Transitional Year Residency

Welcome to the Transitional Year Residency Program at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.   We are excited to continue the decades-long tradition of training exceptional first year residents in a supportive, growing health care system, supported by the nation’s largest medical school.

The primary goal of our ACGME-accredited Transitional Year Residency Program is to educate and develop residents who will treat patients in mind, body and spirit. This goal aligns with the educational goals of LECOM, our sponsoring institution, training physicians to practice in the osteopathic tradition.

Under the sponsorship of our Family Medicine Residency program, TY residents work side by side with our Family Medicine residents and faculty.   Residents obtain the fundamental clinical skills to allow them to thrive in the categorical program of their choice.

Our primary training site, LECOM Medical Center and Behavioral Health Pavilion, has recently expanded to include a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab, a new 8-bed ICU, a 14-bed medical-surgical inpatient unit, and a 20-bed emergency department.   Our growing clinical faculty includes specialists in family medicine, nephrology, interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, pain management/PM&R, and psychiatry, providing expanded rotation experiences for our residents.

Residents in our TY program are afforded 4 elective months during the transitional year, and work with the program director to develop an individual educational program to achieve clinical competence and success in their board exams.

Training in osteopathic manipulative medicine is an integral part of our program, having achieved initial osteopathic recognition status in 2024.

Our program imparts to its residents a firm academic background, enabling them to advance through the ACGME competency milestones through the transitional year.  Highlights of our didactic program include:

• Weekly clinical lectures by engaged faculty members
• Weekly case reports led by residents
• Monthly hands-on skills sessions to include mock codes, airway management, pig’s feet suturing lab, Nexplanon insertion, dermatologic procedures
• Daily “table rounds” reviewing inpatient cases
• Bimonthly OMT lab to include table time with mentors
• Quarterly engagement in the OMM lab at LECOM, providing residents with opportunities to learn and teach osteopathic skills
• Participation in a Regional Family Medicine Educational Collaborative with nearby programs to promote collegiality among our fellow residents
• Free subscription to the TrueLearn learning platform to support success in Board Level 3/Step 3 exams

Residents receive free membership in the LECOM Wellness Center, free meals while on duty, a generous yearly educational stipend, and a moving allowance upon matriculation to our program!

Finally, our program encourages its residents to participate in research and life-long learning, and prepares residents with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to become teachers and leaders in the profession. Residents are offered optional participation in one of LECOM’s Master Degree programs in Medical Education, Health Services Administration, Medical Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Public Health or Biomedical Ethics.

Please contact us if you need more information.   We look forward to hearing from you!