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Transitional Year


At A Glance

Program Type: Military Medical Center

Location: Bethesda, MD

Accredited: Yes, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

Program Length: 1 year

Required Pre-Requisite Training: Medical School Graduation

Categorical Year in Specialty Required: No

Total Approved Complement: 30

Approved per Year (if applicable): 30

Dedicated Research Year Offered: No

Medical Student Rotation Availability: N/A

Additional Degree Concurrent with Training (e.g. MPH): No

Program Description

The NCC Transitional Year (TY) Internship Program offers a diverse, yet individualized internship training in an exciting location.  In 2008, two of the country’s renowned military medical centers, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center, unified their training programs to create the NCC Transitional Internship Program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). The NCC offers a unique joint-service training program in our Nation’s capital. Training is offered to Army, Navy, and Air Force medical officers with the goal of creating superior clinicians and excellent leaders in military medicine.

Mission and Vision

Mission

The TY Residency program’s mission is to provide residents with a well-rounded educational and clinical foundation that prepares them for residency training or assignment as an Operational Medical Officer/General Medical Officer (OMO/GMO). Accordingly, the NCC TY curriculum blends the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) TY Educational Requirements with a thoughtfully selected Military Unique Curriculum. Our program meets the requirements established within the ACGME TY requirements and includes the identified Fundamental Clinical Skills (FCS) rotations.

Vision

The vision for the TY Residency program is to provide the best clinical and educational learning environment for medical school graduates assigned to the program and to best prepare them for serving in the military as OMO/GMOs or continuing residency training after completing their TY Residency.

Aims

  • Develop general clinical knowledge and procedural competence with a wide range of patient acuity.
  • Produce competent physicians and military leaders capable of serving as a general medical officer or resident.
  • Provide the highest level of clinical care with a continuous focus on patient safety and quality improvement.
  • Generate an inclusive workplace where all members are respected and function as a team to achieve the mission.
  • Foster resilience through healthy work-life balance, self-reflection, and professional development that will guarantee the longevity of our mission into the future.

Curriculum and Schedules

  • TY residents meet once a week for a dedicated lecture that focuses on operationally relevant topics and includes regular simulation-based training.
  • Didactic sessions are woven into every rotation, and include the following:
    • Morning report
    • Morbidity and mortality conferences (M&Ms)
    • Journal Club
    • Grand rounds
  • Additional didactic content may be offered throughout the training year and consists of the following:
    • MSK skills
    • Clinical Medicine 
    • Research
    • Operational Medicine 
    • Radiology
    • My Mistake/Quality Improvement sessions
    • Wellness topics
    • Military Leadership

TY Interns complete a total of 13 block rotations (4 weeks in length). Core rotations Include:

  • Ambulatory Medicine (Ambulatory Medicine, Adolescent Medicine, or Family Medicine)
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Internal Medicine Wards
  • Intensive Care Unit (Medical or Surgical)
  • OBGYN
  • Pediatrics
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physical Medicine, Sports Medicine, or Orthopedic Surgery)
  • Psychiatry (Consult Liaison Service)

Transitional Year Residents have four electives per academic year.  The following list is provided of potential rotations that may be considered:

Transition Year Elective Rotation Sites
Allergy & Immunology Gastroenterology Pediatrics & Subspecialty Services  Radiation / Oncology
Anesthesia Hematology / Oncology PMR  / Pain Medicine Research
Anesthesia / Pain Medicine Infectious Diseases Preventive Medicine (USU) Rheumatology
Cardiology Neurology Neuro-Psychiatry Sleep Medicine
Dermatology OBGYN & Subspecialty Services Pulmonology Surgery and Surgical Subspecialties
Endocrinology Ophthalmology Radiology (diagnostic) Urology
Emergency Medicine Pathology Radiology (interventional)  

TY Residents have a variable call schedule depending on their assigned clinical rotation. Each rotation site provides the TY resident with an on-call schedule prior to the beginning of each rotation.  

  • Transitional Year Residents who are selected to complete operational or overseas assignments after completing the TY residency have the opportunity to complete an Operational Medicine rotation prior to graduation to enhance their medical acumen prior to serving within the operational environment. 
  • Transitional Year Residents may attend the Combat Casualty Care Course (C4) in San Antonio, Texas. 
  • TY Residents are required to maintain Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support or Advanced Cardiac Life Support while they are within residency training.
  • TY Residents will be required to complete Combat Casualty Care Course in San Antonio, Texas or may be enrolled in a Tactical Combat Care Course and Advanced Trauma Life Support course at WRNMMC prior to reporting to an operational or overseas assignment.  

