Transitional Year
Overview
The Transitional Year Residency at Spokane Teaching Health Center provides a robust and supportive foundation for physicians preparing to enter advanced specialty programs. Designed for individuals who require one year of broad-based clinical training, this ACGME-accredited program emphasizes comprehensive inpatient and outpatient experience, hands-on procedural training, and strong mentorship.
Residents benefit from working in diverse clinical environments—including rural and underserved populations—allowing them to develop well-rounded skills and confidence across multiple specialties. With a balanced mix of internal medicine, emergency medicine, and elective rotations, the program offers flexibility to tailor the experience to individual career goals.
Whether your path leads to anesthesiology, radiology, dermatology, or another specialty, the Transitional Year Residency equips you with the clinical acumen, professional development, and patient-centered approach essential for success.
A Letter From The Director
I am excited that you are interested in our Transitional Year Program! It has been around for over 50 years and many of the TY graduates have returned to Spokane after their specialty training because of their one-year experience here. They all want to come back to Spokane.
Our goal is to give you a strong foundation in basic clinical medicine with opportunities to explore your specialty. Equally important is our focus on wellbeing during your brief year here. You will be with a group of residents that have a reputation for clinical excellence and build a strong community of your peers before you go on to your chosen specialty that will last you for life. Our TY’s are invested in this program and have a huge say in our interview process; They want to leave the legacy intact.
TY’s also become well acquainted with our other resident colleagues, core faculty and community mentors. We work closely with our other residencies partnering together for diversity of education, research, wellness, QI, and patient care. With 3 regional medical schools, we are offered many opportunities for further education and research.
Anchored by one of the Northwest’s largest tertiary-care hospitals and more than 800 specialists, our cutting-edge medical community serves a catchment area of 1.5+ million people with a diverse patient population.
Spokane in the summertime cannot be beat, with 76 lakes nearby and activities such as Bloomsday and Hoopfest. There are hiking and biking trails with a total of over 4,000 miles running through the area. In the winter, the surrounding mountains are available for skiing and hiking, all within a few hours from the city.
Our TY program excels because of our residents. If you want to be part of a vibrant community, consider Spokane.
Judy Swanson MD FACP
Transitional Year Program Director
Our Mission
To train superb physicians in an academic community based program that cares for all with dignity and respect, especially the poor and vulnerable. We pride ourselves in preparing physicians in a collegial and supportive environment rich in clinical experiences that provide a foundation in medicine and life-long learning that will be carried into their respective fields of practice. A work life balance is valued and emphasized, and the Pacific Northwest provides a unique setting for learning while offering a variety of opportunities to maintain authenticity of mind, body, and spirit.
Quick Links
Program Aims
- The TY program follows the TY resident’s specialty and aligns to the specialty requirements for a TY year as defined by the ACGME
- TY residents should complete this program having demonstrated clinical competency as evidenced by the Milestones.
- TY residents should have a chance to explore specialties with a diverse elective experience.
Curriculum
The Spokane TY program offers a flexible curriculum with thirteen 4-week rotations including 3 electives tailored to your interests. Ultimately, the Spokane Transitional Year program will offer you a balanced life with a breadth of clinical and hands-on experience in a beautiful setting.
Sample Academic Year
The Academic Year Consists of 13 Four-week Blocks
- Critical Care – 1-2 blocks
- Surgery – two blocks
- Most commonly, pediatric surgery and general surgery at Sacred Heart
Other surgical rotations include bariatric surgery at Deaconess, General Surgery at the Veterans Administration, Neurosurgery for PM&R residents, Surgical Oncology for Radiation Oncology residents, and Vascular Surgery for Interventional Radiology residents.
- Most commonly, pediatric surgery and general surgery at Sacred Heart
- House staff – 1-2 blocks
- Night float – 1-2 blocks
- In-patient pediatrics option – one block
- Emergency medicine – one block
- Ambulatory medicine – one block
- Systems of Medicine – 2 week block
- Three electives
- Four weeks of vacation are offered in one-week blocks at a time, incorporating the weekend before and after.
Elective Choices
- Anesthesia (for anesthesia TY’s only)
- Anesthesia-Pain Management
- Critical Response Experience (Life Flight)
- Dermatology
- ENT
- Facial Plastics & Reconstruction
- Gastroenterology
- Hematology/oncology
- Infectious disease
- Mohs/Cosmetic Surgery Clinic 5C
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopedics
- Palliative Care
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Pediatric Oncology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Surgery
- PMR
- Radiation Oncology
- Rheumatology
- Surgical Oncology
- Vascular Surgery
- Winter Wilderness Medicine
Meet Our Residents
Our Transitional Year residents are adaptable, driven physicians preparing for diverse specialties. During their year with us, they build a strong clinical foundation through broad-based training, gaining the skills and experience needed for success in their future residency programs and beyond.
Meet Our Faculty
At the heart of our Transitional Year Program is a dedicated team of experienced, passionate educators. Our faculty members bring diverse backgrounds, clinical expertise, and a shared commitment to mentoring the next generation of family physicians. From hands-on training to long-term career guidance, they provide the support and insight residents need to thrive.
How To Apply
We participate in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) (AAMC ID number 9995400145) and can only accept applications for a residency position through this system. Contact your dean’s office for instructions to apply, unless you are an international medical graduate.
Application Timeline
Submit your application through ERAS and include:
- Applications Open: September (via ERAS)
- Interviews: November 11th through January 30th
Application Criteria
Transitional Year Residency uses the following inclusion criteria to screen ERAS applicants invited to interviews. These criteria are necessary to allow candidates to successfully gain a license to practice in Washington State, increase the likelihood of success and ensure their ability to pass their specialty board exam. Only those applicants who possess ALL of the following criteria will be offered an invitation to interview with our program:
- ERAS common application form
- A personal statement
- A Dean’s letter
- Three letters of recommendation
- Current photograph
- Official medical school transcript
- An official record of USMLE scores step 1 (Clinical Skills and Clinical Knowledge) or NBOME scores step 1; min. 225 or higher on USMLE step 1 or 520 on NBOME; Step 2 USMLE and NBOME scores will need to be posted by rank list deadline.
- A valid ECFMG certificate (if you graduated from a medical school outside of the U.S. or Canada)
- Personal interviews are by invitation only, and are based on the applicant’s academic performance, letters of recommendation and other accomplishments as detailed in the application form. Applicants will be notified by email if selected for interview. Interview days are Monday through Friday.
- Interviews will be solely virtual this year. You will have an opportunity for a virtual “Meet and Greet” with residents and other applicants so that you may discuss the residency program in a leisurely atmosphere.
International Applications
International medical graduates must contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for their application materials and eligibility requirements. Paper applications will not be accepted. We will accept ERAS applications from International Medical Graduates only if they meet the additional following criteria:
- Documentation of ECFMG certification AND
- Documentation of successful completion of a clinical clerkship or sub-internship of at least 8 weeks (hands-on clinical experience where you have been involved in patient care doing Histories and Physicals, ordering and interpreting labs, writing orders, making diagnosis and treatment plans, etc.) performed at an ACGME accredited U.S., Puerto Rican or Canadian medical school, and
- Visa status that allows legal entrance into the United States (we do not sponsor or assist with applications for visa).
- Must have graduated from medical school within the last 5 years.
Applications with a high score will be considered more favorably than those with low scores.
