How can i prepare in less than two month for Inservice?

[anesthesia2010]

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Need to get an average score on the inservice in march, how can I quickly and efficiently prepare?

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Pick a good question book with reasonable explanations of the answers. I would also plow through a review book like Miller or Faust.

 

[2win]

Need to get an average score on the inservice in march, how can I quickly and efficiently prepare?

As dream said - what level are you?
Are you a smart one or the average?
You aim for an average score????
Why not the best one?
2win

 

[pgg]

Need to get an average score on the inservice in march, how can I quickly and efficiently prepare?

If you "need" an "average" score on the ITE, it sounds like you're in the program's cross hairs at the moment and they're expecting the exam to supply more ammunition for firing you.

Read a couple hours every day, tired or not, whether you feel you have time or not. If you have to get up a 3 AM to read because they have you slaving away in the OR until 7 every night (followed by preops) ... get up at 3 AM.

Whatever else you read, do a lot of questions. Hall is a good start, if you do 20 questions in that book every day and really (thoroughly) understand why the right answer is right and all of the wrong answers are wrong, you'll get through the entire book before the ITE. I think Big Blue has a lot of high yield stuff for the written; others here dislike it.


Also, like 2win says, aim high. I've never regretted doing well on a test, even if it wasn't really that important. Can't say the same for the ones I didn't ...

 

[Narcotized]

I've never regretted doing well on a test, even if it wasn't really that important...

The opposite reminds me of a smart guy I knew in med school. He was in the Dean's office scrambling for any kind of field that would take him after matching nothing. We had 70 cutoff for passing classes. So he says to me, "Narc, my problem has been that if I got a 72 I felt like I studied 2 points too much."

Well, desperate for anything, he was talked into taking a spot at our med school in a totally ignored field filled with FMGs known as anesthesiology. Now, after about a dozen years of $400,000 salaries working days that often end around 2pm, I'd have to say I have no idea what the moral of this story is.

 

[Fastrach]

Also go through the old board exams on the ASA website:
http://www.asahq.org/continuinged.htm#in

They currently have 1990-1996 up there. Wish I'd looked at these before my CA3 year-- money in the bank. Amazing how little they've changed over the years.

 

[usnavdoc]

If you "need" an "average" score on the ITE, it sounds like you're in the program's cross hairs at the moment and they're expecting the exam to supply more ammunition for firing you.

Read a couple hours every day, tired or not, whether you feel you have time or not. If you have to get up a 3 AM to read because they have you slaving away in the OR until 7 every night (followed by preops) ... get up at 3 AM.

Whatever else you read, do a lot of questions. Hall is a good start, if you do 20 questions in that book every day and really (thoroughly) understand why the right answer is right and all of the wrong answers are wrong, you'll get through the entire book before the ITE. I think Big Blue has a lot of high yield stuff for the written; others here dislike it.


Also, like 2win says, aim high. I've never regretted doing well on a test, even if it wasn't really that important. Can't say the same for the ones I didn't ...

I dont know youre situation/CAyear? But to maximize time I would have to agree with PGG. Hall and Big Blue. But really use Hall and look up stuff you dont understand. Easily doable in the time you have.

 

[anesthesia2010]

CA-3 and no not on the verge of getting fired, I just wanna do better thats all, especially with the boards coming in august. Always read here and there, but never consitent in one book and thought i might get some advise. Thanks.

 

[Mofeen]

Anyone use these ACE questions? https://ace.asahq.org/web/

Are they worth the 75 bucks?

 

[Masseter Spasm]

I would worry less about the ITE than the written boards. Now is the time for you to begin a consistent and comprehensive preparation plan for the boards. I would pick one review book (Big Blue, Faust, etc.) and one question book (Hall?). Read and review them daily, making sure you cover all of the material in those books by next summer. If you get you ITE score and are not happy, use that as motivation for the big exam which will still be 3-4 months away. Resist the urge to buy "one more review book" and attend another review course as the boards get closer. Keep it simple and consistent.

 

[veetz]

CA-3 and no not on the verge of getting fired, I just wanna do better thats all, especially with the boards coming in august. Always read here and there, but never consitent in one book and thought i might get some advise. Thanks.

As a CA-2, I focused on 20 chapters in Big Blue Jan. & Feb. before the ITE, did ~300 old ABA questions, and raised my score 15 points. Good luck to all CA-3's!

 

[DrMunkey]

Which book is "Big Blue"? Have the new Hall that's supposed to be printed anytime now pending from Amazon. So far, 6 months into CA-1 year I've read all of Baby Miller and a few chapters from Barash. Haven't really started doing any questions, but feeling the pressure of the ITE as well as many others here. We're being told that since this is our only ITE that will be reflected for those of us applying to fellowships early (Peds - early CA-2 year) we should aim to do exceptionally well.

Any thoughts from ya'll?

 

[bigdan]

Big Blue:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q="big+blue"+anesthesiology

 

[amyl]

.

 

[tracheatoedoc]

Read Stoelting's Basics of Anesthesiology over and over again. You have time to read it 4 times. Memorize it and you should do very well.

 

[SexPanther]

hey guys, i can't find the barash question book at amazon... anyone have a link to someplace that sells it?

I think it's important to read continuously throughout your residency. I've never used any of the question books but read throughout the year and then use Anesthesisa Secrets as a quick hit review ~1-2 mos. before the ITE and this has worked very well for me.

Ultimately, you gotta figure out what works best for you.

 

[amyl]

i have everything. miller. barash. MM. baby miller. an old copy of big blue. faust. secrets. marino icu.
i recently started reading clinical cases in anesthesia, by Reed. it certainly is an easy read after a brain frying day in the OR when i just won't retain information presented in the typical fashion. anyone else read it?

 

[lushmd]

Interesting that you mention it Amy. I also have a ton of textbooks (Big Miller, Baby Miller, M&M, Barash, Longenecker, etc...) and also recently started reading Reed's book. Like you, I find that its a nice book to read at the end of a busy day (very informative but also a quick/easy read).

 

[IlDestriero]

Which book is "Big Blue"? Have the new Hall that's supposed to be printed anytime now pending from Amazon. So far, 6 months into CA-1 year I've read all of Baby Miller and a few chapters from Barash. Haven't really started doing any questions, but feeling the pressure of the ITE as well as many others here. We're being told that since this is our only ITE that will be reflected for those of us applying to fellowships early (Peds - early CA-2 year) we should aim to do exceptionally well.

Any thoughts from ya'll?

I'm not going to bust your chops too much, but if that is really all you read after 6 months, you are way behind the power curve. By that point in my training I had read all of Baby Miller, Morgan & Mikhail, much of Stoelting and Barash. What are you reading to prepare for your cases? You can read Baby Miller in a week! You really must read 1-2 hours per day. If you don't do it now, you never will. If you don't get a solid handle on all of the basics and common diseases, etc. how can you build on that foundation when you are thrown into all of your advanced rotations? Regardless of what your program expects, or what your peers do to prepare, you really have to do the reading, or when exam time comes around you will be poorly prepared and panicking instead of confident and secure in your knowledge. It is not too late to become a superstar, why settle for average?
Good luck.