thanks guys
but does anyone have any idea on the following questions???
how much neurological examination do we have to do with respect to loss of consciousness or any other neurological problems?
Any important questions about depression do we have to ask the patient, such as mnemonics??
are they any mnemonics or important questions we need to ask a parent in a pediatric patient??
How do we use the phone if i get a patient phone call case??
Okay this might be wierd but suppose i get a female patient who has a large breasts and a cardiac exam is mandatory...how do i go about that without exposing her and doing a complete exam?
First, one text I read wisely advised, "suspend disbelief." Once you see the patients it will feel just like a regular clinic encounter.
Two, once you pick a mnemonic or two, stick with it. It will keep your nervousness at bay. You asked about depression. The SIGECAPS mnemonic covers all that you would need. I CAGEd everyone that suggested they drink, even if it weren't to excess, because, first, alcoholics underestimate their drinking, and, two, it gives the examiner a chance to see what you know. In a true clinical setting, it would be more a judgment call, but this is a test situation, and you have to momentarily put yourself in the examiner's head.
What I have seen is that with the time constraints not too many fancy maneuvers can be performed. What you do then is put it as part of the workup. It indicates that you understand the need for certain tests and maneuvers, but you did not have the time to perform them.
For most of your above questions, the FA text covers just about any contingency. Including the issues you mention above. I, too, "freaked out" two weeks before my exam, and went out and got the FA text. Late in the game, admittedly, but well worth the price to pass this misery. It helped me a lot. [That's an unpaid endorsement.
🙂 ]
Pick a text (FA is by far the best, and I'm not ashamed to admit I worked over five texts), and stick with the plan. After rehearsing this test, ad nauseum, it was just another "practice session" when the real test arrived. I remember my first thoughts when I left the building were that there truly weren't any surprises. Not one case that I had was "out of the blue" that wasn't covered by at least one of the books I read.
If you have been following this board for a while, a lot of the suggestions are well thought out. It helped me immensely when I came up with my own plan for this miserable test. Just keep it in perspective, do your prep and be kind to the SPs.
You'll be fine,
Nu