The Simulation Center at WRNMMC is utilized during our didactics and scheduled on a quarterly basis.

Here are a few opportunities (not all are listed) for leadership positions at the command and within the TY Internship Program. These positions are peer selected.

Command House Staff Class Leadership Positions:

  • Internship Class Leaders
  • House Staff Council (HSC)
  • Flight Surgery or Dive Medical Officer Representative
  • Antibiotic Stewardship Committee
  • Blood Utilization Committee
  • Cancer Committee
  • CPR/RRT Committee
  • Credentials Committee
  • Executive Committee of the Medical Staff (ECOMS)
  • Infection Control Committee
  • Medical Informatics Committee
  • Medical Records Review Committee
  • Medication Management Function Team
  • Nutrition Support Committee
  • Operative and Other Invasive Procedures Committee (OOIPS)
  • Pain Management Committee
  • Patient Care Assessment Committee (Risk Management Committee)
  • Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee
  • Product Evaluation and Standards Committee
  • Quality Management Committee
  • Reference Lab Utilization Committee

Transitional Year Leadership Positions:

  • Class Leaders
  • Program Evaluation Committee
  • Social Activities and Wellness
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Council
  • Information Technology Support Chair
  • Duty-Hours Committee Representative

Scholarly and Professional Development Opportunities

Each TY Resident will prepare and submit a Case Report to the National Capital Region Research Competition or participate in an approved longitudinal research project.

  • All TY Residents prepare and present a Quality Improvement (QI) proposal to evaluate factors that may have contributed to an error or near miss while applying QI methodologies and concepts.
  • All TY Residents will complete assigned IHI online courses.  

Unique opportunities are available for our TY Residents throughout the year to help them prepare them for their next assignment. Here are some examples:

  • Military Officership Course Series
  • Simulation Training for Operational Medicine Program
  • Military Medicine Humanitarian Assistance Course
  • Tropical Medicine Course
  • Combat Casualty Care Course

Participating Sites

  • A.T. Augusta Military Medical Center (Fort Belvoir, Virginia)
  • Inova Fairfax Civilian Hospital – (Fairfax, Virginia)
  • Malcolm Grow Medical Center – MGMC (Joint Base Andrews, Maryland)
  • MedStar Washington Hospital Center (Washington, D.C.)
  • United States Naval Academy – USNA (Annapolis, Maryland)
  • Veterans Administration Medical Center - VAMC (Washington, D.C.)

Applicant Information, Rotation and Interview Opportunities

If you are interested in scheduling a medical student rotation at WRNMMC, please email: dha.ncr.walter-reed-med-ctr.mbx.ncc-wrnmmc-gme@health.mil

The TY Residency Program is happy to interview any current HSCP/HPSP/USU medical student who ranks the TY Residency as their top choice or if applying to a program that does not offer a PGY-1 training year.

To set up an interview, please email the TY Program at dha.ncr.walter-reed-med-ctr.list.ncc-ty@health.mil.  Please include your most current CV and a personal statement as to why you wish to pursue this area of training.

There is no specific specialty board overseeing the TY Residency program.  However, TY Residents are required to pass the COMLEX/USMLE Step 3 examination prior to graduating the program.  

Teaching Opportunities

TY Residents will have numerous opportunities to teach medical students and ancillary support staff while on their assigned clinical rotations as well as opportunities to present scholarly activities to the TY class throughout the academic year. 

TY Residents may pursue becoming BLS and ALS/ACLS instructors. 

Faculty and Mentorship

Our institution is staffed by board-certified specialist in over 60 ACGME accredited programs, providing a broad range of clinical experiences and diversity of patients to keep our interns stimulated and engaged.

  • Our incoming Residents will be assigned a current TY Resident as their sponsor/mentor to help with answering questions and transitioning from medical school to their PGY-1 year of training.
  • Our current TY Residents are assigned a TY Associate Program Director to act as their advisor within the program to help with mentorship, communication and military issues.

Well-Being

The health and well-being of our interns is of the highest importance, and we communicate, promote, and support the resources and programs available to our trainees. The NCC TY program mindfully works to create and support a family-like environment where all residents are empowered to take care of themselves throughout the rigors of the PGY-1 training year.

The TY Program also offers many opportunities to participate in wellness activities during didactics and social activities throughout the year – including holiday and match day celebrations, a Hail & Farewell party, and an annual off-site program retreat.

Contact Us

Transitional Year Internship Program

Location: Walter Reed National Naval Medical Center

Hours of Operation:

Monday–Friday
7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone: 301-295-9283

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