Passed

As many of you will remember from a mere two posts ago, I recently took my USMLE Step 3. The longest and final of the United States Medical Licensing Examinations.

Well as my subject/header would imply, I passed. And not only did I pass, but it was my highest USMLE score yet. Not that this is a surprise, Step 3 is often the highest score of the three. I think this is because as we march through the Steps the information shifts from being information you learn from studying to information you learn from your everyday work. Studying for Step 1 is kind of an option. Studying for Step 3 is called Residency. Not an option. It also has a lot to do with relevancy of the information. As medical science has grown... no wait, exploded is a better word, doctors have been expected to learn more and more minutiae about various mechanisms of pathology, physiology, pharmacology. We now understand things on a molecular level. Doctors 50 years ago didn't have to worry about that as much. And as important and amazing as these discoveries are, they are really really hard to memorize. For one, they are incredibly complex and second they conceptually hold little connection with the visual, visceral, real world medicine that we practice every day. Of course I know they are connected. But applying that is so tertiary that it becomes an exercise in testing and memorization.

Whereas in Step 2, and even more in Step 3 I am asked to practically apply what I have learned about Dr - Patient medicine, rather than some academic concept, or biochemical mechanism.

The incentive is easier to understand. And as we all know, effort and performance directly follow incentive.

Anyway. I passed. Yay me! Now time to go to work.


Stay Healthy.

Getting Organized, Getting ready.

Still waiting on those USMLE results. Hadn't expected them back yet anyway. Still annoying.

I have been doing three things recently worth blogging about. Number 1 I have been trying to be a good husband. I do love my Chinchy.

Number 2 is trying to get ready for moonlighting in several months. I hope it goes well, its a great opportunity to make some extra money, and get some extra experience. I am also gearing up to finish Residency and head to Monticello. This includes considering our living situation, moving, and getting all of my licensing in order.

Number three is getting Organized. This has been on two fronts. On the boring front there is the Dr. organization garbage. Again licensing, paperwork, and all that stuff. Boring. The other has been organizing my DM'ing stuff. I have recently started using GDocs to get session outlines ready, and it has been super useful. I think this, along with the wiki can completely revolutionize the way that I DM. Right now I am trying to get my players into it as well. I will be sure to keep the Blog filled in as I can.

Keep looking up.

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.