sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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hi , i am trying to start my prep for step 2 ck for a week now so far nothing. just cant start although i am in the best situation to study. i have 1 and 1/2 months time where i dont have to do any chores or takecare of my son (as i am in my home country) but i am not availing this oppurtunity. Its so tough studying without any help in USA but now that i have every help here i am still not studying....
Anyone who has just started studying want to discuss?...i need someone to keep pace with...Anyone?
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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my journel is empty...just like my preparation..i am nt studying...i dont know why...maybe its because i am seeing my family after a year or is it because i am just acting stupid..dont really know...i was reading people's experiences and i found out they dont spend too much time in first reading what i gathered was.
4 days peads, 4 days psych, 5 days surgery, 4 days ob/gyn , 10 days IM...Isit possible?
Anyway as i was reading cardiology and a little of ob/gy from kaplan...it looked like i knew all that and it was just repitition from step 1...but i still got half of the questions wrong from UW...its a little confusing...Anyway i'll try to work it out...if the above mentioned 4 days of ob/gyn is possible...i should finish it by tomorrow but thats incase i study...Enough of my babbling...bye
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| lancer
Forum Senior
Topics: 8
Posts: 50
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just chill, dont worry everybody is sailing in same ship, some realizes and other just ignore
I also started but btw cs and ck i didnt study any, then last 15 days studying for cs. I know now its time for me too concentrate on step 2ck
I am thinking to do usmleworld from 15th april and so let me try to do some of first reading before that. Best is to start with high yeild topic, cardiology..... hematology
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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hi guys,
I havent started studying yet..just got caught up with family responsibilities...although i am not working but just being a mom feels like a full time job. ...I took step 1 in feb 06...after that i have done nothing....i dont know what to do...i was hoping i could take step 2 by aug and apply for the match this year..but no chance...i am writing here to get motivation and help from people like me...This forum has helped me in the past so i hope to find friends again who are just starting out their preparation for step 2 CK. Goodluck ya'll
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| tolito
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 119
Posts: 2,162
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hi sarika,
you were an inspiration for me at step 1. dont give up about the 2007 match. you had good scores in step 1. i have been informed by a good number of people that a good step 1 score will get you some interviews. just endeavour to have sat all exams by november and you may still make it. i will be sitting ck in oct and cs in nov. i am also going to give it a shot. i will only lose money
good luck.
___________________
It has been a looooong hard journey but I am inches away from my destination...
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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hi all,
Thankyou tolito for ur encouraging words..yesterday i started after a very long break by watching Conrad fisher's lectures which were really inspiring...Although i couldnot read anything from notes still i think it was a good day...Keep studying guys Goodluck
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| bikerdoc
Forum Senior
Topics: 7
Posts: 110
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Funny how when you have everything you dont make the most of it and when you have the hardest time you wanna do miracles. I was for five years a student here (doing my PhD but hey whats PhD compared to medicine...lol) and did nuthing except party and travel. Now when I am close to 30 i feel the crunch that I need to do all my parts in 1 year. Talk about procrastinating. Maybe its human nature that our best DOES come out in times of adversity. Something about the hormonal secretions being influenced by stress? Maybe the enkephalins and endorphins supress our drive for success?
I can understand Sarika....thankfully I have no kids but a wife is a full time job too... Just kidding. The best way i feel is to set SHORT TERM GOALS. It works for me. Set DEADLINES (short term again). Like say you decided I wanna finish CVS, Endo and Resp by next week. One reading. Add to that about a 200 (4 tests) questions in 14 days. Thats a great goal and then see how things progress hunky dory. Its psych 101.....baby steps....whatchamajig you wanna call it. Try this and oh by the WAY TAKE AN EXAM DATE. Nuthing like a sword hangin above your head to motivate you.... . You will do great.
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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its september and i have already wasted 6 mon after taking step 1. Seriously i dont get it. what is wrong with me...where is the motivation the aggression that people have to do things in life and move on. I think i simply do not have that gene. And to add to all of this are my circumstances. Being a housewife in our culture is not easy. you have to maintain a social circle for the sanity of your family even if you dont like to hang out with those other "suburban housewives". But where am i in all of this? i gave up studying 3 yrs ago to settle down and embrace this lifestyle but i wasnt happy. And here i am now struggling so hard to study with a two and a half yrs old around but i just cant seem to start.I cant send my kid to day care i have to do it with him around and without any help.
