Advice!!!!!!!

[Phat_Doc69]

---

Members don't see this ad.

i'm studying medicine in a 6 year program in eastern europe. DOES NOT TEACH FOR THE USMLE!! i am weighing out the options of taking the USMLE step 1 after my 4th year, after i take pharmacology (last basic science). OR, i'll just take it when i graduate and return to the US and study for it together with the kaplan course.

i'm more into taking it after my 4th year because i can do some summer rotations in the US. where its required to atleast pass step 1 before given any contact with patients. it'll look good for my resume when applying for residency.

BUT, i want to eventually land a residency in general surgery and i don't want to take the chance of rushing to take it (step 1) and getting a bad score, or even worse failing it. when i can graduate and take my time studying for it (step 1) and having a chance at getting a good score. BUT THEN, i won't have any experience in the US.

when it comes down to it which is more important for the PDs? very good step 1 (90-99) with NO US experience, OR sub-par step 1 (80-89) with US experience?

any advice is really appreciated. thanks. 😎

 

[neilc]

i took it after 3rd year...similar situation, still had to do pharm and all of that...but, here is my philosophy on it.

step 1 covers basic science courses, the content of which you will not see much of in the later years. so, it is best to take the exam close to the time you take the courses....as we had phys in year 2 and path in 3, as well as half of pharm, i figured it was better to get the test done in third year. i would rather learn the extra semester of pharm on my own, and be closer to the rest of my classes than wait an entire year for the benefit of one semester of pharm. this was reasonable, in my view, especially because i learn very, very little from lectures anyway. it was mostly just used to direct my studies, and i did not anticipate there would be much benefit from postponing the USMLE for that reason.

in the end, i did poorly on the exam, but it was more a result of incorrect prep instead of taking it early.

for step 1, coming from the EE....even tho they do not "teach to the USMLE", you DO get lots of exposure to the material. DO NOT waste your time relearning everything with a review book for each class....rather, do thousands of questions, and focus on learning the relevant topics. do not (as i did) underestimate your education! rather, you must refocus the knowledge you already have, and learn to answer USMLE style questions...

my advice, if you have worked hard and done well in the first few years...
1. plan to take the exam after third year (closer to the important classes)
2. work very, very hard learning the material during the classes, do not expect to pick it up later!
3. use USMLE review books to help you prepare for your class exams (ie, use BRS path along with Robbins for your path exam)
4. when it gets to be a few months before your exam, focus specifically on the USMLE! get rid of the rest of your review books...only use First Aid, Pathophys for the Boards and Wards and BRS Path...read those books over and over and over...on the toilet, in the shower, wherever you are. do not look at another book until you can recite those three word for word!
5. during these last few months DO EVERY PRACTICE QUESTION THAT YOU CAN BUY OR STEAL!!!!!! this is by far the most important. reinforce what you know, and get used to the test questions style and test conditions. also, do these in blocks of 50, timed and in testing mode. no tutorial mode! force yourself to answer them, then go back and review each question, especially the ones you missed. an important thing to remember is that it is just as important to learn why the incorrect choices are incorrect as it is to figure out why the correct answer is correct.

i am doing this for step 2 prep now, and i feel much, much better. just doing the questions is helpful, and by reviewing all the wrong answers in the questions, i am able deduce the correct answer much easier by knowing so much about the incorrect choices and why they don't work!

anyhow, step 1 is a bear. it is, however, beatable. just study hard, but more importantly, study SMART!

 

[neilc]

when it comes down to it which is more important for the PDs? very good step 1 (90-99) with NO US experience, OR sub-par step 1 (80-89) with US experience?

any advice is really appreciated. thanks. 😎

for the best chances in GS, you should have both! a lot of programs won't even look at you unless you can get about a year of US experience. get at least 6 months. but, they also will not look at you with low boards...

GS is a tougher match, but doable. you don't need 99's, but do the best you can.

the good news is, that you can easily crush step 1 early and still have time for clinicals...you CAN do both. read the above post for my opinions on how.

