Medusin
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Hey spitmetal dont worry about this thread dying out! There are plenty of us that are just starting. I am planning to take STEP 1 some time soon and I think we should all help each other. Its a long journey, just like the others have showed us. However it can be done, so lets go for it.
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| spitmetal
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yeah lets go for it !!
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| chemamr
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hi my mexican people!!. Of course this thread isn't going to dye out. We are a lot and I'm almost sure our future residents in this Jun/Jul 2006 are gonna continue posting from time to time. And many are still preparing for steps and i'll be participating in the next match too, so this topic has life for much time.
spitmetal: i think you should do NBME like at least 3 weeks before your test date in order to change your study plan if needed according to your weaknesses reported in the NBME test.
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| spitmetal
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yeah i was thinking moreless the same chemamr (about nbme)
im so mad  cuz the school is so f*cking suffocating they dont let u a single breath of air i cant even finish to read FA and the books i ordered in amazon are delayed
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| ZAA
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Hello Docs
I am new in this forum, and I would like to hear your opinion about Kaplan. I am going to take a course,for step 1, with qbank, live lectures, and practice test in Pasadena. It is going to be expensive, but I really need to pass this test soon.
I haven't scheduled my test yet. What do you think? when should I take the test? right after the prep course is over or a couple months later. Oh it is going to be 6 weeks of live lectures, and 4 months of acces to video lectures, qbanks.
Right now I'm just lost, I don't know how to start.
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| yolanda
Forum Elite
Topics: 18
Posts: 247
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Hello, que onda.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Yolanda, and I am from Mexico, graduated in 1999, aldo my diploma says 2001, you know, after internship and social service.
I've been posting in other forums but I didn't know that this forum for mexicans existed until chemamr mentioned it in another forum or something, I don't remember.
Well, anyway, count me too, to keep this thread going.
spitmetal, your english is great, and writting in this forum will improve it. And laloblum (I think), is right chemamr about the clerkship, internship is R1, or PY1, refering to the first year in residency, but clerkships are que equivalents of "area clinica" o "rotaciones clinicas" that we do in med school.
Zaa, I think that you are going to have a GREAT start attending the course in Pasadena, it would be cheaper to buy courses from e-bay, but if you decided to do that, and you can afford it, good luck. I would suggest that you did nbme exam form 4 or 2 after your course and if you score high, go for the exam, but if you score low, well, then you can decide to re-schedule your exam date. At list this is what I've read in other threads.
BEST OF LUCK, to everyone.!!!
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| spitmetal
Forum Guru
Topics: 25
Posts: 636
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hi yolanda nice to meet you my name is geronimo im a 3rd year student in chihuahua and im preparing for step 1.
ZAA im new also but you should consider what yolanda wrote, because everybody and i mean everybody keep saying the same IF U DONT PASS MBME the most certain thing is that you are not going to pass the real test.
well hope that my reply help ZAA anyother question i'll try to help BUT REMEMBER IM NEW TOO 
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| SilatK
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Topics: 42
Posts: 585
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hello Yolanda,
ZAA take the test until you can get a good score on NBME. So do not schedule your test for after the lectures. After the lectures you can pay the 60 dollars and take the NBME. If you get a good score go a ahead but if you don't you will see your weakness.
You are right it is expensive. Too expensive for my taste. Good Luck!
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| chemamr
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Topics: 703
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 Welcome Yolanda to our forum, it's really nice. By the way, How are you doing with the steps???, and which residency are you looking for??
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| Medusin
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Topics: 17
Posts: 288
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Hello Yolanda and ZAA. Welcome to the forum! My name is Amado and I am a second year med student in Universidad de Guadalajara. I am currently preparing to take Step 1. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have and somebody here will surely help you. Good luck in your Steps.
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| spitmetal
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Topics: 25
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hey medusin how many years is medicine in UDG? without internado and social service?
your school is semestral or anual?
just curiosity
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| Medusin
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Topics: 17
Posts: 288
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The medical program at Universidad de Guadalajara is a 6 year program. The 5th year is the ¨internado¨ and then the last year is el ¨servicio social¨. So without those its just a 4 year basic program, divided in 8 semesters. I think it is the same for most med schools in the country right?
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| spitmetal
Forum Guru
Topics: 25
Posts: 636
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yeah :
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| spitmetal
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Posts: 636
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hey guys i have a question i sent my papers to ECFMG and they arrived there in april 14th today is 28th and in OASIS appears that they're prossesing my papers... im a little conserned, it is normal that they take so long cheking your papers? how many time took ECFMG to send your scheduling permits? What shoul i do?
