CA -1 year

[Dam272]

Hi, what are the best "realistic" resources (books/qbank/etc) that one should use in CA1 year to do really good at the CA1 ITE and Basic exam?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[partydoc]

Dude, STFU and chill

 

[Psai]

I did truelearn and slowly read some books but who really cares about exam? I'm not learning medicine to be a good test taker but to be a quiet, obsequious slave to the rent-seeking overclass. Nothing says America like being exploited by the indolent, useless, idiotic ****s that inhabit the hardwood floor cubicle farms for your work ethic and ability.

 

[Nivens]

I did truelearn and slowly read some books but who really cares about exam? I'm not learning medicine to be a good test taker but to be a quiet, obsequious slave to the rent-seeking overclass. Nothing says America like being exploited by the indolent, useless, idiotic ****s that inhabit the hardwood floor cubicle farms for your work ethic and ability.

Damn Psai, that was pretty dark man!

OP: If you’re super motivated, M5 is kind of like a textbook in question bank form, in that the questions are grouped by subject and build on each other. I used it a little bit, but mostly just used TrueLearn to prepare for the exams.

 

[NICMAN]

Your focus should be on learning how to be a great Anesthesiologist both technically and cognitively--not necessarily on taking the test.

Having said that, I read baby miller and M&M thoroughly during my CA-1 year and supplemented that with some active-learning exercises from M5 (saving TrueLearn for CA-2 and CA-3 year). I scored in the 78th--89th percentile each year FWIW. The best thing you can do is read every day--Barash, Big Miller, etc., and think critically about the evidence behind everything you do in the OR. Does the attending like to use nitroglycerin during CABG to 'dilate collateral circulation'? is there a metanalysis that backs that up or disproves it? That is what will make you a great anesthesiologist--not scoring high on the ITE. Honestly the test is meant to weed out bad docs. It is set for the lowest-common denominator to set a baseline standard. The purpose is to raise red flags, NOT cultivate brilliant and competent Anesthesiologist.

 

[MaximusD]

Hi, what are the best "realistic" resources (books/qbank/etc) that one should use in CA1 year to do really good at the CA1 ITE and Basic exam?

Not sure what everyone else here is trying to sell you. Study for the tests and study for your cases.

Some good resources: TrueLearn, M&M, OpenAnesthesia

Do high yield stuff preferentially, because your residency is an intense competition among other really smart people. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of **** or ignorant to reality. Set yourself up for career success... Learning good anesthesia is not mutually exclusive from aiming your studying for the boards. YMMV.

 

[pgg]

I'm going to take the contrary postion here and argue that the CA1 ITE and AKTs (if you take them) are both important and worth preparing for.

First, you'll never in your life regret doing well on a test. A good score can lighten the scrutiny on your clinical performance and more your life more pleasant, because 90th %ile'rs tend to get the benefit of the doubt more than the 10th %ile'rs when mistakes are made. I'm not saying it's right, but it's the truth. Residency is hard enough without blowing off "meaningless" exams and attracting negative attention.

Second, the extra work and directed study early in residency WILL improve your knowledge base. That knowledge will help you make the most of clinical time, and you'll be a better anesthesiologist for it. People gripe about these exams testing stupid minutia but the truth is that people who know the minutia have mastered the rest of it too.

Third, come June of your CA3 year, if you've got a bunch of good scores behind you, the written exam won't be a source of stress. You won't need to cram, because you'll confidently own it. Wouldn't you rather be packing the apartment and thinking about moving to your new job than locking yourself in with a qbank?

And fourth, if you ever think about doing a fellowship, most programs are going to be interested in your ITE scores.


Study for the exam and kill it, the way you've studied for exams and killed them your whole life.

 

[Nivens]

I'm going to take the contrary postion here and argue that the CA1 ITE and AKTs (if you take them) are both important and worth preparing for.

