USMLE is Done.

Well, I hope so anyway.

I took Step 3 today and yesterday. Thats right, two days of testing. Nasty. But anyway its done. I feel like I studied as much as I was expected to, and I believe that it was enough. But one can never really tell with a test like this.

You have to understand, these tests are the hardest of the hard. There are 3.5 of them. Step 1 which is a entire day of multiple choice questions that encompass all of first and second year of medical school. Step 2 CK and CS (the 1.5 tests) which are two full days, one of questions and another day of fake clinical scenarios. This is meant to encompass all of 3rd and 4th year. The final step, Step 3 is two full days of computer questions, around 400 some odd, and 9 simulated cases. Step 1 is a major determinant in your eligibility for residency, the better your score the better your chances at "more prestigious" residencies should one desire them. Step 2 solidifies that impression, and can be make or break as well. Step 3 is pretty much pass/fail, and doesn't affect anything but a few fellowships. But one must pass all of them to be federally licensed to practice medicine, a requirement to be licensed in all 50 states (and Puerto Rico). Without the training of medical school and internship a person has virtually no chance of passing these tests, and they are in place (supposedly) to weed out the incompetent.

In reality, they are a load of BULL, and a giant waste of my mother****ing time. /Bitterness. I believe I passed, I hope I passed, and I will find out if I passed in 3-4 weeks. I hope I passed for a lot of reasons. I want to be able to moon light, I want the validation, I want to know this stuff so I can count myself a competent physician... but honestly... I want to not have to do it again. Its that miserable.

Now, I passed the other 2.5 Steps, with flying colors. My scores were such that other than a few of the elitest of the elite residencies were an option for me. And by all projections I should pass this one just as easily. But one never knows until the scores come back. Here's hoping.

Either way, tomorrow my 12 day leave from work ends, and its back to the grind. The 3rd year grind its true :) But the grind none the less.

Keep looking up.