2 Weeks till Step 2 CS - What to do?

[hothause]

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So I have two weeks till Step2 CS and I'm starting to get a little nervous! I'm an American student, native English speaker, but I haven't had any clinical rotations in the last year since I'm in a research program and took Step2 CK last year (so my knowledge base feels a little rusty). Any ideas for how to maximize the next two weeks study wise?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dr1704]

So I have two weeks till Step2 CS and I'm starting to get a little nervous! I'm an American student, native English speaker, but I haven't had any clinical rotations in the last year since I'm in a research program and took Step2 CK last year (so my knowledge base feels a little rusty). Any ideas for how to maximize the next two weeks study wise?

Thanks in advance!

Review First Aid CS.. Thats all you need! Two weeks should be enough. Also practice the cases with a friend.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

Sleep, relax, drink a beer, go to dinner with the girl, spend time reading a good book.

You need about 5 hours of First Aid CS and the ability to speak the english language to pass CS. Don't TOTALLY blow it off (you must do inane things in the way they want them done to ensure you don't fail), but really, there is no worry in this test. If you feel COMPELLED to do something, get a study partner, and bounce First Aid cases off each other.

If you're OCD, yet waited this long in your fourth year to take it, and this is your one shot to pass to start residency, then I'd read First Aid CS's opening pages about 20 times over. What questions to ask, formatting, yadda, yadda.

Step 2 CS Is the easiest exam you will ever take.

 

[hothause]

Did anyone find that they were missing things when going through the scenarios? In each one I seem to miss a question about weight loss or more information about the patient's sexual history. And, I'm having trouble coming up with so many diagnostic procedures since in the real world you might say do an x-ray for a broken arm before ordering an MRI looking for a rotator cuff tear. An LP for a tension headache or an exp lap for acute cholecystitis/gastritis first aid? Seems a bit extreme, not to mention not cost-effective or real world practice.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

Did anyone find that they were missing things when going through the scenarios? In each one I seem to miss a question about weight loss or more information about the patient's sexual history. And, I'm having trouble coming up with so many diagnostic procedures since in the real world you might say do an x-ray for a broken arm before ordering an MRI looking for a rotator cuff tear. An LP for a tension headache or an exp lap for acute cholecystitis/gastritis first aid? Seems a bit extreme, not to mention not cost-effective or real world practice.

You miss a question or two? No biggie.

As far as differentials and tests, Put them all down. This isn't step 3. Its step 2. Identify possible diagnosis, put the test you'd do for it.

You're pretty much spot on for dominating the exam. Make sure you speak English. Fluently.