Florida State University College of Medicine-Winter Haven Hospital Program

Transitional Year Analyst Verified · Sep 18, 2026

Florida State University College of Medicine-Winter Haven Hospital Program

Florida State University College of Medicine-Winter Haven Hospital Program is a residency program specializing in Transitional Year, located in Winter Haven, Florida, directed by Ashley J. Falk, MD and coordinated by Joel Rothrock. The program accepts applications through December 1, 2026. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at Joel.Rothrock@baycare.org or (863) 280-6082. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

This is a new, community-based Transitional Year program sponsored by FSU College of Medicine's Family Medicine Residency in partnership with BayCare Health System in Winter Haven, a smaller central Florida community with a stated physician shortage. The curriculum mirrors the FM PGY-1 experience, with no overnight call and no night float, emphasizing daytime educational blocks in inpatient medicine, emergency medicine, ICU, cardiology, surgery, and family medicine clinic, plus three elective blocks drawn from a broad menu including addiction medicine, sports medicine, and a community free clinic. The program is explicitly designed as preparation for a wide range of advanced specialty training or general practice rather than as a research or academic pipeline, with hopes that graduates will return to practice in underserved Polk County after completing their subsequent residencies. Structurally it prioritizes resident wellbeing and work-life balance alongside broad clinical exposure, rather than procedural volume or subspecialty depth.

Who it fits

An applicant advancing into a non-primary-care specialty (such as radiology, anesthesiology, dermatology, or PM&R) who wants a low-call, broad-exposure preliminary/transitional year in a community setting with flexibility to explore electives before starting categorical training.

Research intensity

Low - not mentioned as part of the TY curriculum or expectations; research infrastructure exists at the parent institution but is not emphasized for this program.

Career orientation

Other - the program is a preparatory bridge year explicitly designed to facilitate entry into a subsequent specialty or general practice rather than representing a terminal career pathway itself.

Important

The program states a hope that residents will return to practice in the Winter Haven/Polk County area after completing advanced training, reflecting a regional/community-tie orientation.

Choose Specialty / Choose Another Program

Transitional Year

Deadline 12/01/2026

50 days left

Accreditation Status N/A NEW

SCORE

USMLE STEP 1

USMLE STEP 2

SCORE NOTES

VISA POLICY

VISA

GRADUATION CUT OFF

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

ECFMG CERTIFICATE

PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT

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CURRENT RESIDENTS