Transitional Year

The transitional year provides a well-balanced specialty of multiple clinical disciplines designed to facilitate the choice of and preparation for a specific specialty, including specialties requiring a year of fundamental clinical education as a prerequisite. Transitional year programs also provide clinical education for those medical school graduates planning to serve in public health organizations or on active duty in the military as general medical officers or primary flight/undersea medicine physicians or those who desire or need one year of fundamental clinical education before entering administrative medicine or non-clinical research.

Show More Show Less

Competitiveness: LOW

IMG Profile

Average Stats for a Matched US IMG in 2024:

USMLE Step 1 score: 227
USMLE Step 2 CK score: 237
Research: 2.0
Abstracts/Presentations/Publications: 2.7
Work: 3.8
Volunteer: 4.6

Average Stats for a Matched Non-US IMG in 2024:

USMLE Step 1 score: 232
USMLE Step 2 CK score: 240
Research: 2.5
Abstracts/Presentations/Publications: 3.2
Work: 4.4
Volunteer: 4.1

Speciality Factors

In March 2024, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) conducted its survey of directors of programs participating in the Main Residency Match® to characterize the factors that Program Directors use to select applicants for interviews and rank applicants for the Main Residency Match. See results of the Program Director Survey for Transitional Year below:

Frequency and Mean Importance Ratings of Each Factor Considered in Deciding Who to Interview

Interpersonal skills: 87% (4.8)
Interactions with faculty during interview and visit: 87% (4.9)
Interactions with house staff during interview and visit: 80% (4.9)
Feedback from current residents: 80% (4.8)
Class ranking/quartile: 77% (4.3)
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)/Dean`s Letter: 70% (4.3)
Grades in required clerkships: 57% (4.4)
Consistency of grades: 47% (4.3)
Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) membership: 40% (3.8)
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership: 40% (3.8)
Other post-interview contact: 27% (4.3)
Grades in clerkship in desired specialty: 27% (4.4)
Evidence of continuous medical education without gaps: 27% (4.3)
Awards or special honors in clinical clerkships: 27% (3.6)
Accreditation status of applicant`s medical school: 23% (4.1)
Awards or special honors in clerkship in desired specialty: 20% (4.3)
Sigma Sigma Phi (osteopathic honor society) membership: 17% (3.6)
Awards or special honors in basic sciences: 13% (2.5)
Graduate of highly-regarded medical or osteopathic school: 10% (4.0)
Applicant facility with meeting platform technology: 10% (3.7)
Second interview/visit: 7% (4.0)
How applicant`s medical school handled virtual rotations: 3% (3.0)

Frequency and Mean Importance Ratings of Each Factor Considered in Deciding Who to Rank

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)/Dean`s Letter: 78% (3.9)
Grades in required clerkships: 61% (4.2)
Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) membership: 61% (3.5)
Ability to work legally in the U.S. without a visa: 56% (4.3)
Visa status: 44% (4.8)
Letters of recommendation in the specialty: 44% (4.1)
Class ranking/quartile: 44% (4.1)
Awards or special honors in clinical clerkships: 44% (3.7)
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership: 44% (3.8)
Grades in clerkship in desired specialty: 39% (4.6)
Evidence of continuous medical education without gaps: 39% (4.3)
Consistency of grades: 39% (4.1)
Graduate of highly-regarded medical or osteopathic school: 33% (4.0)
Personal prior knowledge of the applicant: 28% (3.4)
Accreditation status of applicant`s medical school: 28% (4.6)
Applicant was flagged with Match violation by the NRMP: 22% (5.0)
Sigma Sigma Phi (osteopathic honor society) membership: 17% (4.0)
Awards or special honors in clerkship in desired specialty: 17% (4.3)
Awards or special honors in basic sciences: 11% (2.0)
Audition elective/rotation within your department: 11% (2.5)
How applicant`s medical school handled virtual rotations: 6% (4.0)
Away rotation in your specialty at another institution: 0% (4.0)

¹Ratings on a scale from 1 (not at all important) to 5 (very important).

% of Programs Interviewing IMGs:

US IMG: Often 35%, Seldom 53%, Never 212%
Non-US IMG: Often 12%, Seldom 53%, Never 35%

% of Programs Ranking IMGs:

US IMG: Often 35%, Seldom 447%, Never 18%
Non-US IMG: Often 12%, Seldom 53%, Never 35%

% of Programs Using USMLE to Select IMG Applicants for Interview:

Step 1: Does not consider 0%, Requires pass only 100%, Prefers but does not require target score 0%, Requires target score 0%
Step 2 CK: Does not consider 13%, Requires pass only 33%, Prefers but does not require target score 0%, Requires target score 53%
Step 3: Does not consider 60%, Requires pass only 7%, Prefers but does not require target score 27%, Requires target score 7%

Fast Facts

Average Resident/fellow compensation: $57,501	Training Requirements: All Transitional Year programs must have 1 month ICU, 1 month ED, 1 month outpatient, and 2 months general medicine. Beyond that, programs vary.
IMG Friendliness: More spots are reserved for US medical graduates. The specialty is not as IMG friendly as Preliminary Internal Medicine or General Surgery.	Utility: Fulfills preliminary training for many specialties such as Radiology, Neurology, Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, or Dermatology. Transitional Year is one of the least understood specialties.

Match Statistics 2025

Main Residency Match

PGY-1

Main Residency Match and Post-Match Stats

195

Total IMGs Matched

236

Total Number of Available Programs

1860

Positions

260

Post-Match SOAP Unfilled Positions

Post-Match SOAP

Program Track	Participating Programs	Filled Programs	Positions Available	Filled Positions
PGY-1	56	44	260	223

Subspecialties

None

Additional Info

Members of the GSA, Careers in Medicine, and Organization of Program Director Associations (OPDA) are collaborating in an effort to increase transparency in the residency application process through use of a Residency Guide template for each specialty. See guidance template here: Transitional-Year-Residency-Program_Program-Directors-Association-Guide-for-Residency-Applicants-06.2024.pdf (cmss.org).