USMLE Official 2021 Step 2 CK Experiences With Scores Thread

[EMDoc22]

All right y'all, let's get this party started. Here's to a smooth sailing third year, no Prometric drama with Step 2, in-person aways and interviews, and no CS/hopefully PE.

School: bone wizard

Step 1: mid 230s
Level 1: mid 570s

Step 2 goal: 250+
Level 2 goal: 600+

Interests: EM, OB/GYN (distant second)

Rotations (in order): Peds, IM, FM, Psych, Neuro, Surgery, EM, OB/GYN and then several electives mixed in

Resources: UWorld, Online MedEd, Tzanki deck since it's shorter and the Step 1 decks burned me out, might check out B&B for Step 2 when it comes out since Dr. Ryan saved my butt on Step 1

My rotations go until the end of June and unfortunately my schedule is pretty backloaded with my final 3 rotations being EM, OB and ICU so I guess that means I'll be taking Step 2 in early July. Obviously I'm not sure how auditions/aways will be playing out next summer and if PE will be a thing so a lot up in the air right now in terms of scheduling. My school does COMATs for our shelf exams but I don't plan on using any DO-specific resources for COMATs or Level 2 as I've heard UWorld is all you need.

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[ohmanwaddup]

Recent Announcements | USMLE

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When does ERAS open? Looks like I’ll be fine with this cutoff either way though

also does anyone know if an EM deck is necessary for step 2 and if so what a good one is?

 

[Deecee2DO]

Just joining this thread. Step 1: 249, aiming for 260+ on step 2. Currently hitting 80 UWorld per day, doing all of Cheesy Dorian. Just started listening to Divine.

Oh my Uworld average is **** too @Deecee2DO . I think it’s 65% and I’m almost totally done with Uworld but I’m hitting 75-80% frequently now.

Heck ya Steve! Ur gonna kill it. Youll hit 260+ for sure

 

[hebrewBAMmer]

Finished step 2 the other day. Was really difficult. Praying for a very generous curve lol

 

[ohmanwaddup]

Sorry to revive this thread but I take level 2 Weds lol how did level 2 feel compared to comats and was it all that bad? I havent done any comlex specifc banks only UWorld. Any last minute advice? got a 671 level 1 so realistically my goal is 700 i guess? but does it really matter? lol who knows

Between here and friends, I noticed people either felt it was really really rough, or pretty easy. I did not personally hear any experiences of people between those two extremes.

 

[calivianya]

School: Hogwarts School of Bonecraft and Bonewizardry

Step 1: 247
Level 1: 735

Step 2 goal: 250+
Level 2 goal: 700+ (I guess I have to if I don’t want to look like I slacked off)

Interests: rads, gas, IM -> pulm/crit

Rotations: We still don’t know, so...

Resources planned:
- OME + Dorian’s OME decks (+ finishing up the videos he didn’t get to) early in rotations
- Emma videos + Dorian’s Emma cards a couple days before COMATs
- My own self-made UWorld/NBME incorrects cards made as I go
- Maybe lazily keeping up with lolnotacop’s micro reviews on the weekends bc I was proud of maturing that deck


I am super excited for this thread because I am super excited to have lived through this summer!

 

[Pizza4Life_1]

what's the consensus on Sketchy for Step 2? can't decide if I should make the investement, I haven't seen too much commentary about it online

 

[EMDoc22]

what's the consensus on Sketchy for Step 2? can't decide if I should make the investement, I haven't seen too much commentary about it online

I wasn't planning on using it unless I don't like my other resources. I loved it for pharm and micro on Step 1 but I'm planning on using primarily UWorld, Tzanki and OME for shelf exams and Step/Level 2 since those seem to be amongst the tried and true resources and I don't want to be resource overloaded.

 

[iforget2]

Eyyy part 2 let's goooo!!

Goal: 240+

Going for FM, but want to be competitive as possible to be located near family.

