How to study for step 2 CS?

[Gulliver]

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Is there a book that you use? Or how do you go about preparing for this thing? Any pointers would be much welcome.

 

[krkuhl]

didnt even crack a book. i was planning on it but it coincided with turning in my rank list so i never got around to it. if you were even semi awake on your rotations, you'll be fine. there's a first aid for it i think if youre interested but no clue how good/useful it is.

 

[Gulliver]

Thanks, but at a grand a pop I don't want to use the cs as a test to find out if I was half awake on rotations. Certainly felt like I was asleep most of the time. Besides, I've been in the lab for a while and have a conveninent few weeks to take this thing so much of my rotation "knowledge" is distant. What kind of preparation would be best for this thing?

 

[GeneGoddess]

You can't "prepare" for the encounters, but First Aid is good practice for writing notes. It's not just H&P, but also a differential and "tests to order".

 

[El Duderino]

It's definitely a good idea to use first aid, not because the test challenges your medical skills or knowledge (it doesn't), but because not understanding the test format and expected questions etc would cause you to lose a lot of points. The test is nothing like a real clinical encounter, but you have to go through the motions and do things the way (and exactly the way) they expect you to do them. Ie, ask for sexual/drug/alcohol history no matter what the chief complaint is, ask specific questions containing the exact keyword that will make the patient tell you what you have to know etc. Unlike with real patients, open-ended questions will get you NOWHERE with some (or even most) SPs.

 

[Gulliver]

It's definitely a good idea to use first aid, not because the test challenges your medical skills or knowledge (it doesn't), but because not understanding the test format and expected questions etc would cause you to lose a lot of points. The test is nothing like a real clinical encounter, but you have to go through the motions and do things the way (and exactly the way) they expect you to do them. Ie, ask for sexual/drug/alcohol history no matter what the chief complaint is, ask specific questions containing the exact keyword that will make the patient tell you what you have to know etc. Unlike with real patients, open-ended questions will get you NOWHERE with some (or even most) SPs.

Thanks. Am I expected to ask about things like bleeding from the face or other crap that I can obviously take a look at the patient and see is not there? That's the way it was on my osce. Completely ******ed. Afterward I was asked why I didn't inquire about the patients facial myxedema. I said "because I have eyes and can see there was none there". Exactly how ******ed is this thing??