PGY 1 Electives and Step 3

[ChargerBo8]

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I know that some of this has been covered in previous threads, but I wanted to try and get it all in one place. With that said, for those of you that are residents/interns now or are newly out of residency, what electives would you recommend? Furthermore, what electives are beneficial from a learning standpoint, yet have favorable hours that will allow sufficient study time? When would you suggest we take step 3 and what study materials are best?

 

[Punkn]

I know that some of this has been covered in previous threads, but I wanted to try and get it all in one place. With that said, for those of you that are residents/interns now or are newly out of residency, what electives would you recommend? Furthermore, what electives are beneficial from a learning standpoint, yet have favorable hours that will allow sufficient study time? When would you suggest we take step 3 and what study materials are best?

Take Step 3 as an intern while on a lighter rotation after you've had a coupe medicine floor rotations. I took mine in April during outpatient Neuro. I used USMLE World only and did well.

Elective choices have been covered in multiple threads, but "favorable hours" will depend more on your specific institution's electives. Radiology tends to be lighter most places.

 

[Prof Moriarty]

For those taking the COMLEX, it is notoriously full of Ob-Gyn, psych, and peds. You may want to brush up on those. I used the Comquest q-bank for general studying and "Crush Step 3" for areas I needed a refresher on. The q-bank sucked in the same sort of way that the exam sucked, so I guess it was a reasonable simulation of how weird the questions would be. More than that, I feel it's important to simulate the exam format so it feels comfortable - this applies to all the steps. I would stick with one basic step 3 book (to brush up on specific areas and read when you're not able to do the q-bank) and one q-bank. If you have time/energy, you could do a second q-bank, but I didn't and it's not necessary if you're paying attention on your rotations.

Some people say don't worry about step 3 (in the old days... "#2 pencil"). I disagree. It does seem easier than the other steps, but I definitely wouldn't take it lightly. It deserves some designated study time/material.