Step 1 and What you need to know to be a doctor

[GangaMaster]

Does the Step 1 material encompass all the book learnings that a physician needs to know from books, not talking about clinical knowledge but book knowledge?

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[mvenus929]

How do you differentiate between book knowledge and clinical knowledge? Fatty acid metabolism may not seem like clinical knowledge until you have a patient with a defect somewhere in that cascade and have to figure out how to treat them.

Medical school is all about teaching you how to continue learning and giving you a basic foundation to practice. A good chunk of what you learn is flat out wrong, we just don't know it yet (or we do, and teaching is lagging behind the research).

 

[witzelsucht]

No, not even close. I mean, the fact that it is literally called "step 1" of a 3 step exam should probably be a big hint. And then even after step 3 there are board exams for every different medical specialty, each with their own exhaustive degree of book knowledge. For many diseases and processes step 1 only requires that you know a few buzzwords associated with it, not even close to understanding what it is and how to diagnose and treat it.

 

[Etorphine]

No, not even close. I mean, the fact that it is literally called "step 1" of a 3 step exam should probably be a big hint. And then even after step 3 there are board exams for every different medical specialty, each with their own exhaustive degree of book knowledge. For many diseases and processes step 1 only requires that you know a few buzzwords associated with it, not even close to understanding what it is and how to diagnose and treat it.

yea that is actually one of my worries. Step 1 is already so hard, but everything we need to know is in first aid. I am not sure what to expect down the road when the material becomes more specialized and the information is not so centralized like it is for Step 1.

 

[witzelsucht]

from what i hear it gets easier because you are learning mostly from seeing stuff as a clinical student and eventually resident, so you aren't just memorizing stuff from a book you have a more active learning process

 

[CherryRedDracul]

from what i hear it gets easier because you are learning mostly from seeing stuff as a clinical student and eventually resident, so you aren't just memorizing stuff from a book you have a more active learning process

This. I recall this old adage:

2 months for Step 1, 2 weeks for Step 2, #2 pencil for Step 3.

 

[HarryPlopper]

Does the Step 1 material encompass all the book learnings that a physician needs to know from books, not talking about clinical knowledge but book knowledge?

No it doesn't. Step 1 material encompasses only first two years and not even all that. Much of the information is in First Aid and USMLE World Question bank. It's much easier to study than the MCAT in that you know what you are studying for in terms of knowledge. However it is far more rigorous than the MCAT and can possibly be far more frustrating if you don't understand the material you are trying to learn. And like the MCAT, doing well is generally mandatory for top residencies although there are possible exceptions like EM.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Definitely not. It's impossible to learn about every disease in the depth that say a rheumatologist would know about all rheumatological diseases.

 

[mvenus929]

yea that is actually one of my worries. Step 1 is already so hard, but everything we need to know is in first aid. I am not sure what to expect down the road when the material becomes more specialized and the information is not so centralized like it is for Step 1.

Most people I know did better on Step 2 (primarily because they didn't wait to take it... some residents I worked with outside my institution recommended taking it later because people tend to do worse, but the average is higher, which would indicate most people tend to do better). From personal experience, I can tell you that Step 2 is so so so so so much easier than Step 1, if for no other reason than you're actively studying for it all year with shelf exams.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Most people I know did better on Step 2 (primarily because they didn't wait to take it... some residents I worked with outside my institution recommended taking it later because people tend to do worse, but the average is higher, which would indicate most people tend to do better). From personal experience, I can tell you that Step 2 is so so so so so much easier than Step 1, if for no other reason than you're actively studying for it all year with shelf exams.

Fully agree with this.

 

[DermViser]

This. I recall this old adage:

2 months for Step 1, 2 weeks for Step 2, #2 pencil for Step 3.

Yeah, and the adage is quite wrong.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

Yeah, and the adage is quite wrong.

I don't know. I do agree that it is wrong for the actual amount of time put in to study for each part, but I do think it resonates well with the amount of effort put forth for each part.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

I don't know. I do agree that it is wrong for the actual amount of time put in to study for each part, but I do think it resonates well with the amount of effort put forth for each part.

Yeah, I think you make a fair point. Its not that you must study exactly 2 months for Step 1 and only 2 weeks for Step 2.... it just works out to be similar to that for most of us.

Definitely agree about no preparation for Step 3, but then again as a family doctor my training is perfectly set up to make that test easy.