Using Prelim-Medicine vs TY for Categorical Internal Medicine Residency?

[amphatoast21]

I am an M4 applying into radiology, but in case radiology doesn't work out, I'd like to keep my options open and pursue an internal medicine residency. For my intern year, I have the option of ranking preliminary-medicine and transitional years. Anyone know if doing a prelim-medicine year (versus a TY year) makes switching into a categorical medicine residency easier (e.g. so that I wouldn't need to repeat intern year)?

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[CherryRedDracul]

According to the ABIM policies and procedures: https://www.abim.org/~/media/ABIM Public/Files/pdf/publications/certification-guides/policies-and-procedures.pdf

Training Completed Prior to Entering Internal Medicine Residency

ABIM may grant credit for up to 12-months of the 36 month internal medicine training requirement for training taken prior to entering training in internal medicine. The program director of an accredited internal medicine residency program must petition ABIM to grant credit in lieu of standard internal medicine training. Candidates who have already completed 12 months of accredited U.S. or Canadian internal medicine training are not eligible to be petitioned for credit. Before being proposed, the candidate should have been observed by the proposer for a minimum of three months.

(1) Month-for-month credit may be granted for satisfactory completion of internal medicine rotations taken during a U.S. or Canadian accredited non-internal medicine residency program if all of the following criteria are met:

(a) The internal medicine training occurred under the direction of a program director of an accredited internal medicine program.​

(b) The training occurred in an institution accredited for training internal medicine residents.​

(c) The rotations were identical to the rotations of the residents enrolled in the accredited internal medicine residency program.​

(2) For trainees who have satisfactorily completed some U.S. or Canadian accredited training in another specialty, ABIM may grant:

(a) month-for-month credit for the internal medicine rotations that meet the criteria listed under (1) above; plus,​

(b) a maximum of six months of credit for the training in family medicine or a pediatrics program; or,​

(c) a maximum of three months of credit for training in a non-internal medicine specialty program.​

So you can get credit for transitional year internal medicine rotations. However, it's unclear whether you would be eligible for a max of 6 months of credit or just 3 months given that a TY year is not a family medicine or peds program as outline above.

A prelim IM year sounds like a much smoother transition.

 

[Lnsean]

They will also think you took the easy way out with a TY instead of prelim.

 

[amphatoast21]

Thanks for the replies guys.

"Candidates who have already completed 12 months of accredited U.S. or Canadian internal medicine training are not eligible to be petitioned for credit."

So if I did a prelim-medicine year, then I'm not eligible to petition for credit because this automatically counts for credit already? If the prelim-medicine year allows me to enter as a PGY-2 (and not repeat intern year), I will rank the prelim-medicine year higher.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Thanks for the replies guys.

"Candidates who have already completed 12 months of accredited U.S. or Canadian internal medicine training are not eligible to be petitioned for credit."

So if I did a prelim-medicine year, then I'm not eligible to petition for credit because this automatically counts for credit already?

That is correct.