Yesterday I was going over some questions from Q bank and i remember studying many of those things for step 1 but i dint get them right because it was a long time ago. i am so mad at myself. I know i am whinning people do this in worst situations but this isnt a easy!
I often obssess about the day of interview when the PD would ask "what were u doing after u graduated from med school like 5 to 6 yrs ago (depending upon when i take my step 2).
what would i say "i was taking care of my family" ..and what abt that USCE how am i going to get that no one is offering it no matter how many times u call or email.
I dont have any friends attendings who would let me shadow them around and grace me with that US LOR..And i wont be able to move to some far flung area of USA in case i do get a position (my husband wouldnt wanna quit his nice career job to move with me or worst wouldi be moving alone)
how does it work exactly.....ohhh i am so mad at everything and myself.
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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i have a feeling this prep journel would turn into my personal blog lol
Yesterday after whinning here i read some more prep journels e.g dr. mum and i had to say i got embarrassed . she has a job outside home and still studying. same goes for tolito who is working on his/her experiments at work while studying every day too....
well i read cardio from kaplan yesterday and today few things i dont understand...i will have to read it again...at 12 i had to stop studying because i have to host a dinner tomorrow ...started with cleaning the kitchen grout and then everything else in this house...will do cooking in the evening so that i wont be that jittery tomorrow...(i get anxiety attacks no matter if its a dinner party or a final year viva LOL)...what can i say thats just me....i hope wish and pray Allah changes me for better so that i can face the struggles of daily life and far more importantly my future life as a resident doctor so that i may help and save lives and be the BEST doctor. Ameen
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| Shaina
Forum Elite
Topics: 23
Posts: 239
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sarika pls don't talk about depression and not studying ,it will pull u more away from wht u cud actually do,be +ve dear i can tell u this coz i struggle every moment
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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ok so i read cardio but started getting bored with it in the end topics so i switched to EM. i watched the lectures which were pretty boring he was just reading from notes...but one thing i realized was notes were more boring to read alone for the first time. So all in all it helped....finished with Em im gonna move on to endo...not doing questions at this time....
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| dr.pumpkin
Forum Newbie
Topics: 4
Posts: 168
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hi sarika,,
just read ur posts,,it seemed to me that u `d pennd down my story.. but i must say u gotta bttr one than me...i failed in my first attempt at step 1,,then i gathered up to give it the second time in aprl 2006 ,,n to my horror i passed wid a meagre score of 77..( may be,just to soothe myself , i think of the following excuses of low score...studying alone,,my terrible sacroilitis, no guidance..) didn`t knw abt this forum then,,i m sure i culd have faired better if i knew of it.. Getting over my bad scores took a long time ( its nw sept n i m way beyond wat u cal studying:nono ,,then to add to this i had a devastating breakoff ...but i m trying!!!thnx to people in this forum..
just wanna say,,don`t lose heart...u gotta a nice step1 score,,n definitely that spark that`ll let u get ur goals..
just remembr..if god gave u a dream,,he had seen ur ability to fulfill it so,,gud luck to u , n hang in there ..i m sure go gonna ace this time too
god bless u..
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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hey drpumpkin Thankyou so much for that kind post....i admire your courage and i wish you all the best in life and USMLE.
i completed EM and ENdo lectures and have read these topics from kaplan notes and did a few q bank questions here and there ( the problem is i have these in book form and they are all topics mixed i wanted something topic wise and cant find anything.) Anyway i will do UW in the sec reading. Whats harrison review?...i read people talking about it?....i hope to start GIt today with lectures and then a quick read...i was also going thru FA and found it to be nice but i dont know if i should start adding things to it just like step 1...i dont know...i have other review books too like crush and prescription for boards but then how many books can a person read?..well my main sources will be kaplan and UW...is there anything else that i must add to it to score good?...
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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Now i just found out i have Kaplan qbook too so i was going thru it...strange thing is all the questions can be solved with the knowledge of step 1..(That if you remember what u read and memorized for step 1) and nothings new. For me 6 months have elapsed between my step 1 and now so i think i will have to atleast go back and go thru my FA of step 1...one more book to read...huh
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| Shaina
Forum Elite
Topics: 23
Posts: 239
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hi sarika ,so you feel step1 knowledge is needed for q book q's ,i was wondering which block you solved,how many q's r u done with? coz i am not planing to revise even FA of step1.
