Sorry about that. I misread your original post. Yes, it seems that First Aid CS is sufficient. Apparently CS is a game where you basically need to ask the right questions and do the right things and they'll check all the right boxes for you. I just bought the 3rd edition of FA CS and it looks very comprehensive and I have no doubts with using it as my only CS study tool.
However, I don't know about UWorld for your (our) only study tool for CK.
Somewhat off topic:
(In *NO WAY* am I lecturing you or anyone, I just have some stuff on my chest/mind.)
This is a difficult thing to discuss, but I've been wanting to open up communications on it. I am a FMG too. I went to AUC (one of the "big 3" carib schools.) I know that a lot of the clinical rotations my school set me up with (Wyckoff Hospital) were horrible, in that they didn't teach anything, and I didn't learn anything practical.) I know it's up to me to study during those rotations. I do blame myself for not studying diligently during my free time. Hey, I was in NYC, and there's so many beautiful women! 🙂
A program director, and many residents, at a nice place where I did months and months of rotations, told me that FMGs/IMGs seem to have a hard time with Step 2 CK. They said that we tend to not be prepared in the right way for it. I listened to them, but couldn't find the time or energy to prepare for Step 2, went into it blind, and got a 165.
I found out there's a world of difference between presenting a patient with HTN on rotations and actually identifiying a picture of HSV keratitis on the Step 2 CK. (Yes, that's a question, and no, you won't' see that in UWorld.)
I didn't go to an American med school, so I have no idea how much they are exposed to in their rotations, or how much they are taught, but I sure hope, for their sake, that it is a whole lot more than we were. It leads me to believe that for a FMG/IMG, that it's a very risky move to *only* study UWorld for your Step 2 CK. I truly think you've got to supplement it with other things.
I took Step 2 CK 5 days ago (Monday). I used UWorld (did about 3500 questions, so it's like finishing it 1.5 times), Step Up to Medicine, First Aid for stuff Step Up didn't have, Wikipedia, and two iPad apps: "A to Z Dermatology" [that app, btw, is pure gold for derm questions] and "Littman Soundbuilder" or something for heartsounds.
I studied hard for about 10 weeks. I took off maybe one day a week, or less. I feel like I knew an infinite amount more than I did when I got a 165 on CK. Ie, on my 165 attempt I was almost scared to progress to residency because I felt so unconfident in my knowledge, but know I feel confident and know that I have a nice foundation.
And given all of that studying and knowledge, I'm still scared to death that I failed CK again. Some of the questions on it, I just don't know where we were supposed to learn it. I had three questions on which abx to give for aspiration pneumonia. I'm looking it up in Step Up To Medicine now, and there's almost nothing on it. In UWorld they had a case of aspiration pneumonia, and the treatment was Clindamycin. So I answered Clinda to my three questions on it. If I google it now, I see a lot of mixed info. Clinda seems to be the mainstay, but then they combine Aspiration with CAP, and it's a different abx. Or they combine Aspiration pneumonia with nosocomial pneumonia, and it's different. So who knows which of my questions, if any, Clinda was the right answer to?
In my heart I tell myself that I studied so hard and wanted to know everything possible. So when I miss these questions, I tell myself that I was gunning to try to know as much as I could, and that obviously I'm going to miss a lot of Q's, but that there's a huge gap between a 280 (or whatever max score is) and a 189 (min passing score.) I'd be fine with a 189 to be honest.
My point, if I have one, is that UWorld is great for honing in concepts and giving you really good board relevant material, but you have to make sure you have a rock solid foundation beforehand. You can't just use it to memorize a bunch of facts that you don't have a firm grasp on, because a lot of the stuff in UWorld isn't on the boards.
One great thing about UWorld, if you do enough questions, you start to memorize everything about them. On the boards, for a small number of questions, I could glance at the answers, read the first couple of sentences, and know what the question was asking me. Then you just skim over the question to make sure they don't "throw a wrench" in anything, and then answer it. Felt really good, and helps give you some "free time" to spend on other questions.
Sorry for writing like a crazy person.
