Failed Shelf

[sunnyskies345]

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Hey guys,

I was just recently notified that I failed my first shelf exam. The sad thing is I didn't think that it was that bad, which makes me feel like an even bigger fool. I don't know how I could have had such a distorted perception of reality. I've been bummed about this, and it makes me question whether I'm the only idiot who, for whatever reason, failed to study the right material. My clerkship evals are pretty good--no problems there, but I can't help but worry that I'll somehow make it through med school only to become an incompetent physician ... or "slip through the cracks," if you will.

I'm not comfortable with confiding this recent bump in the road with my med school friends (as it would leave me feeling vulnerable to judgment), and my non-med school friends don't seem to understand. "Just retake it," they say, "and do better." Those comments don't seem to help much. Since I can retake the exam, it's not so much about the clerkship grade, but more so what this says about me and my ability to hold up to the rigors of med school. I can't use long days and inadequate free time as an excuse because everybody else is subjected to the same schedule but they all have passed (or at least I assume so). At the end of the day, I can only blame myself.

Since I have no outlet, I'm resorting to the anonymity of an online forum to ask: is there anyone out there who at one point had felt as I do now, but made it out okay?

 

[MDROCKSTAR]

Lots of people fail shelf exams on their first try. Especially if they study the wrong way for the exam (for example studying procedures for the surgery exam--when in reality you are tested on how to work up a patient, S&S, pre-op and post-op care, etc.) It is just another standardized exam. I don't think you should let it make you feel like you are going to become an incompetent physician. If you have been getting good evals, your attendings must think you know something. As far as thinking you did good and having a rude awakening--a lot of the answer choices sound good and are part of the work up a lot of the time, so the questions are really challenging.

 

[sainteligius]

I wouldn't give up so easily dear.
Thousands of people apply to med school only to get rejected, and
you were accepted to medical school because they saw that YOU have drive to persevere regardless of the obstacles that come your way.

True success is not measured by your accomplishments, but by your ability to face a setback, learn from it, and do whatever you have to do to rectify the situation. This might mean:

- going to the course director to discuss what you studied and see what you can focus on
- talking to a psychologist for stress-relieving techniques to avoid anxiety during the exam
- learning skills specialist (our Top 10 Med School had one because sometimes you just need a different way to study for exams then what you were accustomed to before)

As Albert Einstein said, "In the middle of difficulty lies OPPORTUNITY."

Perhaps, it's better this happened NOW so you can learn how to study better for the NBME shelf exams and rock the Step 2!

You get great evaluations and I'm sure MANY patients appreciate what you are doing for them, so never doubt yourself.

YOU ARE MEANT TO BE CARING, PASSIONATE, AND COMPETENT PHYSICIAN. 🙂

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I failed my first shelf exam (one of two NBME exams on the same day during a dual clerkship, passed the other) and then one in another dual clerkship. It really weighed on me that I might be a poor physician because of it, but in the end these exams are really about your ability to memorize, regurgitate, and then inevitably forget the information a few days after the exam. I see this all the time with my younger classmates that are able to memorize information yet can't recall the information months later (though many can, argh). I retook them and passed, and unfortunately these retakes are placed on my MCPE "dean's letter" for residency application (I think some schools don't do that, argh). You shouldn't let these setbacks get you down, you are here in medicine working as hard as anyone else, and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Being able to memorize and vomit on a multiple-choice test is only one aspect of it all, so learn from it and move in. Believe me, I'm trying to do the same thing.