I really enjoyed my general surgery and ob/gyn rotations, as well as my pediatrics rotation. In fact, for the most part (and with the exception of internal medicine), I pretty much liked all of my rotations. Read more

Tags: school, me

So, to the meat of the matter, and the whole reason why I started this post. How did I end up choosing? Well, I thought about each rotation I had done and eliminated ones that I either didn’t like, or didn’t like enough to make my top five list. Read more

Tags: school, me

This was just a few minutes after we piled into the car after graduation. Kind of how I'll feel post-call. Actually, it's how I feel right now pre-call.

Tags: school, A, M

All work and no play makes graduation a dull day.

Tags: M, me, school

I decided to join his lab and worked part-time in his lab over the next year and a half or so (while I was a full time preclinical student) on a project that involved microarrays and immunohistochemistry. Read more

Tags: school, me

We finally got around to downloading photos off the camera and here's one from graduation a little while ago. It was a long day for everyone, especially the kids. But it's official now. My preschooler called me Dr. Mommy the other day. I don't think I'll ever get used to being called Dr. anything.

Intern year has actually started (orientation at least) and I am on call my very first day and whole first weekend. This is a q4 month, which kind of stinks, so we'll see if I can keep these posts up.

Tags: grandparents, J, A, M, me, school

The obstetrics and gynecology rotation has historically not been very popular at my school, and based on what I have heard from students at other schools, it’s not very popular in general. Read more

Tags: school

Four lovely letters that I read this morning in regards to my USMLE Step 2 CS score. I know it sounds ridiculous to many people when I say I was truly worried about that score - I can think of so many things that I thought I could have done better during that exam. I can now say with a fair amount of confidence that it really must be an easy test to pass, given how I felt about my performance.

Tags: school

Apple has started one of their most popular promotions for students and educators. Buy a Mac for college and get a free iPod touch. Order online and get free shipping. Expires September 19, 2008.

Tags: school, gear

I emailed the Chair of the Department of Surgery. In my email, I wrote about how I was trying to decide what field to go into and that I might be interested in surgery or a surgical field. Fortunately, he was very enthusiastic about medical students who were interested in surgery and agreed to meet with me to discuss options. Read more

Tags: school, me

I thought this month would be rather leisurely. I could take it easy, read some fiction, lounge around reading and listening to my Spanish language CDs. And, of course, finish my research projects. I can't recall the last time I was ever able to just sit back and relax without worrying about the million things we had to do. Hawaii was nice in that we couldn't do any work while we were there, but it was definitely hard work to vacation with the kids.

Is it at all what I thought it would be? Nope. It's going to be a mad dash to the finish line. My husband, who is finishing his fellowship, has been burning the midnight oil every night for the last 5 weeks, and has got three more to go. My orientation for residency starts really soon, and we got a lot of paperwork, busywork, and reading to do beforehand, which I think is kind of a bummer. I mean, can't they just wait until we start? And I'm still trying to work out the whole kindergarten and school district stuff.

It'll be really nice to just start residency, since we could really use the financial support. My brother lamented to me the other day about how he and his wife have to live on one income while she's in business school. I pointed out to him that not only does he make twice as much as my husband does as a fellow, but they don't have children yet and don't live in one of the most expensive cities in the country. We've been living with this modest salary for several years. She'll be done in two. He gets some sympathy, but not much.

In any case, I hope I'll still be able to post and update. I've got more about what field I've picked, as well as some thoughts about my ob/gyn rotation (which I really enjoyed). Hopefully, this chaos will all settle down soon and we can go right back to a nice comfy routine. While I am a resident. Riiiight.

Tags: school, me

Not long ago, I was chatting with a good friend of mine (who is going to be a co-resident with me - hooray!) and we were discussing how these last few weeks are very weird. I commented that I felt like I was going off to war or into hiding or something, and she agreed, saying it was like she was dying. I mean, I am basically trying to squeeze into the next few weeks everything I think I can do before starting residency. Everything I have put off during medical school and when the kids were born - going to the dentist, drycleaning, getting the kitchen knives sharpened (that was a task I've been wanting to do for years), stocking up on food and supplies, and much more. My friend agreed, saying she's been makings lists for others to remember to do when she's not around.

I really hope that we'll be able to retain some semblance of a normal life, since I am pretty much depending on it. There certainly will be our fair share of hospital cafeteria family dinners (or if I can prepare beforehand, picnic dinners on the grass just outside the hospital), but I definitely do want to see my family more than what is anecdotally believed to be the available time for a personal life. I certainly hope it's not worse than my busier rotations in medical school - those were hard to endure for even two months at a time, and I was fortunately able to squeeze in lighter months or even breaks in between.

Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty nervous.

Tags: me, school

If you missed the previous sections, you can read the whole thing here.

Figuring I just needed to dive in and try something, I decided to take a stab (no pun intended) at the world of surgery. As a pre-clinical medical student, I never really heard many positive things about surgery – the field is widely portrayed in a very negative way. Read more

Tags: school, me

Here's the next section I wrote about how I ended up choosing my medical specialty (I'll get to the end soon):

As part of my neuroendocrine research, I learned how to do some stereotactic microsurgery (brain and vascular), which I loved. It was very calming to spend a whole afternoon performing these surgeries, and I really enjoyed trying to come up with ways to improve the procedures and help with recovery of my tiny rodent patients. Read more

Tags: school, me

I had plans to see if I could take USMLE Step 3 before starting residency. It turns out that you have to have graduated from medical school before registering for the exam. In any case, I guess I will consider taking it during an elective month during intern year, or (preferably not) during a vacation. Too bad, since I was hoping to get it over with as soon as possible (it's taken over two days!).

