How to study for COMLEX PE?

[ASAPRocky]

any help? Don't know where to start

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[Hokie06]

most students use First Aid Step 2 CE book and COMLEX Level 2 PE book. if you go through all of the cases in these books with a partner you will be good to go. don't take it lightly though like most people will tell you. people do fail and it is an expensive and time consuming test.

 

[Spartyon]

most students use First Aid Step 2 CE book and COMLEX Level 2 PE book. if you go through all of the cases in these books with a partner you will be good to go. don't take it lightly though like most people will tell you. people do fail and it is an expensive and time consuming test.

Develop a system when gathering the H&P. I asked things in the same order each time i.e. ppqrsta, ros, pmhx, pshx, all, immunizations, medications, sochx, famhx. Do it in the same way so that it is complete and time efficient. The main thing here is beating the clock. Always address the concerns of the patients as you would in the real world and ask them if they have any questions....and of course smile!!! Going in there with confidence makes everything easier and flow smoothly..have fun with this exam as you would seeing patients in the clinic. Best of luck and going through First Aid helped tremendously with the documentation portion. I recommend going through this at least once to develop a good collection of differential dx.

 

[coffeeeandtea]

i used the COMLEX PE book and went over some of the cases with a friend. i think the most important thing to practice is writing the note in 9 minutes, which can be a little difficult when you can't use some of the regular abbreviations (e.g. CTAB). you do get extra time for the note if you don't use all of the 14 minutes for the H&P.

also, it's definitely a good idea to review your OMM techniques beforehand. there will be 4 patients who ask for manipulation - it's safe to assume that there will be one low back pain, one headache. don't get caught off guard, like me... one patient asked for OMM of his IT band and i had to come up with something real quick, haha

 

[Dissected]

Go to the NBOME website and watch the video. They also have a pdf that you can download that has a sample soap note and guidelines.

Practice some basic OMM techniques for common disorders, polish you history and physical exam points for this exam, and practice writing a soap note in their format a few times in under 9 minutes so you can get a feel for how long it takes you.

A lot of people don't read the review books and do fine, but they can only help if you really feel that you must.

 

[rzarza]

I used both the USMLE and the COMLEX prep books. In hindsight, that was overkill, and I might have focused on one instead.

I developed a list: OLDCARTS, med hx, surg hx, fam hx, etc. I would write this out on my scrap paper before entering each room, and it gave me a chance to review the patient's chart. Remember to ask about diet/exercise as a "preventative" element.

Keep the list of abbreviations they provide in mind. As someone said before, ask the pt if they have any q's, and offer to speak to their family if needed.