Graduate Medical Education University of Texas Southwestern--Austin Transitional Program

The University of Texas Southwestern - Austin Transitional Year Program is structured to give residents broad exposure to the basic areas of medicine to provide fundamental skills training. The popular program has been in existence since 19XX and is jointly sponsored by the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Transitional residents rotate through internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, emergency medicine, neurology or psychiatry, and specialties of the resident's choice.

The Transitional Program is a one-year residency designed for medical school graduates who have chosen a specialty that requires a general residency internship as a prerequisite. The program is housed at University Medical Center at Brackenridge, where residents care for a diverse group of patients under the watchful eye of attending physicians and senior residents.

Residents in the Transitional Program have already matched to specialty training programs in Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Diagnostic Radiology, Ophthalmology, and /or Radiation Oncology when they match into the program.

Meet Our Residents

The principle goal of UT Southwestern-Austin Transitional Year Residency Program 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. As such it has three primary goals for residents:

1. The TY resident should have grounding in basic medicine so that the resident has knowledge and experience in providing basic medicine to a variety of patients. In the case, that the resident chooses to do general practice medicine the resident could function in this capacity.
2. The TY resident should have knowledge about critical situations and what should be done to manage those situations. This education should include cardiac and respiratory emergencies plus fluid and nutritional requirements.
3. The transitional year allows the resident to gain perspective about the specialty they have chosen and its various subspecialties. The resident should have an idea of the various specialty divisions and be able to decide whether they wish to enter into specialty training.

Transitional Program Director
Lynn R. Campbell, MD

Associate Transitional Program Director
David Harshaw, MD

Program Information

Below is some basic information that may of interest to you when applying for our program.

All applications received through ERAS will be screened and reviewed. If you are chosen for an interview or if the program needs additional information or documentation, you will be contacted via phone and email. Please do not call to inquire about the status of your application during this time.

Please note that our hospital does NOT allow clinical observerships.

General Information

• This is an ACGME accredited program that is currently on probation with a RRC site visit anticipated in May 2011
• Six residents are admitted each year for the one year Transitional Residency Training Program
• Over the last 5 years the program has matched within its top 13 choices or better
• The program consists of 13 block rotations each lasting 4 weeks. The rotations may change slightly from year to year but will be similar to the following list:
  • Internal Medicine Wards (2.5 blocks) cInternal Medicine Clinic (.5 blocks)
  • Pediatric Wards (1 block)
  • Pediatric Elective (1 block)
  • Surgery (2 blocks)
  • Emergency Medicine (1 block)
  • Obstetrics/Gynecology (1 block)
  • Neurology or Psychiatry (1 block)
  • Electives (3 blocks includes one required research elective block)
  • Rotations occur in Austin, TX at the University Medical Center and at Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas as well as at a variety of private physicians offices.
  • Residents can request to do away electives but this must be approved by the Program Director and the UTSW-Austin GME office.
  • 60 – 80 students are interviewed each year for the six positions

  Criteria for applying for a 2012 Transitional (PGY-1) position:

  • All applications must be filed through ERAS according to its deadlines and requirements
  • All applicants must register with NRMP
  • Positions will not be offered outside of the match
  • All applications must be submitted by 11/1/2011
  • IMGs/FMGs must be green card holders and be ECFMG certified

  Preferred Qualifications

  • Scores of 80 and above on each step of the USMLE exam are preferred
  • No failures on any step of the USMLE are preferred
  • International medical graduates must have graduated in the last 5 years
  • US clinical experience with no gaps in medical training for more than one year is required
  • At least 3 letters of recommendation should come from individuals you have worked with who can attest to your capabilities, personality and skills
  • Personal statements are required

  Interview Season is November 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012