Purpose of the Transitional Year

According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the Transitional Year is designed to fulfill the educational needs of medical school graduates who:

A.      Have chosen a career specialty for which the respective program in graduate medical education has, as a prerequisite, 1 year of fundamental clinical education, which may also contain certain specific experiences for development of desired skills; or

B.       Have not yet made a career choice or specialty selection and desire a broad-based year to assist them in making that decision; or

C.       Are planning to serve in organizations such as the public health service or on active duty in the military as general medical officers or primary flight/undersea medicine physicians prior to completing a program in graduate medical education; or

D.      Desire or need to acquire at least 1 year of fundamental clinical education prior to entering a career path that does not require broad clinical skill, such as administrative medicine or non-clinical research.

The objective of the Transitional Year is to provide a well-balanced program of graduate medical education in multiple clinical disciplines designed to facilitate the choice of and/or preparation for a specific specialty. The transitional year is not meant to be a complete graduate education program in preparation for the practice of medicine.

At Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC), the Transitional Year can be tailored to satisfy prerequisites for a variety of residencies. The TAMC program conforms to all the requirements of the ACGME for Transitional Year internship. Additionally, it can be modified to conform to American Osteopathic Association (AOA) requirements for osteopathic interns as needed.

Program Requirements (13 four-week rotation blocks)

Fundamental Clinical Skills:

• Emergency Medicine

• Family Practice Clinic

• Family Practice Ward

• General Surgery

• Internal Medicine Clinic

• Internal Medicine Ward

• Obstetrics-Gynecology

• Pediatric Clinic

In general, interns will be required to take a minimum of one rotation each in General Surgery, Internal Medicine Ward, Internal Medicine Clinic, OB-GYN, Pediatric Clinic, and Orthopedics, as well as two rotations in Emergency Medicine. At least six rotations must be from specialties providing fundamental clinical skills. As current ACGME requirements dictate that 25% of each resident's clinical experience come from the Transitional Year sponsors (at TAMC, our Transitional Year sponsors are Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics and OBGYN) rotations may need to be tailored to fulfill this requirement.

Critical Care: One MICU rotation is currently required.

Electives: A minimum of two electives will be offered. Most interns will have three electives. These electives may come from any of the numerous medical specialties offered at TAMC.

Vacation (Leave) Time: Two weeks of leave will be permitted during your transitional year and is not expected to be taken during your two mandatory elective rotations. Additional leave time accrued during this year can be saved for future use.

Number of Positions

Total ACGME accredited positions: 17
Total normally allocated by Army GME (limited by Army requirements): 12-15

Only those individuals who have graduated from accredited US medical schools are eligible to apply for military first-year GME positions. The majority of the Tripler transitional slots are filled by individuals with an existing active duty service obligation for prior participation in funded educational school programs (HPSP, USUHS, ROTC). Civilians may also apply, it is important to note that an individual seeking to be trained in an Armed Services medical treatment facility must be qualified for appointment and acceptance as a Commissioned officer in the Armed Services. An active duty service obligation is required for participation in Armed Services GME training programs. Acceptance of GME applications from civilian applicants may vary among the three Services. For more information, interested individuals should contact their local Armed Services recruiting office.

Applicants are required to apply through the Medical Education FYGME Branch, Falls Church VA, in addition to applying to the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS), developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

For more detailed information on applying for FYGME, contact the Army Medical Education Office, FGYME Branch, Falls Church VA, 1-800-793-5970. The URL for Army Medical Education is http://www.mods.army.mil/medicaleducation.

Criteria for Selection

Criteria for selection for Army First Year Graduate Medical Education (FYGME) include academic performance in medical school, USMLE (or equivalent) scores, letters of recommendation, demonstrated interest in military service, leadership potential, physical, mental and moral fitness. Additionally, personal interviews are factored in the selection process. Anyone interested in pursuing a Transitional year at TAMC is highly encouraged to schedule an interview with the Program Director and Associate Program Director(s). This interview may be conducted in person or telephonically.

Accreditation

This is a fully accredited position by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Date of Last Review: 04/19/2004
Effective Date of Accreditation: 04/19/2004

Points of Contact for Transitional Year

Program Director:
LTC Mary Edwards
Pediatric Surgeon
Department of Surgery

Associate Program Directors:
MAJ Matthew Studer
Pediatric Cardiologist
Dept. of Pediatrics

Program Administrator for Transitional Year
Mrs. Yolonda Johnson
Office of Medical Education
(808) 433-2474; Fax: (808) 433-1559