 

[calivianya]

Okay guys, so... Amboss? It wasn’t part of my plan but we are going to get a 40% off deal though my school. Should I go for it?

 

[EMDoc22]

Okay guys, so... Amboss? It wasn’t part of my plan but we are going to get a 40% off deal though my school. Should I go for it?

More questions is never a bad thing IMO. I’m only going to do UWorld (decided to do the longer Dorian deck instead of Tzanki since apparently I’m Anki obsessed and don’t want to miss anything) but I’ve heard really good things about Amboss and it seems like lots and lots of questions is the name of the game for shelf exams/Step 2 over everything else. And if you’re getting a discount, I’d definitely go for it.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Okay guys, so... Amboss? It wasn’t part of my plan but we are going to get a 40% off deal though my school. Should I go for it?

Our school is also getting the same discount, still going to stick 100% with UWorld. It didn't fail me for Step 1 so I don't really think I need anything else. Also, I'm on a "light" rotation right now (FM) and don't really see how I would have the time to do much more, so I imagine it's only going to get worse as pretty much every other rotation is busier. All of my rotations are 4 weeks except IM and gen surg, so that's a big factor in my decision too. But, if you want more questions and can fit it into your schedule, I've heard good things about AMBOSS.

 

[Cath Up]

Does anyone happen to have access to a linkable comprehensive write-up for Step 2/Level 2 studying? I have always limited my focus on understanding how to study for step 1. I am still trying to figure out how to factor in shelf studying with step/level 2 studying.

As a DO student I'm not even sure how valuable taking Step 2 CK is in addition to level 2.

 

[Cath Up]

It sounds like just doing UWorld step 2 CK questions everyday is helpful? Do they have questions arranged by specialty so you can simultaneously shelf study?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

As a DO student I'm not even sure how valuable taking Step 2 CK is in addition to level 2.

Valuable. I've heard general consensus is the same as for Step 1 basically...unless you're gunning for FM or maybe community IM, take it. Especially if you've already taken Step 1, it just makes sense imo. Don't want to close any doors.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

It sounds like just doing UWorld step 2 CK questions everyday is helpful? Do they have questions arranged by specialty so you can simultaneously shelf study?

It's by specialty for everything except FM I believe

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Another perk of taking Step 2 for c/o 2021 and more than likely for our class is that if the PE continues to be the dumpster fire that it currently is, those of you who aren't in the 7 states that require the complete COMLEX series (RIP Florida, cries a little) can obtain licensure via the step series if you take them all (so take step 3 instead of level 3). Since they announced CS suspension for 12-18 months, I don't think any 2022 MDs will be taking it. So, taking step 1/2/3 should have you good to go (obviously don't take this as gospel but a lot of people on here have been discussing it so figured I'd mention it).

 

[calivianya]

Does anyone happen to have access to a linkable comprehensive write-up for Step 2/Level 2 studying? I have always limited my focus on understanding how to study for step 1. I am still trying to figure out how to factor in shelf studying with step/level 2 studying.

As a DO student I'm not even sure how valuable taking Step 2 CK is in addition to level 2.

I found this guide - it’s more for M3 than level/step 2, but it’s very helpful IMO. I still feel completely overwhelmed thinking about everything. I’m planning on taking step 2 because I am a good test taker and there’s no reason to give up a data point that’s (likely) going to work in my favor. If I was a more borderline test taker I would probably think about skipping it - it’s definitely not necessary for community programs IMO, esp if you’re interested in primary care specialties, but it is true that you may close some doors if you don’t take it.

Another perk of taking Step 2 for c/o 2021 and more than likely for our class is that if the PE continues to be the dumpster fire that it currently is, those of you who aren't in the 7 states that require the complete COMLEX series (RIP Florida, cries a little) can obtain licensure via the step series if you take them all (so take step 3 instead of level 3). Since they announced CS suspension for 12-18 months, I don't think any 2022 MDs will be taking it. So, taking step 1/2/3 should have you good to go (obviously don't take this as gospel but a lot of people on here have been discussing it so figured I'd mention it).

