Path residents who have taken step III?

[AngryTesticle]

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An alternative way to look at it is:

(a) stuff that doesn't matter for pathologists
(b) Stuff that doesn't matter anyway

Very good alternative indeed. And they can be summed up in one major category called, "stuff that doesn't matter for pathologist in general."

Still have no idea when I would even take this exam. I certainly don't want to burn vacation time to schedule this damn 2 day exam. 😡 Having to do so would make this gonad quite upset.

 

[beary]

Still have no idea when I would even take this exam. I certainly don't want to burn vacation time to schedule this damn 2 day exam. 😡 Having to do so would make this gonad quite upset.

Your residency should give you time off for that. Even my crazy attendance-obsessed med school gave me a day off for Step 2 CS.

 

[AngryTesticle]

Your residency should give you time off for that. Even my crazy attendance-obsessed med school gave me a day off for Step 2 CS.

Well, I'm not aware of protected time granted for residents who need the two days off for taking Step 3. I certainly can't take time off during surg path weeks and on autopsy service, I have to cover the frozen section pager. Conceivably, I could have somebody cover for me, but that would be quite an imposition and I don't wanna screw people over. I have 3 weeks of cytology which is a service that can allow for quite some leeway. I got pulled for jury duty so I scheduled it on a Friday during my cyto rotation. Who knows...maybe cyto will be the time when I schedule step 3 but I'll have to know more about the mechanics of that rotation and what I can get away with before I turn in my application. Nothing would suck more than to register for the exam and be granted a 3 month scheduling period only to find out that none of the weeks during that 3 months would end up being feasible.

Oh well, I'll just have to deal with it 🙂

BTW, I only reached page 15 out of like 230. I'm not studying anymore tonight. I feel like I'm committing some big sin by even studying for it now Studying for Step 3 is just plain wrong.

 

[Logos']

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[AngryTesticle]

It is a ridiculously easy test Andy, you have to take it seriously since it costs over $600 of course, but I would say just make sure you are familiar with the simulated case approach (e.g. if you intubate you have to also tell it to bag ventilate). The rest is standard multiple choice and I think by this point we could all pretty much pass a multiple choice test in anything.

That is encouraging indeed. I think one of the main reasons I've put off this test is that I just don't feel like shelling out the outrageous $600 fee to take this damn exam.

I did two of the sample question sets yesterday from the Step 3 disk (well not actually a disk but I downloaded the questions). I was scoring around 44 questions correct so it's not the multiple choice questions I'm too worried about. I guess I feel more intimidated by the CCS software at this point.

 

[miko2005]

That is encouraging indeed. I think one of the main reasons I've put off this test is that I just don't feel like shelling out the outrageous $600 fee to take this damn exam.

For some reason, I thought that residency programs pay for residents to take Step 3?? I guess that's not true?? 😕

 

[Logos']

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[yaah]

For some reason, I thought that residency programs pay for residents to take Step 3?? I guess that's not true?? 😕

I would say it's probably uncommon. I don't (offhand) know of any that do. We tried to get them to do it here as an incentive for us to take it early, but instead they made the incentive that we would be able to move on to a later year of residency.

 

[deschutes]

OMFG I PASSED!!! With a score almost identical to Step 2 😀

And hmm... I was never told about bagging after tubing. heh.

For us, Step 3 comes under "Professional leave" - same category as for conferences, outside of vacation time.

 

[AngryTesticle]

Congratulations!

Told ya you'd pass. Ppl don't listen.

 

[uhoh!]

OMFG I PASSED!!!

Congrats!! Rid of those pesky MLEs forever!! 😀

Not surprising, though.. 😉

 

[deschutes]

Rid of those pesky MLEs forever!!

For a bit anyway. I am looking at doing a month of Emerg later in the year (sigh) for my Canadian OSCE licensing step.

 

[yaah]

Congrats 🙂 Always nice to have that out of the way.

 

[Aubrey]

So I sent in my registration today.. 625 bones. 😡
I could have started a World of Warcraft habit with that money.

 

[beary]

So I sent in my registration today.. 625 bones. 😡
I could have started a World of Warcraft habit with that money.

Aubrey!! Do you play WoW? I thought you said before you didn't, but maybe you were just making fun of me.

 

[Aubrey]

Aubrey!! Do you play WoW? I thought you said before you didn't, but maybe you were just making fun of me.

My life is busy enough with this timesink. 🙂

 

[path19]

Found out I passed my Step III today!! Wooohoooo!!!!

What made it even more awesome was my just barely scraping through with a 76!! How sweet it is! Goodbye to those damn USMLEs...forever!! 😎

uh-oh!
do you mind telling those of us who have yet to take the exam what you were scoring on qbank? that way we know the bare minimum we have to aim for. thanks, and congratulations!

as an aside (and not intended to scare everyone), has anyone heard of fellowship programs that require your step 3 scores?

 

[beary]

My life is busy enough with this timesink. 🙂

Oh yeah, now I remember. 🙂

 

[uhoh!]

uh-oh!
do you mind telling those of us who have yet to take the exam what you were scoring on qbank? that way we know the bare minimum we have to aim for. thanks, and congratulations!
as an aside (and not intended to scare everyone), has anyone heard of fellowship programs that require your step 3 scores?

Bare minimum is what I was aiming for. With Grad school and all, there was no big motivation to study for this exam either..

I didn't do the QBank. Only did USMLE World's questions (about 500/1200) and was scoring in the 60s. Did go through some CCS examples though. Going through the CCS software helps big time. also, I think I have posted a link for a "logical approach to any CCS". Didn't do any more, and was not near as geared up on exam day as I should have been. Thank god i passed, or else I would have felt guilty as hell!! 😀

I haven't heard of any programs asking for Step3 scores for fellowships, only that you passed and are board certified. Would also like to know, though..

Hope this Helps!

 

[deschutes]

Didn't do any more, and was not near as geared up on exam day as I should have been. Thank god i passed, or else I would have felt guilty as hell!! 😀

See, having passed all three steps now I can safely say that I felt this way for ALL of them. I'd come out at the end of the day thinking, well, if that wasn't enough for me to pass, I don't know what else I could have done.

I had other things to think about beside med school and medicine (ah the blasphemy!) and still, my lowest 2-digit score was only 4 points below my highest 2-digit score.

 

[AngryTesticle]

See, having passed all three steps now I can safely say that I felt this way for ALL of them. I'd come out at the end of the day thinking, well, if that wasn't enough for me to pass, I don't know what else I could have done.

I had other things to think about beside med school and medicine (ah the blasphemy!) and still, my lowest 2-digit score was only 4 points below my highest 2-digit score.

for the love of god, somebody please give her a cookie.

 

[deschutes]

for the love of god, somebody please give her a cookie.

Stop yo bitchin' an jus get in there an' do it!

 

[AngryTesticle]

Stop yo bitchin' an jus get in there an' do it!

I ain't bitchin. And I am in no mood to take it anytime soon. I'm too distractable.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Answering an old question... ekg is stated instead of ecg, as ecg might be misheard as eeg.

As in, "quick, get this patient presenting with left arm pain, substernal crushing pain and sweats an electro-encephalogram."

I would hate to have been the eeg tech called in to do this.... very confusing. 😉