Transitional residency programs vary greatly from one institution to another. At York Hospital, our program has been designed to meet the objectives of several categories of medical school graduates, while remaining consistent with our overall educational philosophy. Individuals with a particular need for broad-based, general clinical experience will no doubt find our program highly desirable.

Typical profiles of individuals whose career goals could be enhanced by our Transitional Residency include:

• Those who have residencies arranged in specialties requiring or recommending a year of general clinical experience, including radiology, ophthalmology, psychiatry, anesthesiology, pathology, physical medicine, dermatology, and radiation oncology.
   
• Students considering a career in primary care, but undecided about which pathway to select. Electives can be utilized to have the year count as the first year of an internal medicine or family medicine residency.
   
• Medical students who, at the time of the National Resident Matching Program deadline in their senior year, are still undecided about their final career choice. Matching in our Transitional Residency program enables students in this situation to utilize the spring of their senior year and a few months of their first graduate year to explore their clinical interests before applying for a residency at York Hospital or elsewhere.
   
• Any student desiring a solid clinical exposure before fulfilling a Public Health Service, military, or similar obligation.

A Logical Point Of Departure For Your Future Career Path.

While over the years some trainees have been able to move from the Transitional Year into the first or second year of a York Hospital residency program, it should be understood that this is a one-year program and is not intended to provide a complete graduate education in preparation for the practice of medicine. It is possible, however, for the Transitional Year to meet the first-year requirements of some national specialty boards.

A Joint Effort Of Our Institution.

Program directors in all major departments comprehend the needs of the Transitional resident and function as a planning and advisory group to the program. The resultant advantage is a program which integrates well with our overall graduate training function and produces a sound year of clinical training.

A Well-Rounded Program.

The first year for all York Hospital residents is divided into one month rotations (two weeks of vacation and one week of off-campus conference time are provided). For the Transitional resident, a maximum degree of flexibility is blended with a fundamental core of required rotations, as follows:

REQUIRED BLOCKS (6 Months)

• Internal Medicine (12 Weeks)
• Pediatrics (8 Weeks)
• Emergency Medicine (4 Weeks)

SELECTIVE BLOCKS (4 weeks)

• One month of Family Practice

ELECTIVE BLOCKS (5 Months)

• Selected by the resident from the hospital's menu of services

A Diverse Offering Of Curriculum Options.

In addition to York Hospital's own residents from other programs and residents from Hershey Medical Center, you're likely to encounter medical students from our affiliated medical schools: the University of Pennsylvania, Jefferson Medical College, and Penn State-Hershey Medical Center.

INTERNAL MEDICINE
Twelve weeks required

York Hospital is well-known for its excellent university-style internal medicine teaching. Transitional residents are usually assigned to the Medical Resident Service for two months and one month on the Critical Care Service.

The department provides training for residents from a variety of fields, including internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine.
 

PEDIATRICS
Eight weeks required

Providing one of the strongest inpatient and outpatient pediatric teaching services in the region, this department offers a superb combination of bedside, clinic, and didactic instruction. Since there is no established pediatric residency, the Transitional and family practice residents receive an unusually intensive exposure to pediatric problems.
 

EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Four weeks required

Handling well over 56,000 patient visits per year, emergency medicine has developed an effective structured teaching experience for all first-year residents. It should be noted that pediatric emergencies constitute 23% of our total and that York Hospital is an accredited regional trauma center.

A Training Ground That's Rigorous, Yet Flexible In Direction.

The Transitional Residency program at York Hospital has a proud history, beginning some 50 years in an era when all medical school graduates participated in a rotating internship. That heritage has evolved into our present-day fully-accredited program with the following components representing its strength and viability:

• As with each residency program of York Hospital, the Transitional Year is a structured educational program whose goals are understood and respected throughout the hospital. This results in Transitional residents receiving the same superior level of patient care experience presented to all trainees.
   
• Considering a large part of the Transitional Year is elective, the resident can custom-tailor a highly individualized program suited to his or her needs, interests and future career goals. An off campus elective can be arranged as well.
   
• Transitional residents are presented with the opportunity to participate in the high-level teaching conferences of several departments during the year. This enables the resident the distinct advantage of receiving an in-depth, organized review of a broad range of clinical specialties.
   
• Night call and other scheduled duties are arranged in careful correlation with educational criteria.
• Ample support staff and services such as a 24-hour IV team permit the Transitional resident to concentrate on the priority of training and education.
   
• Program direction by the hospital's Transitional Program Director ensures high program visibility and highly supportive advisement on a personalized, individual basis.