I really hope all states follow suit and give up on COMLEX altogether. It’s a disaster.

Also, what are you using for FM? I’m confused about studying for that one. A lot of resources don’t have a FM section.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Also, what are you using for FM? I’m confused about studying for that one. A lot of resources don’t have a FM section.

I'm using Dorian for FM (and thinking I may just switch to it fully instead of Tzanki). I wasn't sure what to do for questions but a couple of people suggested that I should be fine if I know Dorian well so I'm kind of holding off on that. Our school doesn't give us anything for M3 and UWorld doesn't have an FM section, so I dunno.

 

[Dr. wait for it...]

what's the consensus on Sketchy for Step 2? can't decide if I should make the investement, I haven't seen too much commentary about it online

Not sure why i'm on this page... class of 21 here. But hey no more board study so why not.

I loved sketchy for Step 1 (Micro/Pharm/path) But was NOT a fan of Sketchy for Step 2. The videos were long, things didn't stick. I think the great thing about sketchy was the simplicity of micro and pharm. Path was decent but the stuff for Step 2 wasn't even close in my opinion. I didn't watch many, but

I had a book with the pictures and highlights from Step 1 stuff and if I got a UWORLD question wrong that was in one of those Sketchy pics I would pull that out to remind me of that specific sketch. Even without studying those, I still got a lot of Shelf and board questions right because of them.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

UWorld does have a dedicated FM section now (I think there's over 300 Qs). For free FM questions register for a free account at AAFP, then apply to get access to the free board questions. AAFP Family Medicine Board Review Questions

 

[fldoctorgirl]

UWorld does have a dedicated FM section now (I think there's over 300 Qs). For free FM questions register for a free account at AAFP, then apply to get access to the free board questions. AAFP Family Medicine Board Review Questions

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Oh nice, thanks for sharing this!

 

[Cath Up]

Thanks for the feedback here folks. I think I'm going to try out Dorian and use OME, Lisa reviews, and do UWorld questions, and change from there.

Is anyone here using case files? The author of that reddit write up (thank you for linking that!) really liked them but I haven't read good things elsewhere. @fldoctorgirl we're on the same rotation right now- what are you doing other than dorian + UWorld?

 

[Dr. wait for it...]

UWorld does have a dedicated FM section now (I think there's over 300 Qs). For free FM questions register for a free account at AAFP, then apply to get access to the free board questions. AAFP Family Medicine Board Review Questions

View attachment 314514

that’s awesome. They must have updated that pretty recently because I just finished UWORLd a couple weeks ago. That’s a good change though.

 

[Dr. wait for it...]

Thanks for the feedback here folks. I think I'm going to try out Dorian and use OME, Lisa reviews, and do UWorld questions, and change from there. Is anyone here using case files? The author of that reddit write up (thank you for linking that!) really liked them but I haven't read good things elsewhere. @fldoctorgirl we're on the same rotation right now- what are you doing other than dorian + UWorld?

Im not familiar with Lisa reviews. I really liked Dr High Yield on YouTube. I would check it out if I were you. Super good quick review for most shelf exams.
I just saw that you can buy a book of his notes on amazon, no idea how helpful the book is though.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Thanks for the feedback here folks. I think I'm going to try out Dorian and use OME, Lisa reviews, and do UWorld questions, and change from there.

Is anyone here using case files? The author of that reddit write up (thank you for linking that!) really liked them but I haven't read good things elsewhere. @fldoctorgirl we're on the same rotation right now- what are you doing other than dorian + UWorld?

So I'm actually not doing UWorld. My school is trying to decide if they're going to buy it for us/give us a discount and I didn't know there were FM-specific questions until it was posted above, so I'm holding off on buying it myself and hoping they figure it out soon. I spoke to a couple of people who only did Dorian for FM and nothing else and honored the shelf, so I think that's the route I'm going to go. I've been watching OME videos as well but I'm not sure how helpful they are if you're also doing Dorian.

