Studying for Peds Shelf Exam

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Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for studying for the peds shelf exam (about 2 1/2 weeks left). This is my first rotation, and I've been having trouble with managing time between doing our mandatory H&Ps (endless!), studying for oral exams, reading Nelson's (sometimes :), and trying to figure out what to read for the shelf. I've been alternating between baby Nelson, NMS, and Blueprints, but feel like I must commit and start really focussing on shelf studying, which doesn't always correlate with all this other stuff I've been doing.

Thanks for any suggestions, and good luck with whatever you are working on!

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I took the peds shelf exam in July - it was my first shelf.

The exam is challenging, but manageable.

Stop messing with Nelson's and NMS.

Pick up Blueprints and read it carefully from cover to cover in the next 2 1/2 weeks. Although this sounds unrealistic, it isn't. Read 20-25 pages a day; it's easy reading, and the book has large print. Make 30-45 minutes for it every night. Go light on the cardiology chapter, and go heavy on basics (e.g. differential for a kid with fever and a rash). I read it twice during my clerkship, and it was my sole preparation for the shelf.

Good luck,

doepug
MS III, Johns Hopkins
 
Here's what I did for the peds shelf a few months ago.

Read Blueprints. Read it hard. Read it like you mean it. My experience was that the cardiology is one of the most - if not THE most - important chapters, because the peds exam is full of that crap about murmurs, and so is Step 2. My other crutch was Pretest Pediatrics. Read Blueprints well, and do all the questions in Pretest Pediatrics. Very do-able.

This got me an 87 on the shelf. Your mileage may vary, but it's what worked for me.
 
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I agree. you need two books and two books only. One is definately blueprints. I used appleton and lange and loved it but
pretest is ok too for the second book. 2 and a half weeks is PLENTY of time to learn this material, but you need to put down the text books and read the review books.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll get to work on Blueprints like I mean it :)

Good luck on your efforts!
 
Blueprints, Blueprints, Blueprints. And then as much of Pretest as you can handle. I did both of these (didn't even finish Pretest) and was very pleased with my Peds shelf score in August. Not an easy test by any stretch of the imagination, but doable. I remember lots of development questions, some cardiology, a little bit of pharmacology, and the rest, well, have been blocked out of my conscious mind. Good luck!
 
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