UC Irvine

Emergency medicine (EM) has its challenges, downsides, advantages, and accompanying lifestyle. Additionally, graduates of EM residency programs have abundant job opportunities. Accordingly, there is an increased interest in residency training in EM, even among residents with prior training. Transitioning from another specialty to EM can be complicated yet achievable, especially if EM is the transitioning physician's passion and career goal. Therefore, in this article, we elaborate on the transition process from another discipline to EM in light of changes in residency funding. We also explore the advantages and disadvantages of transitioning to EM with previous training in another specialty. Moreover, we expand on credit equivalencies for months already completed in another training programs, as well as the difficulties to be anticipated by transitioning physicians.