When to take Step 3 for Peds Resident

[KP2AZ]

fellow peds fam,

When is the best time to take Step 3? I'm going to be a PGY-1 in a few months, and I am contemplating whether to study for it now and get it over with asap in the first few months of residency, or wait and cross that bridge a little way down the road (end of PGY-1?). My thought is that in peds we won't see/study for most of the adult stuff in our day to day residency grind, so why not just knock it out as close to step 2 as I can?

Thanks
KP2AZ

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[mvenus929]

1) When you can pay for it
2) When you can study for it. Which will depend on where you match and what your intern year looks like.

I had vacation in July and August of intern year (not by choice...), and took it in February during my newborn nursery month. I encourage my interns to take it ASAP so that they can focus on peds.

 

[pedstar09]

I took it in the middle of my PGY1 year when I had 2 relatively easy back to back rotations. I did fine.

 

[MEN2C]

Year 1. I took it PGY-1 at the end of an easy mostly outpatient rotation. It was the best decision of my residency.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

I don’t remember when I took it but get it over with when you have some opportunity to study for it. It is general medicine stuff. Your pediatric training won’t really help you for the exam.

 

[Marie0123]

It'll definitely depend on your schedule, so you should probably wait for that. Also, some programs offer to pay or reimburse you for Step 3, so hold off until you know where you are going and can ask. Our program reimburses out of a "book money fund" that you could use for a lot of things, but most interns use it for Step 3.

Also, our program highly recommends that our interns take it their first year because of PA state licensure. Essentially, mid-way though 2nd year they will need to submit renewal paperwork and Step 3 is required to be licensed as a 3rd year (so it has to be done by early 2nd year at the latest).

 

[zafonte86]

I took it in the first month of residency. One of our interns this year took it before residency started. Get it done whenever you can.

 

[arewethereyet...]

ASAP! I'm an intern taking it in March (what the chief resident recommended based on my schedule- 2 easy months in a row) , just started reviewing and feel like I've forgotten all of the adult things. Wish I had done it sooner, but I was definitely too stressed out in the first few months just trying to figure out how to be a resident and since then I've been on the busier rotations so wouldn't have had time to review. I would say wait until you pick your schedule and ideally have some easier stuff in the fall or winter and get it done then.

 

[Bernardo_11]

I'm too embarrassed to admit when I took mine, even though I passed. I remember feeling relieved when a peds question came on. So yeah, for all that is good.... take it during intern year.

Nardo