A type of medical residency with the purpose of providing a balanced experience in a variety of (two or more) clinical disciplines. The name is somewhat misleading because, rather than being used by physicians seeking to change from one specialty to another, most of the transitional year positions are occupied by physicians in their first year of graduate medical education. In addition to the 65 (1990) medical specialty programs approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), ACGME also approves transitional year programs.