First, you'll never in your life regret doing well on a test. A good score can lighten the scrutiny on your clinical performance and more your life more pleasant, because 90th %ile'rs tend to get the benefit of the doubt more than the 10th %ile'rs when mistakes are made. I'm not saying it's right, but it's the truth. Residency is hard enough without blowing off "meaningless" exams and attracting negative attention.

Second, the extra work and directed study early in residency WILL improve your knowledge base. That knowledge will help you make the most of clinical time, and you'll be a better anesthesiologist for it. People gripe about these exams testing stupid minutia but the truth is that people who know the minutia have mastered the rest of it too.

Third, come June of your CA3 year, if you've got a bunch of good scores behind you, the written exam won't be a source of stress. You won't need to cram, because you'll confidently own it. Wouldn't you rather be packing the apartment and thinking about moving to your new job than locking yourself in with a qbank?

And fourth, if you ever think about doing a fellowship, most programs are going to be interested in your ITE scores.


Study for the exam and kill it, the way you've studied for exams and killed them your whole life.

A ton of truth here.

One of my letter writers sent me an email after he saw my >90th %ile scores: “Thank you for not being a project.”

Are scores the end-all-be-all way to judge doctors in training? Of course not, but doing well certainly greases the wheels.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Nothing wrong with getting some knowledge on if you are on a down intern rotation and I commend you for it! I'm partial to M&M, provides more than enough information than you'll need for your first 18 months of clinical anesthesiology training. I focused on the pharmacology chapters first as it was more directly applicable to what I was doing, but you could branch out to phys or airway stuff after that - but much of the intraoperative stuff won't stick until you're actually doing it each day.

A ton of truth here.

One of my letter writers sent me an email after he saw my >90th %ile scores: “Thank you for not being a project.”

Are scores the end-all-be-all way to judge doctors in training? Of course not, but doing well certainly greases the wheels.

Weird.

 

[Psai]

A ton of truth here.

One of my letter writers sent me an email after he saw my >90th %ile scores: “Thank you for not being a project.”

Are scores the end-all-be-all way to judge doctors in training? Of course not, but doing well certainly greases the wheels.

How did he even know?

 

[DocVapor]

How did he even know?

If it's like my program, all the attendings will get the scores.

 

[anaesthetic]

.

 

[Psai]

If it's like my program, all the attendings will get the scores.

What the hell...
Is my 280 step 1 score not enough for them?

 

[AdmiralChz]

What the hell...
Is my 280 step 1 score not enough for them?

If you can’t crack 300 you’re yesterday’s news

 

[Dam272]

Thank you for so many valuable and "genuine" inputs. I really appreciate all of the posts

 

[Nivens]

How did he even know?

He asked.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[anbuitachi]

Hi, what are the best "realistic" resources (books/qbank/etc) that one should use in CA1 year to do really good at the CA1 ITE and Basic exam?

I did nothing in CA0 year and scored a 50%. I only did Truelearn in Ca1 year and scored >90%. I read like a couple chapters in MM before giving up and realizing again that I hate reading. The test tests a lot of BS useless non anesthesia knowledge, so if you did well on Step 1-3 I think you will do well on the ITEs. Doing well on the ITEs without that much studying really showed me how much the rest of the country studied. I wouldn't get stressed over it, just do some studying and you'll probably score well

 

[deleted162650]

I did nothing in CA0 year and scored a 50%. I only did Truelearn in Ca1 year and scored >90%. I read like a couple chapters in MM before giving up and realizing again that I hate reading. The test tests a lot of BS useless non anesthesia knowledge, so if you did well on Step 1-3 I think you will do well on the ITEs. Doing well on the ITEs without that much studying really showed me how much the rest of the country studied. I wouldn't get stressed over it, just do some studying and you'll probably score well

I totally agree that the ITE tests more general medical knowledge than anesthesia specific knowledge. An internist would do well on the test. I did find the actual written to be a little more anesthesia focused FWIW.

 

[mtu620]

For those who have taken the Basic, is Big Blue worth the purchase? Thanks in advance.