taking a month off to review for written boards

[buntatog]

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Is it typical/advisable to take a month off or at least work 2-3 shifts/week to allow time to study for the written boards, before going for full-time, call taking work?

I was thinking that if you've thoroughly prepared during residency that you wouldn't need to dedicate a block of time for studying and losing on income.

 

[Gern Blansten]

Is it typical/advisable to take a month off or at least work 2-3 shifts/week to allow time to study for the written boards, before going for full-time, call taking work?

I was thinking that if you've thoroughly prepared during residency that you wouldn't need to dedicate a block of time for studying and losing on income.

I know of many who have taken a week or two between residency and starting their job, just because long breaks like that in medicine are pretty rare and it can be a busy time (moving, studying, vacations etc). Now that the exam is no longer the second Saturday in July, I think that has become less common.
Most places know what you are up against and may work with you to take a few days off before the exam but many will not. Just depends on your group. They should have a stake in your board certification if they are a reputable group. If that is your plan, I would let them know as early as possible.
I would also base my plan on how you did on the ITE's during residency. If you really struggled, I would devote more time and maybe take a review course, if for nothing else, so you can have some dedicated time off. If you aced all of the ITE's and have a lot of confidence, you are probably just fine to work as much as you wish and skip the review courses.

 

[imfrankie]

Back when I finished residency one could blast thru Miller Essentials over a weekend and be absolutely fine taking the writtens. That may have changed. I think devoted time for the orals would be the better choice.

 

[Gern Blansten]

Back when I finished residency one could blast thru Miller Essentials over a weekend and be absolutely fine taking the writtens. That may have changed. I think devoted time for the orals would be the better choice.

I think it varies with each person. Some struggle and some knock the ITE out of the park the first time they see it and score in the mid 40's (or higher) on the scaled score by the time they finish.
The thing is to know which person you are. It is a difficult exam, but some people have the ability to make it appear easy.

 

[ssmallz]

I was forced to takes month off before working Bc of credentialing reasons. Looking back it was a great experience. Spent some time studying for the boards and more time chilling out. After working your but off for 8 strait years it's nice to have a break. There will be plenty of time to make up for lost income so if you have the chance to start work after your writens I would highly recommend taking the time

 

[excalibur]

I was one who struggled on ITE's. I knew I needed some weeks devoted to studying. I knew some who managed to start their jobs in Aug the day after their test. I wanted a job like that because I know I need time off to just focus on studying. I also had a special set of circumstances. My first child was due Aug 3 and my test date was Aug 1. I knew I would have to negotiate start date during my interviews. When I interviewed for my current job back in March of my CA3 year, they offered me the job on the spot right after the interview. I told them I would seriously consider and give them a response soon, but I needed to talk about start date. I explained my situation, and the boss man said, "Tell you what, how does Sep 1 sound. This way you can prepare for your boards, and spend a good amount of time with your newborn". That said a lot to me about the group. Working in this group now over a year, and everything the partners told me on interview day was 100% accurate, and we have always been very accommodating.

In the end as Gern stated you have to know what you need. I definitely knew the guys who just needed two or three days before the test to "prepare". I knew I needed weeks. Even without baby on the way, starting between July 1-5 like some of my colleagues did, was not an option for me.

 

[Yo GabbaPentin]

I say don't take the time off. The writtens are not bad at all. This is coming from someone who was an infrequent reader throughout residency. Study for a few months after work during residency and just take the thing. Follow the advice on this board regarding materials and you'll easily pass it.

Now for the orals.... just practice grabbing your ankles.

 

[sevoflurane]

I'm the type of dude who doesn't like to leave anything to chances.
So I took 1 week off for the writtens and 2 weeks for the orals + started seriously preparing about 6 months before both tests. Def. overkill... but that's the way I like it. Plus... you retain more if you systematically prepare over a 6 month period.

My 2 cents.

 

[pastafan]

I did the exact opposite. I saved up my vacation and finished my residency early in June. I then moved cross country and started work Monday June 25 three weeks before my boards. For the three years of residency I basically studied most every night plus I took Winnie's review course. My thinking was that if I didn't know my stuff by then I never would. I realized that if I failed my boards I would be kicking myself but that didn't happen. As other have said, know yourself and what you need. I was about to wish you good luck but then I remembered the words of Louis Pasteur "chance favors the prepared mind". 😉

 

[japhy]

i took a month off to move across the country, get settled and take writtens. probably the best thing i did all month was spending a week in the carribean doing nothing but starting at the ocean.

i didnt need the time off to study, but i did need some time to recover from residency. i was coompletely spend after those four years. it was nice to decompress for a week, move and have time to study. dont regret it one bit.

 

[panetrain]

Sounds like overkill unless your working 70-80 hours per week. I would recommend studying 2 hours per day for two months prior to the exam and maybe take a few days off right before the exam to cram everything in one final time.

 

[pjl]

In retrospect probably taking time off between was unnecessary from a studying standpoint. That said, it was hard for me to have the confidence in passing prior to dedicating some study time post residency, despite doing fine on in-training exams.

It was very nice from a lifestyle standpoint. This is probably the last time in your life you can choose to have an open ended vacation without having to schedule through the group.

Make sure you look into the financial consequences, taking that month off was worth about 35000 in addition to the actual salary for me. I had not necessarily realized that would be the case. Many times you need to be involved in the practice on July 1 for retirement vesting, and in my case there were some quality bonuses and other similar things that required 6 months of continuous employment by Dec 31 to acheive.

 

[buntatog]

thanks for all your replies. I think I'm gonna arrange to do 2-3days/week for the first 3 weeks then take off the week before the boards.

 

[BLADEMDA]

thanks for all your replies. I think I'm gonna arrange to do 2-3days/week for the first 3 weeks then take off the week before the boards.

1 week of solid study should be enough. Did you get close to passing on your last ITE?
If so, a week of studying 10-12 hours a day should prepare you well.

 

[Direct Laryngoscopy]

Still not sure about my July plans yet (PP vs Fellowship), but I'm continuing my steady reading and questions now. I've been pretty consistent with my reading throughout residency and I've performed fairly well on ITE and AKT exams. I feel that taking a month off isn't going to magically change anything for me.

Had I not consistently read and performed well on exams during residency, I would have strongly considered taking time off to study. I know of some residents who need to and should take the month off to 'study'.

I would recommend to self evaluate how you've studied throughout residency, your performance on in training exams and your preparation leading up to the exams and if you will really utilize the extra month to study to come up with a decision to study. Best of luck to you.