 

[Cath Up]

So I'm actually not doing UWorld. My school is trying to decide if they're going to buy it for us/give us a discount and I didn't know there were FM-specific questions until it was posted above, so I'm holding off on buying it myself and hoping they figure it out soon. I spoke to a couple of people who only did Dorian for FM and nothing else and honored the shelf, so I think that's the route I'm going to go. I've been watching OME videos as well but I'm not sure how helpful they are if you're also doing Dorian.

Whoaaa so you're just doing the flashcards/OME and looking things up from Dorian that you don't get? I'm very interested in minimal work as long as I pass.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Whoaaa so you're just doing the flashcards/OME and looking things up from Dorian that you don't get? I'm very interested in minimal work as long as I pass.

Yup, just solely Dorian + OME for this shelf. I will start using UWorld after for all future rotations.

 

[Dr. wait for it...]

Yup, just solely Dorian + OME for this shelf. I will start using UWorld after for all future rotations.

I haven’t used Dorian so I don’t know about that but here’s another option.

I used Amboss for family and it worked good for me. Best part is it was free because it’s a 2 week free trial ( assuming they still do that)
There are breakdowns of the percent of the test covered by I had a friend who decided to focus only on the high yield topics. So I would focus on MSK, Htn, DM, Hypercholesterolemia, asthma, COPD, depression, anxiety, common outpatient infections, back pain, and health maintainance. Those are somewhat from the breakdown they give for what topics are in shelf and also just the common complaints for fm.

If Dorian doesn’t have the USPSTF guidelines be sure to find them.

might be a good option to bridge til you get UWORLD.

or just kill it with only using those flashcards!

good luck!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I haven’t used Dorian so I don’t know about that but here’s another option.

I used Amboss for family and it worked good for me. Best part is it was free because it’s a 2 week free trial ( assuming they still do that)
There are breakdowns of the percent of the test covered by I had a friend who decided to focus only on the high yield topics. So I would focus on MSK, Htn, DM, Hypercholesterolemia, asthma, COPD, depression, anxiety, common outpatient infections, back pain, and health maintainance. Those are somewhat from the breakdown they give for what topics are in shelf and also just the common complaints for fm.

If Dorian doesn’t have the USPSTF guidelines be sure to find them.

might be a good option to bridge til you get UWORLD.

or just kill it with only using those flashcards!

good luck!

Thank you! If there's a free trial I may check it out in the week before the exam. And yup, Dorian has a dedicated subdeck to USPSTF guidelines haha

 

[calivianya]

I just repurchased Cramfighter for my scheduling purposes and my current plan is to finish all the medicine OME + relevant Dorian cards + comquest internal med COMAT questions before I start rotations on 9/14. I figure since I still have no idea what rotation I have first, IM is the most comprehensive and will give me the best foundation for everything else. If I end up not having IM early, it won’t hurt me to have that knowledge base, plus I am getting combank from my school for free so I can actually use that once I get to my IM rotations and still save UWorld for closer to the end of the year... or do UWorld during my IM rotations, either way.

Really tired of COVID messing everything up. I just want to know my rotation schedule.

Is anyone else still completely in limbo or is it just my stupid school doing this?

 

[iforget2]

I just repurchased Cramfighter for my scheduling purposes and my current plan is to finish all the medicine OME + relevant Dorian cards + comquest internal med COMAT questions before I start rotations on 9/14. I figure since I still have no idea what rotation I have first, IM is the most comprehensive and will give me the best foundation for everything else. If I end up not having IM early, it won’t hurt me to have that knowledge base, plus I am getting combank from my school for free so I can actually use that once I get to my IM rotations and still save UWorld for closer to the end of the year... or do UWorld during my IM rotations, either way.

Really tired of COVID messing everything up. I just want to know my rotation schedule.

