cartman
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I’m not comfortable with posting my experience prior to knowing my result but I’ll do it for all the P4U readers / members. I know that reading others experiences really helped calm my nerves when I had yet to give my test. Wanted to thank titly and bioguy for their advice. I did not miss my flight back home. Also wanted to thank my new forum friend drmotivate for the moral support.
So here it is:
Center: LA
Stayed:
At Hacienda Hotel. Booked my flight and hotel room through priceline.com. A lot of test takers stay there. I didn’t talk to anyone prior to my test but I kinda knew who was a CS applicant just by looking at the misery on their faces. It was like looking at a mirror. It’s a fairly good hotel. Not to mention economical. Lots of places to eat around the hotel and the center is just a 10 min walk from the hotel. The hotel also provides a free shuttle service to and from the airport. I checked out the morning of my test, left my luggage with the bell desk, came back in the evening and boarded the shuttle to the airport.
Prep material:
First Aid only. Did not practice with a partner.
Prep time:
Approximately one month with a job. Very sporadic.
Experience:
The test is very doable. Sure I goofed up in a lot of cases. Missed a few examinations here and there. Forgot to ask some pertinent history questions. But I think that’s been the case with everyone so far. The cases were all common medical problems. Nothing out of the blues. SPs and proctors were cordial. There was plenty of food to eat. I had the tuna sandwich and it was actually very good. We did five cases then breaked for 30 minutes then did four more cases, took a 15 min break and then went on to do the the last 3 cases. Surprisingly most of the candidates were IMGs.
Time management:
Time is just enough. I was usually out of the room shortly after the 5min warning and was done with my note at least 2-3 min early. I have worked with American patients before so that did help.
Typing versus writing PN:
I have three years of experience typing patient notes where I work but I still chose to write my notes. The reason being that although I can type fast, I do make a lot of typos for e.g. “htat” instead of “that” “si” instead of ‘is” etc. I can normally fix my documents at work by proof reading but I wasn’t sure if I would get the time to do that here. And that just looks tacky. So I wrote my notes as legibly as I could. Although I must admit I didn’t do a very good job at that. Lot of crossing out stuff and overwriting.
Advice to IMGs:
Get a grip on yourselves. Listen to what the protors are saying. There were a few people who either because of their nerves or not being fluent in English were not following the proctors’ instructions. There was this one idiot who showed up really late, went to the restroom when he was not supposed to, kept his clipboard face up despite being told repeatedly by proctors to keep clipboards face down during their presentations. Then there were some IMGs who were talking in their native tongue when the proctor had clearly said that all conversation must be in English. If anything I think that the proctors were too lenient.
It’s a lot easier to extract a history out of an SP than an actual patient. They are actors and their responses are scripted. You ask the right question, they’ll give you the right answer. Boom boom boom………..They know you only have 15 min and they will not detain you in the room unnecessarily. If the SP expresses anger, distress, is uncooperative or asks you a challenging question……….its not because they are biased towards you…….. they are supposed to act that way. Just answer their question, give them an explanation and they’ll shut up and let you move on. If you don’t know the answer just say that you need to run some tests or complete your physical exam before you can give them an answer. Things like knocking before entering, draping, hand washing, counseling……..these are free points that you can get if nothing else is going your way.
Don’t get shattered if you falter or make a mistake. Just apologize and move on. I started an exam on one of my cases without draping and midway through the exam realized my mistake. I apologized and draped the patient and he was fine with it.
Lastly, I do want to emphasize that there is no need to memorize anything. You are a doctor not a parrot !!!!! You are not going to get cases right out of First Aid or whatever study material it is that you use. The cases will be similar. The idea is to test your communication skills and to see if you can apply core basic concepts to everyday clinical practice.
Well that’s it. I’ll let you guys know how I did in a few weeks. Hope this helps.
Edited by cartman on 05/16/08 - 05:26 PM
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| bioguy
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good luck for your results, buddy!
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| cartman
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thanks ........same to you !
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| titly
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hey cartman!!
so u had a good test. all the best for ur result!
do keep us posted
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we spend our days waiting for the ideal path to appear in front of us, but, what we forget is paths are made by walking, not by waiting. keep walking................................
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| cartman
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thanks titly......... the test was ok. not too good or bad........i don't think i did any better or worse than an average IMG. i'm just not as hard on myself as some people. i try to stay positive about these things. really helps me stay sane.
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| drnaik
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hey cartman.. all the best..
i have the exam at LA in 2 wks....
ne extra advice ?
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| drnaik
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Topics: 17
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hey cartman.. all the best..
i have the exam at LA in 2 wks....
ne extra advice ?
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The better you feel about yourself, the fewer times you have to put someone else down to feel TALL!
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| cartman
Forum Senior
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All the best for your exam drnaik.........
