Step I before or After IM rotation?

[desijigga]

Do you guys think taking my Step I after my IM rotation (which starts in Sept) is a better idea? I am DO student, so initially I was going to only take the Comlex, but now since seeing how good I am doing in UW (~60-65%) I want to take the USMLE also. I haven't signed up yet, and I don't want to rush into taking the USMLE so fast (in july), so either I can take it in August (have family med and psych first 2 months) before my IM rotation or after in late Sept towards the end of my IM rotation.

I know people say you should take it as close to 2nd year as possible, but does going through the IM rotation help solidify some of the concepts for the step 1? (Also Internal Medicine is my top choice, and people have been telling me only a Comlex score will be sufficient for most MD residencies. Well I want to take the USMLE, and open up more doors)

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[docbill]

Do you guys think taking my Step I after my IM rotation (which starts in Sept) is a better idea? I am DO student, so initially I was going to only take the Comlex, but now since seeing how good I am doing in UW (~60-65%) I want to take the USMLE also. I haven't signed up yet, and I don't want to rush into taking the USMLE so fast (in july), so either I can take it in August (have family med and psych first 2 months) before my IM rotation or after in late Sept towards the end of my IM rotation.

I know people say you should take it as close to 2nd year as possible, but does going through the IM rotation help solidify some of the concepts for the step 1? (Also Internal Medicine is my top choice, and people have been telling me only a Comlex score will be sufficient for most MD residencies. Well I want to take the USMLE, and open up more doors)

No.

 

[futureres]

No.

I took Step 1 after IM and did well in both my rotation and on the boards. Just don't take Step 1 if you're not ready. I'm not familiar with the Comlex exam, I'm presuming the content is similar, so the same rule applies to both exams. The advantage of taking the boards before IM (if it's your 1st or 2nd rotation) is that you'll be fresher when you're pimped on rounds on minutia. I had to read a lot more for first few weeks of the rotation than post-Step 1 classmates but after that it was fine. After the rotation I took a month off to study and nailed the clinical vignettes both on Qbank and the actual exam because of my IM foundation.

It's up to you. Good luck.

 

[Cdn11]

I'd say IM rotation helps very little with step 1, so either way shouldn't affect your score by much.

 

[radiodoc99]

Take it after because you will get a better perspective of all the material. More in depth understanding of electrolytes, fluids, acid base etc.

 

[Adelaide Nick]

Take it when you are ready, if that's before the start of your rotation, then go ahead and do it. The only thing about doing the medicine clerkship first along with taking the shelf is that you will have a better ability to understand the context of the clinical vignettes that will be presented on Step 1. The material tested on the shelf is primarily diagnostic tests and treatment, Step 1 is pathology, pathophys + all other basic sciences. I am not convinced that the content that you will learn during the medicine clerkship will dramatically boost your knowledge base for Step 1. Also, having Step 1 looming over your head during the medicine clerkship (arguably the most important of third yr regardless of what you apply to) can be a detractor to performing at high level on the wards. Just my opinion.