Is anyone else still completely in limbo or is it just my stupid school doing this?

We still aren't 100% sure when we can rotate in person again. Our online rotations are way too easy and I don't even know if I'm learning 10% of what I could have learned in person.

The bright side is this is the most sleep I've gotten since middle school.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

Was going to ask about which Q bank to buy but yall already answered all my questions lol. Hoping to be able to participate more fully in here after I get my step scores Wed. Don't start my first rotation (FM) till tmr so I'm just spending today playing catchup on what I skipped after spending the whole weekend backpacking

 

[EMDoc22]

Most of my class has in-person rotations but that obviously could change depending on what happens with COVID. The vibe I have gotten is that most of the hospitals are fine having us back but a lot of the outpatient preceptors aren't taking students right now. My rotations are all in-person until further notice (mix of inpatient and outpatient) but since we have so many different clinical sites, the rules seem to be different at each site. A friend of mine at a different site has his first rotation online but his second one set to begin at the end of August should be in-person.

I asked this in the 2020 Step 2 thread but is anyone planning on using a Qbank besides UWorld for COMATs? There seems to be conflicting information with some saying UWorld is great for Step/Level 2 but you need COMBANK or COMQUEST for COMATs while others have said UWorld is all you need for both. Those COMAT banks are just crazy expensive so I really don't want to spend the extra money unless it's completely necessary.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

For the COMAT shelfs, do DO students need to be doing anything different then what our MD couterparts use to study for their shelves?

 

[iforget2]

Most of my class has in-person rotations but that obviously could change depending on what happens with COVID. The vibe I have gotten is that most of the hospitals are fine having us back but a lot of the outpatient preceptors aren't taking students right now. My rotations are all in-person until further notice (mix of inpatient and outpatient) but since we have so many different clinical sites, the rules seem to be different at each site. A friend of mine at a different site has his first rotation online but his second one set to begin at the end of August should be in-person.

I asked this in the 2020 Step 2 thread but is anyone planning on using a Qbank besides UWorld for COMATs? There seems to be conflicting information with some saying UWorld is great for Step/Level 2 but you need COMBANK or COMQUEST for COMATs while others have said UWorld is all you need for both. Those COMAT banks are just crazy expensive so I really don't want to spend the extra money unless it's completely necessary.

Our 4th years told us COMBANK is garbage, but COMQUEST has been great - it's easy to mix the 2 up so if you decide on one make sure you get the right one! For me I'm hoping UW and Amboss will be enough for COMATs and I don't have to buy a 3rd qbank. Like you said, lots of anecdotal evidence for UW being enough to honor rotations, but we may need a few under our belt before we can know for sure.

 

[EMDoc22]

Our 4th years told us COMBANK is garbage, but COMQUEST has been great - it's easy to mix the 2 up so if you decide on one make sure you get the right one! For me I'm hoping UW and Amboss will be enough for COMATs and I don't have to buy a 3rd qbank. Like you said, lots of anecdotal evidence for UW being enough to honor rotations, but we may need a few under our belt before we can know for sure.

Yeah luckily my first couple rotations are not in specialities I'm interested in so I can trial and error a bit. I'm on peds right now which I've heard is actually a pretty difficult COMAT so I'm going to do UWorld peds along with OME videos and Dorian and see how it goes. I'll probably add COMQUEST or Amboss if I feel like I need more.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I asked this in the 2020 Step 2 thread but is anyone planning on using a Qbank besides UWorld for COMATs? There seems to be conflicting information with some saying UWorld is great for Step/Level 2 but you need COMBANK or COMQUEST for COMATs while others have said UWorld is all you need for both. Those COMAT banks are just crazy expensive so I really don't want to spend the extra money unless it's completely necessary.

I asked a bunch of people this, both on here and IRL, and the overall consensus I got was that UWorld should be enough. I think if you're doing Dorian + UWorld you should be pretty golden (I'm doing the same thing as you with OME as well). I'm not planning on adding any other qbanks unless I feel I need to; I also don't feel the need to honor every single rotation so I guess it just depends on what your goals are.

