sum advice for CS

[doc_radio]

I took my exam at HOuston!!
exam was 8 hrs long
starts at 9.. reporting time is 8.. finishes at say 4
there are two breaks in it... total cases are 17
one is a dummy case..
yes each patient interaction is for 15 min.. 10 min are for writing the notes
rest
You can open First aid first chapter it tells u everything!

I got very common cases as mentioned in FIRST AID .
I strongly recommend USMLE world for CS preparation.. At least it worked for me!!!


Dont worry
CS is plain presence of mind.
Even if u read 2 -4 books but don't practice You'll flunk!!!
PRACTICE A LOT!!!!!
PRACTICE WRITING
PRACTICE TAKING HISTORY
PRACTICE DOING EXAM
DON't forget to wash your hands before examining &Knock on the door before entering room...
feel free to ask questions I understand.. as I have been through that stage.


usually SPs speak in a manner so that you can undersatnd the, one of the SP was realy beyond my comprehension. so I had to ask him things again & again.
No thats not considered rude. ask politely. If you don't mind can U pls repeat what u just said.. even the 3rd time you could ask them. thats allowed. Even if you ask them to repeat I'll prefer NOT TO tell the patient that "speak slowly"... cos that will mean Your communication skills are'nt that good! I mean they are there to comment on your spoken english language skills too!

YES TIME MANAGEMENT IS really IMPORTANT
Time management I had to practice a lot! Initially when I used to practice I used to take 15 min of history Gradually I improved,, yes in the exam I could finish all my cases in time but that was after I practised a lot
PeoPLe say that CS is a kid's play!!!It' not so.. its just that u need to practice more!!! then its easy
Also When they sak you challenging questions you have to give a spontaneous answer as well be firm n polite.
regarding notes I had prepared a list which I used to ask from sps

HOPI
ROS(review of systems)
Med h/o
Surg h/o
Medications
Allergy
Family h/o
Social h/o
Sexual
Menstrual
obs h/o
diet h/o
excercise

while writing try to write legibly but you dont need to impress them with your hand-writing skills, but it should be legible! I met a guy there who had failed last time and his score report mentioned that he scored xtremely low in writing patient notes.

I made it a Point to enact the whole interview scene each time i discussed a case with my boy friend! this helps you improve upon common unpredicatble mistakes!
ALL THE BEST TO EVRYONE!!
come fwd & ask me questions if you have any!

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[48 hours]

Took CS today in Chicago, and we only had 12 cases. Of which, we were told they would only count 10. I thought all centers had to be the same, so I'm surprized Houston had 17 cases...that's a lot.

 

[Thaitanium]

Hey doc-

Thanks for the info. I had a question in regards to the First Aid book. Did you "practice" those minicases? If so, how did you go by doing so since the cases are basically d/d and workups? Did you think of questions to ask/physical exam manuevers to perform for each of the diseases listed given in the differential?

Also, were the 27 practice cases at the end of FA representive of what you saw on the real exam?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[doc_radio]

Dear Thaitanium.
those mini cases mainly help in acting as a learning aid.. I used to ask my bf to give me a clinical mini case & used to say the differentials n work up without reading them after that it we used to check what all did I miss? we used to do this while travelling in metro train! So as to save time! If you have a partner you can do that too, you can do that yourself tooo. Yes Cases in xam were very similar to the cases mentioned in FA. Yes I did practice some standard lines. Like I prepared a few lines to introduce myself to the patient. a few lines to close the encounter. I practiced some common lines for the challenging questions. I used to speak them repeatedly during practising an encounter. also remember to say sorry, x-cuse me, thanks you at the drop of the hat!
Dont palpate again if a pt winced the first time you touched a body area. Always say sorry whenevr you elicit tenderness. take patients permission before tying, untying gown, palpating body areas, doing any examination like fundoscopy. remember to switch off the lights doing fundoscopy/light reaction.. I made it a point to wash hands before touching the patient during practising, if I didn't do that my bf who was acting as a patient used to pinch me, so In real exam before touching the patient I used to be scared being pinched by the patient that I reflexly washed my hands.. these are the common mistakes which are only mastered once you practice.

 

[mig26x]

17 cases? wow, I had 12 in atlanta when i took it on feb of this year!!!

 

[4424]

i only had 12 and i took it in philly last tuesday. i don't see how you could have finished by 4 doing 17 cases. i didn't practice but i did glance at first aid in the hotel room. i thought it was a good read. just reminds you to do things like drape the patient, etc.

 

[OBJen]

I think that was a mistake...I took it in Houston on 10/26 and only had 12 cases. I have never heard of more than 12...that's enough!