The only thing that I would say is be confident. Its a fairly easy exam. Time is just enough as long as you take a focused history. I wish we had more space to write patient notes but as long as you stick to the main problems you should be fine. Mention only positives and important negatives.
Some people say that writing out the D/Ds and Investigations first helps. I tried it on a few cases and either ways I was able to finish on time. My only concern was that my patient notes were not as neat as I would have liked them to be.
As long as you don't panic you will be fine. Keep telling yourself that you will do great and you will.
Goodluck
Feel free to ask more questions
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| cartman
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Oh...........and don't forget to get a taste of LA if you're not already living there already that is.
I was on a tight budget so I could not do a lot of sight seeing. Just walked the stretch where The Hacienda Hotel is. I did however and I would not recommend it, walked all the way to the beach and back. I knew before I headed out that it would be a long walk but didn't realize that it would be quite this long. Took me an hour on foot to get there from the hotel. Not to mention the one hour walk back to the hotel. I was so sore the next day...........
It was fun though and it helped me kill time in a new city where I didn't know anybody.
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| milee99
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Topics: 46
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Hi cartman
i have my exam in two weeks
can you give some tips on how to study
I actually have it on 7 june ,
and i have done only a few cases so far from first aid
Thanks for the exam experience
milee
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Do not pray for easy lives,Pray to be stronger men; Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, Pray for powers equal to your tasks; Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.
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| drnaik
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hi milee99...
whr is ur exam ? in LA?
i have mine on 7th june too...
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The better you feel about yourself, the fewer times you have to put someone else down to feel TALL!
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| drnaik
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cartman... thanks for the reply..
will keep tht in mind
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The better you feel about yourself, the fewer times you have to put someone else down to feel TALL!
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| cartman
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hi milee99,
This is how I studied and everybody has their own different style. So what worked for me may not for someone else.
My exam was originally scheduled for Aug 27th. On April 30th, I saw this opportunity to reschedule my exam in May. By that time I had only done one really superficial read of First Aid.
I did a quick second and third read in the following 10 days. I always study everything by doing multiple quick reads instead of one detailed one. I don't (or rather can't) memorize anything so I don't try it. I just read things over and over again. I practiced writing D/Ds after reading the minicases without looking at the answers before hand. I also practiced writing and typing my patient notes. You can practice typing on the USMLE website. I decided to finally write my notes. I used the space provided in First Aid to practice writing my notes. I did not practice with a study partner. Just in my room with an imaginary patient to asses my timing (I'm such a dork) and only on a few cases. I also revised my Neuro and Musculoskeletal exam techniques.
The day before..........I just skimmed through First Aid and revised my CNS exam as I wasn't confident about it. That's it.
All the best to you.
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| cartman
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Got my result today.........I passed.
I will now be ECFMG certified. I don't think its sunk in just yet. I'm feeling kind of detached. Weird! Maybe its because of this killer headache I've been having all day.
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| milee99
Forum Guru
Topics: 46
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congratulations!
i saw this million dollar advice of yours today! after i am just back home from LA from exam!
___________________
Do not pray for easy lives,Pray to be stronger men; Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, Pray for powers equal to your tasks; Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.
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| cartman
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Congratulations milee99 on completing your exam. It must be a huge relief. How did it go? I'm sure you did great.
Edited by cartman on 06/20/08 - 07:54 AM
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| 5fluorouracil
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thanks for writing your exam experience...... have my exam in 10 days and am a little nervous, any suggestions for what to do now? (I've done cases from FA at least once... some i've done 2xs.... )
congrats on passing 
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| cartman
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Hi 5FU,
Honestly its not a hard exam. First Aid is more than enough. Practice writing your notes and D/Ds. Time yourself. I did not practice with a real partner but I would definitely recommend it. If nothing else practice with an imaginary partner like I did. It sounds stupid but it worked for me.
Its really easy to extract a history from an SP compared to a real patient. I've said that many times before.
Do not freak out on the day of the exam and do not over study the day before. Get all your prep done by 1.00pm the day before and relax. Watch a movie or go out somewhere.
On the day of the exam.........
1) Don't be late
2) Listen to what the proctors are saying
3) Write down the pt's name and important (abnormal) vitals on your scrap paper prior to entering the room. Also make a box on the bottom of your scrap paper and jot down all the stuff you have to counsel about as you take your history so you don't forget. For example.........the minute you hear stuff like tobacco /drug use, unprotected sex etc...........jot it down right then in your box and at the end of the encounter just look at your box and you'll have everything there that you need to counsel the pt about.
LASTLY.............STAY CALM.......this is why people mess up !
Good luck.........let us know how it went.
Edited by cartman on 06/20/08 - 05:00 PM
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| 5fluorouracil
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thanks cartman.... been practicing with a couple of partners but will definitely put it in overdrive this week..... will try not to panic..... and will let you know how it goes..... thanks!!!!
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