Dragonfly
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Topics: 25
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Thank God (Allah) for His grace once more 
I took CS on Aug,10. the score was reported online on Oct,10.
i wanted to write my experience sooner but i got stuck with my rotations and exams.
anyway, about the exam. guys it is very straightforward and logical. there is nothing crazy about it. it is basically just one day of seeing patients at a clinic with very common problems.
Prep: I studied for ~14 days as i had my school exams too. I used First Aid which i think is more than enough to get the idea. and i subscribed to UW but i only got to watch the videos and read some advices. and ofcourse, last but not least i crammed through DIGITALDOC website and it helped alot especially his awesome mnemonics!
basically what i realized is that the key to this exam is to have a good command of Differential Diagnosis for the most common conditions and the appropriate workup for them. for this purpose, FA Minicases are perfect and once you are in control of your DDs do lots of practice. preferably real person practice. guys i am serious. even if you don't have enough time, do at least a couple of cases just to get the sense. e.g. i thought that i could type faster than i can jot down since i am chatting and typing all the time but to my surprise after a couple of timed cases i found out that i am not as good a typer as i thought and that's why i turned to paper on the exam which was fine. and also it was during those practices that i realized some cases take longer and i have to skip this and that if i want to finish on time. (i think Neuro cases and some Psychs take longer and on the real exam i actually ran out of time on my Psych case!!) so even though you think you know yourself, sometimes you don't. Do practice!!
about the UW videos, they are nice but certainly not realistic!! the guy exams abdomen alone for 30 min! of course watch them but keep in mind that you don't have to do all those exams. be very focused remember you only have 3-5 min for the physical exam part in most cases. don't sacrifice your history time which is much more important in this exam for examining the patients.
the Trip: as i mentioned i took it in philly. when i was picking it last year everybody said it is very IMG friendly. close to the exam i read so many posts that it is the worst!! in reality? it was perfect. the staff are very very nice and so are the patients unless they are required to play otherwise. don't take anything personally. it is just the ACT. one thing before i forget. please put your dates AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. the biggest problem is that most centers are full for the next 6 months or so!! so sign up as soon as you can. and also the hotels are almost booked up for about 1-2 months in advance especially the ones close to the centers and especially during heavy seasons.
about the trip. it was my first time ever in the US and i arrived 2 days before the exam in new york and went to philly the day before. i stayed at "Cornerstone B&B" which was fantastic. it was very close to the center (25min walk) and the building was magnificant. one of those antique turn of the century buildings. and the hostess is very nice and kind and they have CS discount. i took a walk to the center the day before the exam just to make sure i get up and go early enough.
The exam: i took off 7:30 and i was in the center at 7:55. do not come to the center too early. it is stressful to sit and wait! but don't be late either. when i got there, i realized i was the only IMG and everyone else was US student. i felt intimidated and scared but it all went away after a couple of cases. i realized it doesn't make any difference. don't mind anybody around you just do your job as if no one is there. i had cases from all areas : psych,neuro,GYN,ped,medicine,etc. all common stuff. i did the common rituals in almost all cases e.g. knock on the door, wash hands, drape, say my name and patients name, smile and eye contact. asking if there was any questions at the end and advicing when needed. mnemonics can help you alot. remember to write them before you enter. one more thing, even though the time you spend outside is counted in the total 15min. but it is worth it. don't go in hastily. even 1 minute sometimes1.5-2 min out side can really help you organize your thoughts and DDs.
for every case when they said "begin" i would immidiately write down PAM HUGS FOSS and LIQORRAAA and SODA on the top of the paper. then the patients name in BIG letters to be visible at all times and then would go through the opening senario on the door. would then write down a quick list of DD or its mnemonic if it had one and then knock enter and greet the patient while introducing myself. there were some patients that needed convincing to give you info but after a while they break and start talking. i made some mistakes too. for e.g. in an abd exam i forgot to pull out the legrest and pt was like" Doc. i am uncomfortable lying like this" and in another case i called the patient with the wrong name and she through it at my face "Actually it is Ms.x ....!".
i almost had enough time for all the cases except maybe 1-2 cases one being a Psych case. focus more on the history part and advising (i.e. talking to the patient) rather than examining. because the key is to extract info from the pt and reassure them as much as you can. physical exam is just a show. nothing is supposed to be positive anyway. but don't skip it either!! i would suggest to split your time like FA says. but sometimes e.g. in neuro cases you need to do longer physical exam but mostly focus more on the history part. about the patient note i would start with the DD and Workup and then would come back to the history and lastly to the physical. 10 min is just about enough. and before you know it, the day is over.
to sum it up, it is certainly a doable and nice exam. don't worry. just read the stuff i mentioned and practice as much as you can and ask Lord for His help.
Any questions are welcome.
Good luck to everyone!!
sign up soon
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| arlete
Intern in 2009!!!!!
Topics: 36
Posts: 2,594
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Congrats and thanks for sharing!
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When men make the rules, God decides the exceptions.
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| drdg
Forum Senior
Topics: 31
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Thank you for your sharing and congrats on your success.
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| layla
Forum Senior
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Thanks for sharing and congratulations.
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| beiwen
Forum Elite
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Congratulations!
thanks for sharing this helfpul information
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| ShweHope99.9998
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 12
Posts: 2,652
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Nice advice , any place closer to center like 10 min instead of 25 min walk ?? Where do you get dinner , lunch [not exm day ], what food , drink center provide at phylli ??
Thanks for the tips re ; b4 into the sp rm waht to do write up 1st .
GL in ur future 
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| Dragonfly
Forum Elite
Topics: 25
Posts: 333
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hi guys thanks everyone. i wish good luck to all!
well about food. there are lots of options from fancy restaurants to fast foods like Mcdonalds, Burger king,etc like any other place. there are not so many stores,etc. in philly (unlike e.g.new york) and if you don't have a car, u will need to walk alot . from what i remember, the most famous chain store in there is called "7/11" if you ask around, you'll find them all over the city.
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