Best order for 3rd-year clerkships for taking Step 2 ck

[JRmed]

So I was wondering if anyone had any advice on whats the best order to complete your third-year clerkships in? The goal is to finish my last clerkship and study for step 2 in ideally two weeks and then sit for it.

I had some fellow classmates saying they want to schedule IM last because studying for that shelf exam is in a way kinda also studying for the Step 2 CK and will help you be better prepared for taking it sooner. Others suggested wanting to put something like Psych last since it has the more lax hours and you could probably do a bit of step 2 studying while also prepping for the Psych shelf.

My timeline for entering the Match for 2022 is kinda on a tight schedule and I don't want to have to take too much dedicated time for Step 2 ck studying if I can avoid it. So any opinions or advice would be appreciated!

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[trapperjohn4077]

Personally, I think doing IM first makes sense, because the knowledge you gain from IM is applicable in each other rotation. In terms of what you want to go into, I'd just say if you are considering something somewhat competitive but not sure, try to schedule it anytime in the first semester, that way you can find out if you really want to do it or not in time to get your application in order. If you're not sure what you want to go into, I'd schedule family med, pediatrics, psych near the end, because if you have an eye-opening experience in march/april that you want to switch to Family Med or Peds, it's no problem! Also, family med builds on all other specialties, so it's easier to study for the shelf if you've already had everything else first.

I don't buy the whole "don't do your preferred specialty first" idea, I don't think it really matters that much TBH.

In terms of step 2, I'd still do IM first or second, then keep doing/redoing UW IM questions all year. Maybe end on the easiest (usually psych) so you have more time to study right before step?

 

[SurgDoc95]

I’d have IM towards the end of the year since it’s the bulk of the exam. The others are all crammable if you do the initial studying for them for your shelves well, but relearning/reviewing IM for sure took me the longest since it was my 2nd third year rotation

 

[Redpancreas]

So I was wondering if anyone had any advice on whats the best order to complete your third-year clerkships in? The goal is to finish my last clerkship and study for step 2 in ideally two weeks and then sit for it.

I had some fellow classmates saying they want to schedule IM last because studying for that shelf exam is in a way kinda also studying for the Step 2 CK and will help you be better prepared for taking it sooner. Others suggested wanting to put something like Psych last since it has the more lax hours and you could probably do a bit of step 2 studying while also prepping for the Psych shelf.

My timeline for entering the Match for 2022 is kinda on a tight schedule and I don't want to have to take too much dedicated time for Step 2 ck studying if I can avoid it. So any opinions or advice would be appreciated!

There's too much interschool variation to give a one-sized fits all approach. I applied IM. There are pros and cons to every possible combination. Just take advantage of lighter rotations (Psych, Elective, ?Family) and I would try to get the heavier rotations out of the way earlier (General Surgery, OB/GYN).

Here was my order:

1.) Surgery-Rough but necessary intro to clerkships allowed me to shine later on
Pros: Really good foundation for clerkships, learned some GI IM stuff.
Cons: No time to do UWorld and sleep deprived so glad I got it out of the way

2.) OB/GYN-Got it out of the way. Basically surgery part 2.
3.) Neuro/Psych-Gave me time to recover.
Pros: Lot of free time on Psych. By far the easiest shelf. This is when I started Uworld

4.) IM: Had enough clinical exp. to excel here.
Pros: Got my letter situation figured out. Studying for the shelf prepares you for CK.
Cons: Worked quite hard and IM Floor Material =/= CK Material. Your clerkship will teach you how to manage COPD exacerbation and empiric anti-microbials. CK will ask you about Sarcoidosis and second line Malaria treatment.

5.) Family:
Pros: Good break from IM. The material was broad and served as a really good review for CK. Fun rotation overall. The shelf was also super easy for me.
Cons: Not as chill as I thought, clinic ran M-F 730am-6pm. Weekends off were nice.

6.) Elective: I chose my desired IM fellowship field
Pros: Got an additional letter. Good time to study for CK.

7.) Peds:
Pros: Clinic was chill.
Cons: Inpatient Peds is 6-6pm so not as light as I was expecting.

8.) Step 2 CK Prep. Spent a month. my score wasn't amazing, but good enough.
Pros: Doing it here got it out of the way and helped with my Sub-I. Even though my score wasn't amazing I wouldn't have changed how I did it.

9.) IM Sub-I. Reinforced a lot of CK knowledge, felt good that I had gotten the exam out of the way as I didn't have much time on my SubI to study for CK.
10.) ED Sub-I my school required and after that I was in home stretch. I did a few electives to prep for IM residency. In retrospect I recommend ID, Nephrology, and ICU if you have the chance. It's not mandatory and I didn't do all three but helps quite a bit.
11.) Step 2 CS was a monkey on my back. I should have done it after Step 2 CK but I delayed it and after my subIs, interviews started coming in and I didn't get around to it until January. Took a lot of mentally to get back into medicine mode. I recommend you take it after a SubI/ED rotation, or Clinic month.

 

[deleted645092]

I don’t think there’s necessarily any set in stone strategy. Yes IM is the majority of the test but you’ll also be worked to the bone during that time so you won’t exactly have a ton of time to study. I didn’t have the option of making my own schedule but I got to end 3rd year with my two weakest rotations and their proximity to the test really helped reduce how much time I had to dedicate to those.