Step 3 prior to, or early in, EM intern year

[da8s0859q]

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I've talked to several residents in various specialties who either took Step 3 early (fall of intern year), and in the case of at least one, studied for a few weeks in April-May / applied the day after graduation / got a scheduling permit in a few weeks / sat for the exam prior to residency starting and passed with a comfortable margin.

The state in which I'm going to be a resident requires some postgraduate training in order to register for the exam per the FSMB site.

I've read in multiple SDN threads that it doesn't matter, and that you can easily register under a state which doesn't require any postgraduate time and then actually schedule and take the test wherever you'd like without any penalty or issues, regardless of where you're actually going to be a resident -- in which case I'm not sure why the FSMB requires that we register under different states.

I graduate mid-May, and orientation starts mid-June for me. Seems like it'd be nice to just be done with the thing, but not sure if it's worth spending "vacation" time studying for a board exam. Curious as to what current residents think / did.

 

[The Buff]

I took Step 3 shortly after the inservice exam. I found studying for the inservice was very applicable to the step, enough so that little extra studying was required and I felt that if there were gaps my score could handle it. Since EM is so broad a lot of the stuff on the step is covered already (peds and OB/GYN being the topics residents from other specialties complain most about.) This way I didnt have to study twice. That said, Step 3 is basically just step two over again so you probably could just take it in June with very little effort (ie the old 2-2-2 rule for steps).

As for location....My residency is in New York, registered for the exam in California, physically took it in Colorado, and will be working in Washington in July. The location thing means nothing.

 

[NERDY]

If your residency program will pay for it, then wait until you start.

 

[USCDiver]

If you have any doubts about your ability to pass this test the first time, then you should wait. Unlike many other specialties (like Peds or Ob/Gyn), you will actually do better with more experience in the ED. If I recall, approximately half of the patient scenarios started with "A patient presents to the ED with....".

 

[survivordo]

Step III is historically the easiest of the steps. If you are a tracked intern than passing is really all that matters. I would take it as early as possible to get it out of the way (I wish I did)

Survivor DO

 

[sylvanthus]

I am likely going to do a CC fellowship, but in the odd chance I suddenly choose cardiology or nephro or something odd, do step 3 scores matter? Or is it just pass and move on?

 

[fahimaz7]

I am likely going to do a CC fellowship, but in the odd chance I suddenly choose cardiology or nephro or something odd, do step 3 scores matter? Or is it just pass and move on?

Cards or Neprho from EM? To answer your question, Emory's Cardio fellowship has a 240 cutoff for step 1, 2, and 3 according to the recently hired faculty at my school who trained there.

 

[Dane07MD]

I'm literally using this thread as a break from studying tonight. I'd say either take it right after in service or try and schedule it on a month where you can miss 2 days easy and read for a few days beforehand. You'll lose some of the step 2 stuff along the way but it comes back quick, and any ED experience is helpful. Taking it early is nice to get out of the way I'm sure. I'm not really too bummed about taking it this late. Just gotta pass.

 

[sylvanthus]

cards or neprho from em? To answer your question, emory's cardio fellowship has a 240 cutoff for step 1, 2, and 3 according to the recently hired faculty at my school who trained there.

Doing a combined EM and IM residency. So all of the IM fellowships are open to me. However, I can do CC in one year and will likely just do that. I'm just thinking in the odd chance I suddenly become super passionate about some IM specialty. Not likely, but I like to keep as many options open as possible

 

[Apollyon]

Step 3 is basically just step two over again so you probably could just take it in June with very little effort (ie the old 2-2-2 rule for steps).

For those that don't recall or may not know (as I took all of my steps on computer, and that is going back 13 years), it is "2 weeks for Step I, 2 days for Step II, and a #2 pencil for Step III".

 

[FSU2013]

For those that don't recall or may not know (as I took all of my steps on computer, and that is going back 13 years), it is "2 weeks for Step I, 2 days for Step II, and a #2 pencil for Step III".

I've always heard "two months for step 1, two weeks for step 2, and a number 2 pencil for step 3".........but maybe my friends are just gunners, lol.

 

[sylvanthus]

I've always heard "two months for step 1, two weeks for step 2, and a number 2 pencil for step 3".........but maybe my friends are just gunners, lol.

I was about to post the same.

 

[EMmotherhen]

We strongly encourage our interns to take Step 3 either just before or just after the in-service exam. Two birds with one stone and everything still fresh in your head. And, as a previous poster said, having it paid for out of your school's budget is a good thing.

 

[Aesculapius]

Step 3 is easy, but there's a lot of primary care/preventive care stuff on there that will probably become increasingly painful to relearn.