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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i was solving kaplan qbook 2004-2005 first block and also qbank 2003-2004 (book format) first 50 questions. I dont think everyone needs to go back and revise step 1 specially if they have just finished with it but in my case its been afew months. Also maybe its my nature, if i am confused about even a minor detail..i just cant move on...i become obssessed so thats why while reading from kaplan step 2 LN i am also looking at my FA step1 which has huge info that i added. Goodluck
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| Shaina
Forum Elite
Topics: 23
Posts: 239
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thanks sarika,when r u starting UW.that takes lot of time,
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| dr.pumpkin
Forum Newbie
Topics: 4
Posts: 168
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hey sarika no probs at all,,n thnx fr ur gudluck..harrison`s reviev is a pre test kinda book,,if u want questions topic wise..it has good questions n can be solved wid knowledge frm kaplan LN..has nice exaplanations too..
But it has certain questions wich may not be that USMLE based,,act donno myself wat to do of them  ..
newys u can always try n find out if its okay wid u...
nw that u are going good with ur prep,,i wish u gudluck
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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hi so i was doing this lung section from Kaplan Notes and i am really getting annoyed by the questions written at the end of each topics without answers, like what would you do in acute attacks and what drugs u would discharge the patient on ...important questions without concrete answers and yet they go on and on abt explaining what COPD is and how bronchiectasis develops...im so irritated....ehhhhh
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| just do it
Forum Senior
Topics: 24
Posts: 139
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Pulmonology
COPD
after a bronchodilator is given, fev1/fvc remains the same or improves little.
( in contrast to asthma, where after a bronchodilator, marked improvement is seen in fev1/fvc)
type of copd in this pt?---emphysema( as emphysema is pink puffer--look sicker, but ABG 's better.whereas in chr. bronchitis---blue bloater--ABG--' s lot of co2 trapping)-----for this if you can plz, add some more clear exaplanation.
Her PFT--dlco decreased.
Acute Rx: oxygen, systemic steroids, antibiotics, bronchodilators
at home --Rx:home oxygen, anticholinergic( ipratropium)
to assess--how bad her disese is ---FEV1.
Trying 2 reduce a little bit of ur annoyance at pulmonology ! You will do good in ur stp 2 ck !
GL.
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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Thankyou just do it...it really helped...also made me think that we have to find answers and theres no short cut.
As for me i have watched all the lectures of Internal medicine and read thru the notes( superficially)....but i know i havent memorized anything ...Now i am thinking maybe i should read it all again in 10 days so that things may solidify in my brain or should i move on to obgyn or surgery?...i am also reading FA new edition and found it more detailed and nicely written then Kaplan...another thought is to revise FA of step1...i dont know!...maybe i will...i had added so much information in that book...and things still show up from step 1 in Qbooks and qbankof step 2......i really regret wasting all this time after step 1 (i knew so much more 6 months ago).......if i could give one advice to anyone...that will b take step 1 first and step 2 within 3 months of step 1.....ok gtg ...its iftar time...fasting is abt to over...
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| just do it
Forum Senior
Topics: 24
Posts: 139
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Hi sarika
You first try to find out the answers and later cross-check in kaplan 2005-06 edition ----there answers are given for all the Q's in pulmonology lesson.
I will be glad to discuss any topics , that we come across during our prep.
You are in a better position with a good stp 1 score. i have a pretty low score on stp 1 and also i gave it in aug 2005.
I have to work hard now. Long way to go....
GL.
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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hey ya'll i just finished IM first reading without memorizing much and then had to take a week's break due to some unavoidable family situation. Now i am back and thinking about starting surgery...i hope it will be fun...so how many days shoiuld i spend on surgery first reading?
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| sarika
Forum Guru
Topics: 195
Posts: 1,200
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ok so i started surgery today and completed TRAUMA and clinical vingnettes. This is the only day i feel comfortable about what i read...hope this continues on...Goodluck to of u too.
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| kity
Certified.............
Topics: 31
Posts: 1,067
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keep studying sarika, for your own good.
we can understand how u r feeling, but there is no way out....except studies.
I am also feeling very low today so kind of going thru forums...
U r already done with half of the battle..as u r done with step 1.
Dont loose hope at this point... or else ur earlier hard work will b waste.
GOOD LUCK! keep studying!
___________________
NO PAIN .. NO GAIN ..
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