COMLEX Freaking out about COMLEX PE

[FuturePrissyMD4]

I felt pretty good when I left but now I’m thinking about all of the errors and mistakes I made and wondering if I did OMM enough. I did it when prompted and 1 extra case.

Does anyone feel like they bombed 1-2 cases but still passed?

UPDATE: for anyone who looks at this post for reassurance after their exam. I passed!! They’re not looking for perfection. Def take it seriously and prepare for it though. I think I over prepared with Kauffman videos and books, but I’m happy with my result. Good luck to you!!

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[Lebowski9]

You’ll be fine. I only did it when prompted as well. Heck I didn’t even do OMM correctly on one (blanked on how I’d treat it), just documented I attempted OMM but didn’t see improvement, and still passed. Everyone walks out of there thinking they failed. Yes, some do, but that’s rare. The only thing is it’s a terribly long wait that gives you extra time to overthink.

As long as you washed your hands 2x, draped, explained everything you’re doing, and documented well you’ll be fine.

 

[ARK1234]

Was clueless on like 4 cases, didn't finish 2, so who knows how many cases I bombed. Only washed my hands once, didn't really completely finish any notes (but still made sure that I had SOMETHING, even if one sentence, in all 4 sections). Still managed to pass the exam. So, there is a lot of room for error. As long as you showed some evidence of being compassionate and a somewhat reasonable thought process, I'd like to think your chances of passing are pretty good.

 

[FuturePrissyMD4]

Thanks so much for sharing your stories. DefInitely helping to ease my nerves.

 

[darknecrosforte]

Many people who did fail, like me, finished every encounter at least a minute early, did not do Kauffman, did not stick strictly with the PE-specific note style, and walked out feeling okay. If your case is not similar, you can relax.

 

[FuturePrissyMD4]

Many people who did fail, like me, finished every encounter at least a minute early, did not do Kauffman, did not stick strictly with the PE-specific note style, and walked out feeling okay. If your case is not similar, you can relax.

I did use Kauffman, but would you mind explaining what you mean by PE-specific note style?

 

[AlteredScale]

I did use Kauffman, but would you mind explaining what you mean by PE-specific note style?

I think he means some sort of template that either your school or you had down and that you were consistent with. An example below.

Subjective:
CC, HPI, PM

Objective:
General, HEENT, heart, lungs,

Assessment:
Problem 1 - Ddx
Secondary problems- somatic dysfunction, smoking, drinking, overweight, high BP etc

Plan:
Imaging -
Labs -
Rx -

 

[darknecrosforte]

Yes. Many hospitals do not use templates like what is expected on PE so you may need to discard what you learned on clerkships to do well on the note.

 

[Giovanotto]

I did OMM twice, and for one of them I made up a ME and the patient was going "aghhhh, oouuhhhh that doesn't feel right" and TONS of other mistakes and still passed. Got lucky maybe, I don't know, I was fairly certain I wasn't going to pass. Just goes to show you....

Best of luck OP, at least statistically speaking, you likely passed.

 

[HopefulMedStudent]

Quick question. I was recommending pain medications PRN for a lot of patients. In my head I was just thinking OTC/nsaids. Are they going to assume I refer to narcotics and fail me??!

 

[FuturePrissyMD4]

Quick question. I was recommending pain medications PRN for a lot of patients. In my head I was just thinking OTC/nsaids. Are they going to assume I refer to narcotics and fail me??!

I don't think you will fail because of that since you didn’t specifically list any medication, which is actually not a requirement from what I’ve heard. I think it gets you a couple extra points if you do, but I doubt they would be under that assumption.

good luck! I’m still waiting as well.