WHAT IS A TRANSITIONAL YEAR?

[nismo]

Can someone please explain what a transitional year is and what occurs during that year?

[helpfulgrad]

Hi Nismo...
I'll explain two things - transitional year and preliminary (prelim) year.
Basically, there are some residencies that start at an advanced stage. That is to say, you start as a PGY-2 rather than a PGY-1. Examples of residencies that start as PGY-2 include Anesthesia, Radiology, PM&R (rehab), Neurology etc.
When you apply for these residencies you also apply at the same time for the prelim or transitional year. It's basically a way for you not to waste a year as a doctor. Both the prelim and transitional years give you something to do while you wait to start your residency in the fields I've listed above.
The difference is this: in the prelim year, you basically spend a year in ONE discipline. You can do a prelim year in medicine and thus your training during this year will be heavy on the learning in Internal medicine or you can do a prelim year in pediatrics during which you will focus on pediatrics or you can even do a prelim year in surgery.
The transitional year is different in that during this year you basically ROTATE through different departments. It basically resembles the "rotating internship" that DO grads do. So for example, you may spend 2 months in surgery, 2 months in peds, 2 months in medicine, 2 months in OB/gyn etc. In other words, while the prelim year is focused mainly on one field, the transitional year is rounded.
Certain fields require a prelim year as opposed to a transitional year and vice versa. So check with the program/s you're applying to see which they'll require.
HG

[Rogers]

Thanks. Good question and good informative reply