could be making the wrong decision. If I were to decide to take a transitional year position to help me in my decision, then would I be a candidate for a PGY-2 spot in IM, OB-GYN, or surgery when I'm done with the TY? Or would I basically have to start as a PGY-1?

 

[gutonc]

I'm a 4th year student currently applying for IM categorical programs. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with the possibility that I could be making the wrong decision. If I were to decide to take a transitional year position to help me in my decision, then would I be a candidate for a PGY-2 spot in IM, OB-GYN, or surgery when I'm done with the TY? Or would I basically have to start as a PGY-1?

You would have to start as a PGY1 in any of those specialties. If you're very lucky, you could get up to 6 months of credit toward a new residency (if you actually did 6 months in that specialty during your TY) but this is completely at the discretion of the PD and you would have to apply for PGY1 spots and then request credit after Matching.

 

[hot sauce]

Doing a TY does not make you able to apply for a pgy-2 in any other those fields. A TY would allow you to apply for fields that just require an intern year nos such as rad onc, radiation, anesthesia, derm, ect. However, a TY is not better for those fields than a prelim surgery or medicine year.

 

[gutonc]

Doing a TY does make you able to apply for a pgy-2 in any other those fields.

Wait, what? No...wrong.

While a TY does in fact make you eligible to continue on in an advanced program (Rad Onc, Derm, PM&R, Gas...I'm running out of examples here), it in no way allows you to start as an R2 in a categorical residency of any kind (perhaps excepting a very kind FM program although I doubt that as well).

 

[error404]

Doing a TY does make you able to apply for a pgy-2 in any other those fields. A TY would allow you to apply for fields that just require an intern year nos such as rad onc, radiation, anesthesia, derm, ect. However, a TY is not better for those fields than a prelim surgery or medicine year.

I think there's a crucial typo in there, and it sounds like everyone agrees-- a TY year does NOT let you apply for PGY2 in meds, surg, or OB/GYN.... but would count as the intern year towards derm, ophtho, anesthesia or rads.