 

[EMDoc22]

I asked a bunch of people this, both on here and IRL, and the overall consensus I got was that UWorld should be enough. I think if you're doing Dorian + UWorld you should be pretty golden (I'm doing the same thing as you with OME as well). I'm not planning on adding any other qbanks unless I feel I need to; I also don't feel the need to honor every single rotation so I guess it just depends on what your goals are.

There's only one or two of our rotations with a COMAT that I want to honor and luckily they aren't until the end of the year. I have no desire to honor every single rotation so I think I'm going to stick with just UWorld unless this first COMAT really doesn't go well. I work pretty regular hours and I'm still exhausted when I get home so I really don't want to add anything else to my daily load other than UWorld and Dorian unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[calivianya]

One of my upperclassmen in my society just sent everyone in my society his study plan for third year - it’s awful. He did 100% of Amboss, UWorld, comquest, and OME for every single shelf. He also used every Emma Holiday lecture. For surgery he added surgical recall, Absite review, and Abernathy’s surgical secrets, and he added all of step up 2 medicine for IM. He pulled 110+ on almost every COMAT (except psych), and scored a 260 on step 2 and a 775 on level 2.

I wasn’t planning on working that hard. Who tf are these people and where do they get their cocaine?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

One of my upperclassmen in my society just sent everyone in my society his study plan for third year - it’s awful. He did 100% of Amboss, UWorld, comquest, and OME for every single shelf. He also used every Emma Holiday lecture. For surgery he added surgical recall, Absite review, and Abernathy’s surgical secrets, and he added all of step up 2 medicine for IM. He pulled 110+ on almost every COMAT (except psych), and scored a 260 on step 2 and a 775 on level 2.

I wasn’t planning on working that hard. Who tf are these people and where do they get their cocaine?

Lol......no. I've learned from Step 1 that resource overload isn't the way to go. I would just replicate what you know worked well for you for step/level 1. Some people had to use a million resources, I was fine with UWorld and Anki. Sticking to my less is more plan.

 

[EMDoc22]

Does anyone else feel like they're getting dumber on rotations? Today I was struggling hardcore with basic Sketchy antibiotics (I really hate antibiotics) and don't even get me started on everyone using brand names instead of generic names. I sat there like an idiot when they asked me about the MOA of a drug I thought I'd never heard of before until they said it was the brand name for polyethylene glycol. I just put FA back in my backpack because so many Step 1 facts seem to be rapidly hemorrhaging out of my brain. It's one thing to recognize these things when presented in a MC question, it's definitely quite another to apply them to real life scenarios and people.

In terms of resources, I second fldoctorgirl. I'm going out of my way to NOT resource overload because I don't have the time and not getting through all of my resources would just stress me out more. UWorld, Dorian and OME for content is what I'm riding with for now and I'm not changing it unless I really struggle on my shelf exams. There's only two rotations I really want to honor and they aren't until the spring so I'm not going to kill myself to honor every single COMAT.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

don't even get me started on everyone using brand names instead of generic names

This has been the bane of my existence. I'm constantly looking things up on my phone like wtf drug is that. So annoying, wish they would at least mention brand names along with generics in class.

Also, second the point of feeling dumber. I feel like my brain is on slow motion when someone asks me a question. It's annoying, having serious imposter syndrome but it's nice to know someone else feels the same.

 

[EMDoc22]

This has been the bane of my existence. I'm constantly looking things up on my phone like wtf drug is that. So annoying, wish they would at least mention brand names along with generics in class.

Also, second the point of feeling dumber. I feel like my brain is on slow motion when someone asks me a question. It's annoying, having serious imposter syndrome but it's nice to know someone else feels the same.

I wish they would teach us using the brand names because I have no idea what some of those drugs are until I look them up on my phone or in the EMR. That's going to be a whole other learning curve in and of itself.