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| chemamr
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yes, it's normal spitmetal, don't worry, they can take so long  .
I have a question for our residents: I'm thinking to ask for the Dean's letter (MSPE) at my university, I know it's not strictly needed but i'm gonna try it. My question is if any of you guys have successfully gotten this document from your universities and if so, was it just like AAMC asks for it??, exactly?? or can it be only similar but not identical???. Thank you for your answer. My question is mainly regarding the comments by the clerkship/elective rotations directors that I doubt I or my dean could get. Thank you for your inputs.
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| ZAA
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 54
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Thanks guys.
How can I get access to de NBME?
Which one is better kaplan or falcons?
I've heard really contradictory opinions about both courses.
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| general malaise
Forum Guru
Topics: 14
Posts: 433
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hi yolanda i recognize you from the step 1 forum. i will be taking it in august. how are your studies going?
ZAA go to http://www.nbme.org/programs/sas/sas.asp
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| yolanda
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Topics: 18
Posts: 247
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Hi everyone!!
Yes general malaise, I recognize you too, jeje, I didn't have the slightest clue you were from Mexico.
I wish you I could tell you all, that I am sticking to my timeline and that I am doing great, but unfortunately this is not the case. I recently finished the online application and my med school is giving me an official envelope to put my papers in so that I can send them to ECFMG, I will probably do this on Wednesday.
I just started a couple of days to study for step 1, after almost 3 months of procrastinating, but finally I think I have my act in order and I will start to study, I am starting with anatomy, then immuno.
Chemamr, you asked the 100 000 million dollar question....what specialty??!!!, I've been working as a general practitioner for almost 5 years now, when I was in med school I was sure that I wanted internal medicine and then infectiouse diseases, but after internship, and social service and this 5 years, I have to confess that my nich, wich is what I like the most is gynecology.
A friend of mine once told me that I was going to waste my brain, jeje if I ended up as a "partera", does where her words, but I have to be honest with myself, when I am tired, after a long day, and if they tell me I still have one patient, I look at the reception area and there is a family, I always think: "I hope that the mother is the patient", I like to read more about woman's health and I really enjoy the relationship that you build with your female patients. But I think I don't like surgery, and I have a bad back, so right now I can't stand a complete c-section, or operation, because my back hurts even when I do the dishes.
So I am in a dilemma, I am exercising so my back won't hurt, but I know I have good people skills, I like the outpatient setting not the hospital, so I could do obgyn and just do a fellowhip that won't require ob or just work as a gynecologist and not do the ob part.
Or I can do family medicine, wich I know I can like to do, and keep doing gyn as a family physician, my only problem is that my ego won't let me, because I really want to be a "specialist", and if I get a J visa, and if I do have to come back to Mexico for 2 years, I would come back as a family physician, and I would earn EXACTLY what I am earning right now, which is close to nothing. But I am afraid that I won't be good at surgery. So as you can see I am a mess!!
So, the only thing that I have clear is that I would love to have my MPH after either obgyn or family medicine, I want to focus my practice in preventive medicine and health promotion, since right now I am the medical director of a health center that focuses in this, I've learned to respect this field of medicine and to see how prevention and early detection is the only way to achieve a better health outcome. Amazing how my ideas on this have change since med school, when I thought that public health was a waste of time and that it was lame. I know hope to work in PAHO or WHO or CDC, as a specialist in woman's health prevention and promotion. So I don't know if I should suffer 4 years of obgyn residency get my MPH and try to do this, or do a more relaxed fam med residency and MPH and try to still specialize in woman's health, and forget my ego, jeje.
Sorry if this was a long post, but you asked the question, jejeje. Well, anyway, what do you think about all this?! any suggestions, anyone?!
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| yolanda
Forum Elite
Topics: 18
Posts: 247
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Medusin and Spitmetal...hi...You know at my med school we do the famous semester 0, and then 9 semesters, 1 of internship and 1 of social service. So after "preparatoria" you end up doing 7 years.
Zaa, I don't know about falcons, but you have a sure thing with Kaplan, since as you can see, here everyone uses kaplan, most of my friends who did pass used kaplan and they swear by it.
Good luck!
