Transitional year

The Corewell Health – Grand Rapids/Michigan State University Transitional Year Residency is a one-year training experience that allows resident physicians to fulfill the clinical prerequisite for specialty training. Residents receive broad-based general medicine and surgery training in both inpatient and ambulatory settings. Our program has been designed to provide a diversified core curriculum which allows the resident to learn responsibility for the primary management of patients with a wide variety of pathological conditions. Recognizing that individuals entering the program may desire exposure to areas not included in the core curriculum, the program offers several elective rotations, which are tailored to meet the individual clinical needs and future interests of each resident.

Dear applicants,

Thank you for visiting the transitional year residency website! As the program director, I sincerely appreciate your interest in our program.

The transitional year program has existed since 1984 and we have a long, rich history of training young, talented physicians in a variety of specialties including radiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, PM&R and other disciplines. The program is jointly sponsored by the internal medicine and emergency medicine residency programs.

Every year, we accept nine residents through ERAS. Three of these positions are set aside for residents enrolled through the Spectrum Health / Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Diagnostic Radiology Residency.

Transitional year residents work alongside residents of other ACGME accredited programs, including internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, general surgery and orthopedic surgery. Our residents integrate seamlessly with categorical residents from all the other programs that make up a component of their clinical training.

The core philosophy of our program is mutual learning, respect and kindness. We emphasize having a collegial and supportive environment that is rich in clinical experiences. This provides a foundation for both medical and lifelong learning. Establishing a work-life balance is valued and encouraged. There are many opportunities to maintain authenticity of mind, body and spirit. Additionally, Spectrum Health is taking steps to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization and community.

We are proud of the experiences we offer to our residents and the success of our graduates. We invite you to explore the opportunities available here at Spectrum Health.

Best regards,
Sohail Qadir, MD
Transitional Year Program Director
Professor of Medicine, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Goals and philosophies

• Broad-based general medicine/surgery training in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings
• Direct and primary clinical responsibilities on all services. Excellent balance between didactic education and clinical responsibility
• Michigan State University clinical campus partnership allows our residents to build teaching skills as they mentor medical students

Program aims

• Strong foundation in fundamental clinical skills, residents work with core faculty and senior residents during their core rotations
• Flexible curriculum, so the resident can tailor their training to their specialty specific needs
• Provide residents with educational and clinical tools to successfully pass USMLE Step 3 or COMLEX Level 3 exam
• Provide residents exposure to multi-disciplinary team-based approaches to patient care within different patient populations and backgrounds
• Advance understanding of research, patient quality and safety initiatives, and community engagement

Program highlights

• Customize, flexible curriculum with choice of four to five electives, including research
• Hands on experience, integrated technology, collegial environment and structured didactics
• Quarterly Journal Club
• Monthly half-day core curriculum/wellness time

The program has been designed to provide a diversified core curriculum which allows the resident to learn responsibility for the primary management of patients with a wide variety of pathological conditions.

The curriculum requires 28 weeks of training in disciplines which provide fundamental clinical skills. Residents participate in the evaluations and management of all types and acuity levels of patients under direct supervision of senior residents and faculty. We offer selected tracks focusing on specialty training:

• Anesthesiology
• General
• Neurology
• Radiology (General)
• Radiology (Spectrum Health)

Didactics

Residents assume the same responsibilities as categorical residents on respective services. Transitional residents are required to participate fully in the departmental conferences and teaching activities for each service on which they rotate. Faculty and senior residents provide supervision and teaching for the transitional residents. Every third week of the block, the residents are required to participate and attend well-structured TY specific core conferences.

Research

For research endeavors, the scholarly activity support team can assist you. The scholarly activity support team also offers biostatistics consultation, and poster preparation. Residents will be expected to submit their work for presentation at an annual institutional Research Day. The research activities are supported by the Spectrum Health Research Department and by Dr. Diaz (TY Research Director).

The general guidelines for applying to our transitional year program are as follows:

For more information on our program, contact Traci Aul, program coordinator.

Corewell Health in West Michigan provides a comprehensive and very competitive benefits package for our residents, staff and their families. In addition, our program provides educational monies to support your ongoing education. Download our salary and benefits document to learn more.

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