My brain definitely feels like it's in slow motion. My attendings and residents have all been super nice and willing to teach but I can't help but feel like a complete idiot 99% of the time. I'm inpatient right now and I hate trying to comb through all the notes to figure out what all these other specialties are doing/have done for the patient and getting a clear timeline of events for my presentation. I think I prefer the undifferentiated patient which is another reason why I want to do EM.

 

[calivianya]

I feel very lucky that when I took pharm the first time in undergrad - all of my instructors insisted we learn both the generic and the brand names, because they said we’d see them pretty much interchangeably and so they said either the brand name or the generic could be used on tests.

There’s no way to learn them other than flashcards. No cute tricks - a lot of the drug names have nothing in common with the generics. I brute forced them with actual paper flashcards but I am sure there are a metric ton of premade Anki decks floating around somewhere with drugs and generic/brand names. It’s 100% worth your time to take a few minutes out of your day to Anki these out.

I can’t vet it nvm, I decided to download it myself because I’m sure I’ve forgotten crap and it seems great.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I feel very lucky that when I took pharm the first time (nursing school), all of my instructors insisted we learn both the generic and the brand names, because they said we’d see them pretty much interchangeably and so they said either the brand name or the generic could be used on tests.

There’s no way to learn them other than flashcards. No cute tricks - a lot of the drug names have nothing in common with the generics. I brute forced them with actual paper flashcards but I am sure there are a metric ton of premade Anki decks floating around somewhere with drugs and generic/brand names. It’s 100% worth your time to take a few minutes out of your day to Anki these out.

I can’t vet it nvm, I decided to download it myself because I’m sure I’ve forgotten crap and it seems great.

Hmm. I may check this out or I may just keep learning by picking them up as I go.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I can't help but feel like a complete idiot 99% of the time

Right there with ya. I guess it's just 3rd year imposter syndrome.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

Had my first day of rotations today. A little disappointing because basically all I did was shadow a gazillion follow up cases that each lasted 10 min and then had 15 min of charting. I ran out of my daily todo study material halfway through the day.

Hoping it slowly gets better, my doc seems to have a"first crawl, then walk, then run" mentality.

 

[calivianya]

I’m just so jealous that you guys are doing stuff. 1.5 months to go...

My clinical site HR keeps asking me if I’m done with my school’s requirements to start rotations yet, and I have to keep saying nope, still haven’t taken my tests yet. So frustrating. I’m going to step up my studying today and really try to kick some butt before I start. I’ve been procrastinating a lot.

 

[Dr. wait for it...]

Does anyone else feel like they're getting dumber on rotations? Today I was struggling hardcore with basic Sketchy antibiotics (I really hate antibiotics) and don't even get me started on everyone using brand names instead of generic names. I sat there like an idiot when they asked me about the MOA of a drug I thought I'd never heard of before until they said it was the brand name for polyethylene glycol. I just put FA back in my backpack because so many Step 1 facts seem to be rapidly hemorrhaging out of my brain. It's one thing to recognize these things when presented in a MC question, it's definitely quite another to apply them to real life scenarios and people.

In terms of resources, I second fldoctorgirl. I'm going out of my way to NOT resource overload because I don't have the time and not getting through all of my resources would just stress me out more. UWorld, Dorian and OME for content is what I'm riding with for now and I'm not changing it unless I really struggle on my shelf exams. There's only two rotations I really want to honor and they aren't until the spring so I'm not going to kill myself to honor every single COMAT.

4th year here. Just wanted to jump in and say that this is very common. Me and others I talked to felt like we couldn’t remember much once we moved into rotations. Even very simple topics/facts.

I feel like just being in a new clinical situations makes it difficult to access info that you have studied for the 1st 2 years. just know that it gets better with time. Don’t let it stop you from trying to answer those pimp questions, the info is back there you just need practice accessing it in your new role on rotations.