 

[Phat_Doc69]

thanks neil i appreciate it very much. GOOD LUCK with step 2!! 😎

 

[linute_d]

i'm studying medicine in a 6 year program in eastern europe. DOES NOT TEACH FOR THE USMLE!! i am weighing out the options of taking the USMLE step 1 after my 4th year, after i take pharmacology (last basic science). OR, i'll just take it when i graduate and return to the US and study for it together with the kaplan course.

i'm more into taking it after my 4th year because i can do some summer rotations in the US. where its required to atleast pass step 1 before given any contact with patients. it'll look good for my resume when applying for residency.

BUT, i want to eventually land a residency in general surgery and i don't want to take the chance of rushing to take it (step 1) and getting a bad score, or even worse failing it. when i can graduate and take my time studying for it (step 1) and having a chance at getting a good score. BUT THEN, i won't have any experience in the US.

when it comes down to it which is more important for the PDs? very good step 1 (90-99) with NO US experience, OR sub-par step 1 (80-89) with US experience?

any advice is really appreciated. thanks. 😎

Could any of you, guys, tell what sources you use to get practice in the US? Thank You!

 

[El Duderino]

I think Neilc's advice is sound, but I still disagree 🙂. I would wait until the end of my studies to take step 1. The main reasons being 1) step 1 is getting increasingly clinical and 2) learning all those enzymes and pathways are A LOT easier when you have a clinical framework to "attach" it to.

I was a pretty crappy preclinical student, and I never bothered to learn all that biochem, anatomy etc more than to the extent that I passed the exams (and barely, might I add). But when I had graduated a couple of years later and started studying for step 1, all those things made a lot more sense than they ever did before.

Other than that, I agree with everything neilc said. 🙂

 

[Phat_Doc69]

thanks everyone for their advise. i've decided to take it after my fourth year. hopefully, it'll work out. BEST OF LUCK!! 😎

 

[helena]

Which US schools/hospitals allow you to do summer rotations based on passing step 1? My school have peds + OB Gyn scheduled our last semester which means I'm never qualified for the clerkships that require all the core rotations so I would be very interested in this...
Are there any schools that just require you to be in your final year of medical school ( with at least 1.5 years of previous clinical experience)?

 

[Phat_Doc69]

well, i'll be setting up my own summer rotations. to my knowledge the last year of medical school requirement does not apply to those in 6 year programs. for example, if i pass step 1 after my 4th year of a 6-year program. i could set a summer rotation just by calling the university/hospital you want to rotate at and explain to them your situation. maybe NEILC can answer your question better than me. sorry. 😎

 

[neilc]

well, i'll be setting up my own summer rotations. to my knowledge the last year of medical school requirement does not apply to those in 6 year programs. for example, if i pass step 1 after my 4th year of a 6-year program. i could set a summer rotation just by calling the university/hospital you want to rotate at and explain to them your situation. maybe NEILC can answer your question better than me. sorry. 😎

that is exactly how i did it. called programs that i was interested in, and explained my situation. even programs that say students must be from LCME schools were cool with it, and offered me spots. the fact that you are not a carib student will work in your favor.

so, just figure out where you want to go, look on scutwork.com for program websites, and send emails to program coordinators. follow up with a phone call for the programs you really want. simple. the tough part is getting malp. ins.

 

[neilc]

I think Neilc's advice is sound, but I still disagree 🙂. I would wait until the end of my studies to take step 1. The main reasons being 1) step 1 is getting increasingly clinical and 2) learning all those enzymes and pathways are A LOT easier when you have a clinical framework to "attach" it to.

I was a pretty crappy preclinical student, and I never bothered to learn all that biochem, anatomy etc more than to the extent that I passed the exams (and barely, might I add). But when I had graduated a couple of years later and started studying for step 1, all those things made a lot more sense than they ever did before.

Other than that, I agree with everything neilc said. 🙂

i gotta say that a LOT of students i know did it the elduderino way as well, and most of them did very well. i, personally, couldn't do it, and it would also mean an extra year to wait before matching...not good for me.

but, whatever works for you, is the best way to do it