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Recognize that you have the courage within you to fulfill the purpose of your birth. Summon forth the power of your inner courage and live the life of your dreams - Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
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| Little Mac
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 45
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Hey raza!!!... well I have bad news.. I did very bad in my CK... 75... I want to try to a OBGYN... does anybody has an Idea if I´m done?... Well some of my CV... step 1 81... 1 year clinical rotations in Houston Texas Medical Center... I month Neurosurgery Clerkship with baylor... 5 LOR... One month as Volunteer in Texas Children´s Hospital... and One review article Published in Resuscitation... Do you thing I still has a chance??... Sorry to bother you guys but I´m concern !!... By the way, I´m from Monterrey...Mexico... Graduated in 2006... just one month ago...
Thanks for your input...
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| chemamr
Forum Hero
Topics: 703
Posts: 4,463
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Liitle Mac: You have a good CV, but honestly that CK result is not that good but you passed it right? ( i dont' remember the cut off value). Anyway, OBGYN is not a very competitive speciality and you have a lot of experience in the US health care system, maybe you have a chance, if that's what you love, you should apply to it in the match and maybe also to another speciality as a back up, to you second choice.
Yolanda: It's not a mess, you have a plan, it's normal that we change our mind in this USMLE process, there are many factors and variables, so it's really normal. i started thinking only in General Surgery and a sub after that but now it's a very different story, now I'm between IM and Patho. Basically you are between FM and GYN/OBS. I think there are 2 important questions for you:
1) Do you wanna come back to Mexico to work there after you finish your residency+sub in the USA? (Besides the likely 2 years because of the visa J1). Because that simple decision can change many things, residencies well paid in USA are not well paid in Mexico, if you plan to stay in USA, then concentrate on that.
2) The only clear thing you say is you wanna do your MPH and work in preventive health care in WHO, CDC or any other organization. So, if so, you aren't going to have a clinic practice?. Then wouldn't it be better to study FM or preventive medicine, then do your MPH and work in that.
In resume, if you wanna work in preventive medicine in that kind of organizations, i think it could be better to do FM and then your MPH and you're done. I don't see anything wrong with FM for your ego, the thing is that is not renowned in an appropiate way in Mexico but it's a very different issue in USA, you can do like 4-5 subs in FM (unlike in Mx) and as a general FM you can earn as much as a general internist (IM), so it's a different system in USA.
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| general malaise
Forum Guru
Topics: 14
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hey yolanda what school did u go to? i started out at UANL in monterrey which is also a seven year program. for some reason they loved doing everything different than the rest of the country
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| drgaxmac
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Topics: 7
Posts: 186
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Hello to all of my friends here at the best part of the forum. Well i am still preping for step 2 cs its so different from the other two tests i did before, but its fun. Welcome to all the new docs and remember if drgaxmac can help you with something dont hesitate to ask.
I am a 2004 graduate from UdG my diploma was issued in 2005. I have lots of good friends here we have know each other quite a while now. I ve passed step 1 (82) step 2 ck (81).
SO there a little about me, i want to apply to IM or Family practice here in the beautiful state of california where i currently live. So once again welcome to the new docs and hello to my other friends, you know them chema, spitmetal, carnederes, euroboy, lore, etc. mxshrink oh my god so many, medusin, general malaise, arciniega. EN FIN SALUDOS A TODOS.
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| SilatK
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Topics: 42
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ZAA: It depends what material is eazier and more comfortable for you. Kaplan is better known but I hear that it might be already a little overrated. I heard very very good reviews about the PASS program for Step 1. Some have said it is better than Kaplan. One thing is for sure Kaplan is very expensive. The material just got updated but it is not very different form previous years.
Yolanda: Mark your calendar and stick to it! Also they are some exercises to strengthen your back. I used to have back problems but I found out different exercises for it and also I got a better diagnosis as to why my back was hurting. Now I can squat eazily 250pounds(about 120kgs). My goal 400lbs. The Dead-lift I can do 315 lbs.. My goal is 400lbs too. They are good ways to treat back pain but it is more important to find the cause. Prenventive medicine is a good choice too bad in Mexico and even here is someone undervalue. I also thought that it was a waist of time. But that is what medicine and health is truly about, preventing!! It took me awhile to find out that medicine is not about curing but about preventing illnesses. Good Luck!
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| spitmetal
Forum Guru
Topics: 25
Posts: 636
| | 04/29/06 - 10:13 PM
| #1000 |
jeje yolanda my school program is ANNUALLY so i just get 2.5 months of vacations every year and is a 7 year program 2 years of basic sciences, 3 of clinics, internado and social service
what's the name of your school yolanda?
hey little mac how did you get those amazing rotation and clerkship?
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