Preparation for intern year via Step 3

[minwoo]

Hey all,
I've matched into anesthesiology and will be doing a preliminary medicine year starting this June. I'm excited to be graduating but am terrified of intern year. To be frank, I don't think I have been very well prepared for intern year as all of my so called "sub-internships" during 4th year have been a complete joke. I know part of the blame lies with me as I wasn't very proactive in seeing extra patients or seeking out attendings/residents that would let me do more.

I've heard from a resident or two that taking Step 3 before intern year might actually serve me well DURING intern year as it would force me to review everything I've forgotten. But the majority of residents of course have told me to just kick back, relax, and enjoy the freedom of being a 4th year. I gotta say, there is only so much "relaxing" I can do..and personally, I'd much rather be an intern who can take better care of patients even it means sacrificing the final leisurely days I have before starting residency.

However, I do not want my efforts to be in vain and I would like to ask those of you who are currently going through intern year and possessing the experience/knowledge you have now, would taking Step 3 before intern year be a PRACTICAL and WORTHWHILE endeavor? If you could do it over again, would you take Step 3 before intern year started?

Also, if there is no significant disadvantage of taking Step 3 early..wouldn't it be smart to get it out of the way now while I have more time versus residency when I will be much more busy?

I appreciate any and all comments!

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[DrZzZz]

I had time to take it before intern year. I planned to take it before intern year. I mentioned it in all my interviews. And I here I am, taking it in 2 weeks, May of my intern year.

I think there's a small benefit to having actually been a resident for the CCS portion. But the multiple choice section (which I believe is far more important for your score)? Zero benefit from being a resident. The farther I got from studying for CK and rotations in OB, peds, etc, the more I forgot. If I could do it all over again, I would without a doubt take it prior to starting residency.

For the most part, I don't think it will help that much to prepare you for being a resident, though. Don't sweat intern year. No one will (or at least should) expect much from you, especially early on.

 

[HooliganSnail]

I would advise that you do no preparation at all, other than completely relax and enjoy the break. It is truly the most stress free I have ever been ( and will ever be I fear).

Medical students are not allowed to really take control of patient care, and the best way to learn something is to do it, so that is why you are doubting yourself. The good news is that now you are going to learn by doing.......A lot of doing. Don't understand what fluids to put the patient on? D5W, .9, .45? Who cares, you will figure it out when you do it for the first time. Don't know how to replete magnesium levels? Doesn't matter!!! You will learn real fast.

In fact, the first few months of internship you will be on a tight leash. It is the later parts of the year where trouble occurs, because by then you will be pretty darn competent, just enough so to get yourself into trouble.

You are going to be asked to do things that you can not study for, that will be the biggest challenge of intern year. There is a lot of dealing with people. Calling attendings, pages from nurses, being a mediator between services. These are things that you will grow into, but can not learn about in a book

Don't worry though, you are more prepared than you think.

Your medical knowledge will be lacking at first, but it will grow quickly. Your four years in med school have given you enough of a platform to move onto residency.

 

[ratherbefishing]

I also have the same doubts about myself as the OP. Thanks for the replies to calm my nerves.

 

[Gfliptastic]

I'm in this boat. I am wasting a UWorld subscription!!! I embarked on this mission a couple weeks after Match. Plugged away at it, just an hour or two/day. Doing some questions, etc. Here it is, like a month before orientation and I don't study!!

It is apparently the thing to do...slack. All of my intern friends told me it would be pretty good to get it out of the way since I wanted to put in some prep time. Observing their own lives (as they do, not what they say), most of them took in March and April.

I wanted to like use it to be a good intern and know most of my stuff for Day 1. Right now, I couldn't even dose Tylenol if I wanted (I picture Scrubs/Dr. Cox, "It's Tylenol, just tell the patient to open her mouth and throw some, whatever goes in his mouth is the dose!")

If you seniors are telling us it's ok to remember very little and learn as I go, well then, I don't think I have it in me to study very much anymore!!

 

[psych72]

I contemplated studying but you know they say that intern year is suppose to prepare u for level 3 thats why u gotta wait till after u graduate to take it. Sounds weird, but I'm just enjoying the rest of my freedom till I start. I've been gaining a ton of weight.

Like before we started med school, they told us not to study anything, so I'm hoping its the same with intern year? =/