Possible to study for oral boards alone?

[otacon88]

I'm taking the oral boards next month and kind of slacked on doing any prep work for it. Just got the Okuda book....is it possible to practice/study alone for the oral boards and still pass? Or would it be beneficial to take an oral board review course?

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[RustedFox]

I never studied with a partner. Passed comfortably.

 

[gro2001]

I'm taking the oral boards next month and kind of slacked on doing any prep work for it. Just got the Okuda book....is it possible to practice/study alone for the oral boards and still pass? Or would it be beneficial to take an oral board review course?

I am studying for the oral boards using that book now. I actually conscripted my wife (who is not a physician or anything medical at all) into helping me by proctoring the cases. I think it is a huge advantage to have someone administer the case to you and parcel out only the information you explicitly ask for. I feel that if I just read the cases, I would fool myself into thinking 'of course I'd remember to ask for X', while remembering those kind of artificial details are a big part of what preparing for the oral boards is for. Thankfully the book is written in a manner that does not require the examiner to have any specific medical knowledge other than what is written in the examiner instructions. Your non-medical spouse/significant other/friends have probably picked up on enough medical jargon over the years to get by as a practice instructor so get one of them to help. Also this has the unexpected advantage of giving them a partial insight into what exactly it is you do and what kind of decisions you have to make on a daily basis that is sometimes difficult for them to understand.

 

[SoCuteMD]

Can you get someone to Skype cases with you? A friend of mine also had the Okuda book and we would do the cases by phone. Worked great.

(yes, you will most likely pass studying on your own, too!)

 

[Old_Mil]

I'm taking the oral boards next month and kind of slacked on doing any prep work for it. Just got the Okuda book....is it possible to practice/study alone for the oral boards and still pass? Or would it be beneficial to take an oral board review course?

Take the AAEM course. There's nothing like real live practice for the oral boards.

 

[PurpleHaze]

I'd advise taking a course -- there's nothing like in person practice. That being said, I know plenty of people who didn't practice with a partner or take a course that did just fine.

 

[deleted77919]

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[future_dr_house]

I used my non-clinical gf to do cases with. Went through the book once. Then ran through cases with residency friends the night before in Chicago. Did fine. I don't regret avoiding money spent on a course.


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[Arcan57]

Had the River's CDs and book, didn't run cases. We did morning report every day in an oral boards format in residency so playing the game wasn't as novel as expected.

 

[gamerEMdoc]

If you can take a course, obviously that will help considerably. It gives you confidence and great feedback and tips in the week or two right before taking the exam. I'm probably biased here, I'm a course examiner for the AAEM course (I'm sitting in a hotel room typing this and I have to be up in 4 hours to teach the course this morning).

If you can't do a course, that''s fine. I love the Okuda book, and I use cases in that book for my residents. I've run cases over skype with former residents preparing for boards using that book as well.

When I took oral boards, I studied by myself using that book. Was it ok? Sure, I passed. But it wasn't the best way to prepare. Will it be adequate anyways? Probably. But if you can't take a course, I'd suggest you find a fellow former resident to buddy up with via skype or facetime, and run cases for eachother. Not only will you learn from the cases you do, but you'll learn from your partners mistakes as well.