Transitional Year Residency

The Transitional Year Program is an exciting, flexible curriculum for those entering their first post-graduate year after medical school. Our main goal is to build a solid foundation in clinical medicine. The program assists the physician in broadening his or her medical education in preparation for a categorical program.

Program Goals

The Transitional Year Residency program at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital is an exciting, flexible curriculum for those entering their first post-graduate year after medical school. The overall goal of the Transitional Residency program is to provide interns with a well rounded, balanced curriculum that will prepare them for a variety of Categorical programs. The program represents the integration of basic physiology and pharmacology pertinent to the inpatient or outpatient setting, providing for the diagnosis and clinical management of the severely ill patient as well as the technical skills needed in a variety of disciplines.

Program Objectives

  • To provide a base of medical knowledge in the inpatient setting where an exposure to a variety of diseases and disease states will allow them to practice and manage hospitalized individuals, ranging from pediatric and adult to geriatric, and to provide experience in emergency and ambulatory care as well as obstetrics.
  • To provide exposure to disease states from the primary care perspective that will allow them to integrate and obtain knowledge appropriate to their future referrals.
  • To provide didactic experiences which support the knowledge base.
  • To provide a curriculum which allows for elective time to obtain choices to pursue a myriad of interests that include technical skills and procedures, research opportunities and a variety of subspecialties.

The Transitional Year program accepts six residents each year through the NRMP. The program may serve as an independent but required part of a categorical program such as ophthalmology, radiology, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, psychiatry, physical medicine, etc. It may be required for medical school graduates who plan to enter the military as medical officers. Although the majority of our residents have definite plans for a categorical residency, we do accept applicants who need another year to decide upon career plans.

Curriculum

The purpose of the Transitional Residency program is to help the physician broaden his or her medical education in preparation for a categorical program. Built on a framework of required courses defined by the ACGME, our program offers a myriad of electives tailored to fit your needs! Our Transitional Year program is oriented toward the education of our residents and not to service the hospital.

The ACGME requires 24 weeks of disciplines offering fundamental clinical skills on clinical services where they work directly with more senior residents in ACGME accredited programs. Attending physicians or senior residents are available at all times on site. As directed by the ACGME, four weeks of emergency medicine is required as is an ambulatory care experience.

Night call is on an every fourth night (or less) basis, with the following day off after rounds. Night call is not required on most electives. Each resident’s patient census is limited to 8 cases.

We stress the art of medicine as well as the science. Practical and didactic sessions are held on medical ethics, interviewing techniques, body language, non-verbal communication, economic realities in prescribing patient care, journal reviews, library searches, house officer/student presentations, CPCs and medical grand rounds. We have ample ancillary services (IV team, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, pharmacists, social services, etc.) to help ensure your attendance at most conferences.

We encourage residents to become skilled in procedures. There is opportunity to perform lumbar punctures, bone marrows, central IV access lines, endotracheal intubations, arterial lines, etc. Senior residents or attendings are required to supervise these procedures to ensure proper procedural skills.

Salary & Benefits

2024 – 2025 Salary – $64,869.00

Benefits

St. Joseph’s Transitional Residency offers competitive benefits for its residents.

View our 2024-2025 Contract Draft for more information

  • Four weeks annual paid vacation per year — one-week blocks, Monday-Friday, with weekends on both sides
  • Professional Liability Insurance: Residents are covered by the hospital’s professional liability insurance while performing duties within the scope of their medical education.
  • Comprehensive insurance package with three medical plan options, two dental plan options and two vision plan options. You’ll also enjoy a lower deductible, copay and coinsurance when you use St. Joseph’s or Trinity Health facilities and aligned providers. Plus, you will be eligible for basic life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance provided by Trinity Health and voluntary (colleague paid) options for supplemental life, supplemental AD&D and dependent life.
  • Relocation allowance: PGY1 Residents who have matched and are beginning Residency at St. Joseph’s on July 1 are eligible for $500 in moving expenses. The resident must be relocating to the Syracuse area and must provide valid receipts. The moving expenses are a taxable expense.
  • CME stipend to cover expenses such as conferences, study materials, etc.
Apply Today

The Transitional Year Residency program at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital is an exciting, flexible curriculum for those entering their first post-graduate year after medical school.

Current Transitional Year Residents

Our current residents are listed below or view our Resident Photo Sheet.

Miguel Avalos, MD
Miguel Avalos, MD

Transitional Year Resident

Taylor Beckwith, MD
Taylor Beckwith, MD

Transitional Year Resident

Rachel Lubinga, DO
Rachel Lubinga, DO

Transitional Year Resident

Christopher Paiva, MD
Christopher Paiva, MD

Transitional Year Resident

Trevor Thompson, DO
Trevor Thompson, DO

Transitional Year Resident

Christopher Yao, MD
Christopher Yao, MD

Transitional Year Resident