magic
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a pleasant day to everyone! i have been a silent observer of this forum for a few months now and thought I'd share with you my exam experience (should i pass) so that others may learn from it, as my way of giving back to the help i got from this forum (THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!)
first of all, i am an img, an average student, and graduated in 2004
i took my CS exam in LA last june 16, 2008 and just got the results - i passed! yehey!
preparation time: it took me a month and a half but i don't study in a daily basis (i wish i could but i just can't), there are times when it takes me around 4 days before i do a follow-up with my review-which happened a few times 
materials that i used: first aid (2004), uworld, tips from this forum
- i read the first aid book once
- i read on uworld notes on physical exam, communication skills, and closing the encounter
- i watched some of the videos on UW once, but most of it, i watched 2-3 times since i get sleepy pretty fast whenever i watch it
- i have no one to act as my standard patient (my husband was very busy that time) so what i did was read the case on first aid as well as the checklist part that follows after it, and timed myself while writing the PN then comparing what i wrote to that in the book. Taking note of points that I missed or better ways of interpreting findings on the checklist.
- 2 weeks before my exam, i practice on my communication and PE, as though it was the real exam already except for one thing - i only have my pillow as my standard patient this can be frustrating, as you're the only one talking, trying to imagine that that is the real patient talking back to you. i always ran out of time when i was doing this, so i stopped timing myself and just go on with it. it helped me a lot with the counseling part though
-a few days before my exam, i finally was able to have a live standard patient - my husband we did 2-3 cases in uw each day for about 4-5 days until we flew to LA
exam date: june 16, 2008
arrived in LA on june 14, 9pm
the day before my exam (june 15): went on a sightseeing tour around LA - Venice beach, rodeo drive, beverly hills, walk of fame, kodak theatre, chinese theater, took pictures with the Hollywood sign, LA downtown, etc.....late lunch........walked to the testing center (just to make i won't get lost going there).....bought some snacks for the exam (you guys may opt not to bring your own because food and drinks are provided in the test center)
the night before the exam, i prepared the clothes that i'll wear on the exam day as well as the stuff that i will be bringing, read on the usmle step2cs general information one last time, and prayed to God (can't do it without Him)
on the exam day:
i was the first one to arrive at the testing center, nervous and still having that feeling that I am not prepared for the exam, I wished I could still move the exam to another day, but I have done it so many times already and my eligibility expires on the 1st of July
my first encounter was ok, i thought i did good on it since i remember practicing a case somewhat similar to that with my husband. the following encounters were somewhat difficult, some were ok. overall, i think it was a doable exam, even if some patients were uncooperative (don't take it against them, remember, they were told to do so).
here are some of the mistakes i have done (i know some of them are really silly: )
- draping: i tried to put the drape on the patient's lap for every encounter to make them more comfortable, sounds good right? but i didn't unfold the drape in such a way that will cover most part of their lower extremities so it looked as though i just took off that drape and make the patient hold it for me so that my seat is clear when i sit on it (the drape is placed on the seat before the encounter starts). ...... during PE, i still didn't unfold the drape that much e.g. when i was examining the abdomen, i put the gown up to expose the belly and place the drape below it, but still, the legs are exposed
- i never elevated the head part of the bed. so my patients had to lie flat on their backs straight from a sitting position and wait for me to help them raise their legs on the extended board on the lower part of the bed. this was ok for the younger patients, i feel bad for the older ones because i tried it myself and felt a bit uncomfortable about it.
- i did some PE during the encounter that I wrote on the blue paper but failed to write it on the PN
- there were 2 encounters when i had to be called to go out of the room, i failed to do counseling
- there were times when i am at a lost for words trying to explain the test that i was about to do, was trying to check the sensation on the lower extremity and can't think of a word that would describe it, the word that I came up with was "poke" and the patient heard it as "broke" and he goes " what? you're going to broke my leg?"
oh well, this is really getting long, sorry guys. but for those who'll be taking the cs exam, practice! practice! practice! Good luck to all of you
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| mintx
Forum Newbie
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crongrat
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| magic
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
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thanks mintx
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| innocent devil
Forum Guru
Topics: 57
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congrats
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man of unknown principles
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| successstory
Forum Newbie
Topics: 3
Posts: 65
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wow. congrats.
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Reaching for the stars
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| magic
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
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thanks innocent devil and successstory it's been awhile since i last looked at my post here, been busy studying for step 2 ck and with my new job
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| johnling
Forum Newbie
Topics: 3
Posts: 9
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Congratulations!!
I will take Cs in LA and can I take you some time (I know you must be very busy right now) to ask you some questions about LA center and your experiences. please e-mail me at caoqili@gmail.com
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