Tags: school

Ever since we got back from Hawaii, I've been trying to get everything back in order. The kids are just now starting to get back to their usual schedule (though my little guy is having some trouble sleeping on his own still). I was pretty wiped out last night after dinner, and fell asleep sometime around 9:30pm. I got up early since I have a research project deadline today and I still have some work to do on it. I've also got a million errands to run. I had written most of the Waikiki Aquarium post already and just needed to add the photos, which only takes a couple of minutes (plus I like looking at photos of the kids). Have a good day everyone!

Tags: me, school

I started as a math major in college, but switched to neurobiology and behavior in my junior year when I started feeling like I wanted to study something a little more broad, particularly in development and biology. Read more

Tags: school, me

I’ve been meaning to write some more about how I chose my field in medicine, and what residency I’ll be starting in June, but I’ve been a little hesitant to start, since it’s a long story and I don’t think I’ve got enough time or patience to sit down and spend hours and hours writing about it. To solve that problem, I’ve decided to just start writing from the beginning and will continue in installments if I don’t get to finish in one post. Read more

Tags: me, school

Now that I am finished with rotations, I have a fairly flexible schedule. But even though I should feel more relaxed, it almost seems as though I have more to do! I think it has to do with the fact that during rotations, I put off anything that isn't urgent or immediate. That list grows pretty quickly and of course, when I finally address it, it's impossible to manage.

Here's a short list of what I did yesterday:
1. Researched kindergarten options (more to come on this soon). Sounds early right? Believe me, it isn't. It's a very complicated situation in our area.
2. Spoke with a mortgage lender. We're curious to see if we are eligible for any special first-time homebuyer physician loans. This is in part related to #1.
3. Called our local AAA life insurance agent to discuss options and quotes. At my school's financial aid exit interview, I was reminded about the importance of life insurance for those who have children or other dependents. When our first was born, I remember thinking it would probably be a good idea to buy some. Seeing as how I am more than 3 years behind schedule, I figured I should take care of this before I start intern year. Looks like we'll be picking up some term insurance.
4. Shopped for dress shirts and ties for my husband online. Now that he'll be a real attending, he should probably look the part.
5. Made 3 dozen chocolate-chip cookies for my kids' preschool teachers in appreciation for all their hard work this week. It's the NAEYC Week of the Young Child and they've packed the week full of fun activities for the kids. More to come on this soon.
6. Finally finished my intern biography and survey (due today) as well as formatted a photo to send for their files. I have yet to read and sign my contract but I can get to that tomorrow.
7. Updated the website.
8. Purchased some travel insurance (again, through AAA) for our upcoming vacation. I usually don't buy into these things, but with all the airline bankruptcies and the ridiculous policy of specifically not covering strollers and carseats in their usual luggage damage protection, I figured $60 was not a terrible price to pay to make sure we were covered. Schedule delays, lost luggage, and health coverage were included too.
9. Three loads of regular laundry, and then the bath rugs as well (minor potty accident).
10. Collected some outgrown baby and maternity work clothing to pass on to a good friend.

There were a bunch of things I didn't get to yesterday, but are on deck for today:
1. Research, research, research!
2. Read through my residency contract, sign it, and mail it in.
3. Make a huge macaroni casserole for the daycare potluck tomorrow.
4. Organize my school loans (including undergrad) so I know who all my lenders are and what the repayment will be.
5. On a related note, fill out the paperwork to defer my subsidized loans while I am an intern.

There are more, but I should probably stop writing these lists and work on #4 and then start #3 so I can be ready in time for dinner.

Tags: M, school, safety, daycare, travel, website

Well, I took USMLE Step 2 CS, and now all I have to do is wait two months to make sure I passed (gosh, I really hope I passed). I think I did. I hope I did, since it'd be pretty awful to have to take that again. But it is hard not to think about all the stuff I forgot to ask or do during the physical exam. Plus I think my encounter notes were messy, which is really weird since I usually have pretty decent handwriting. But the combination of the rushing, and the bad ball point pen on the hard clipboard made for a very uncomfortable writing experience. I should have typed my notes instead. I'm going to try not to think about it until I get my score report (basically a pass/fail statement). Most people pass, which puts the odds in my favor. However, that also means that failing the test would be really horrible.

The morning of the exam, some other medical students and I had a bit of a scare. The testing center was on the 13th floor of a high rise (ominous?) and we waited for a set of elevators that would take us there. After waiting for quite some time, someone suggested we get on one of the limited elevators that only go up to the tenth floor, and then walk the last three. Seemed reasonable enough. right? Well, we got to the tenth floor and walked up the stairs only to find that we were locked in the stairwell. I should have seen it coming, since that has happened to me in the hospital before. In any case, we were eventually "rescued" and made it to the testing center just in time (they would probably have waited, since there were so many of us). They knew the elevator had been acting up, so it wasn't a big deal. But it definitely added another element of excitement and stress to the day!

Tags: school

I am about to go to bed, but I just spent the last hour or so going through the USMLE Step 2 CS website, reading (for the first time) the details about how the exam is going to be given. I probably should have looked at this stuff sooner, but I figured it was going to be the same as the ones we have at school (it pretty much is).

In any case, I am also printing out documents needed for my short trip (scheduling permit, maps, etc.) and just in case, I emailed them to myself. I'd hate to find myself without them the morning of the exam and have no way of getting them again. My email client refreshed and the "new email" notice showed up and I thought to myself Hmm, I wonder who the heck could be emailing me at this hour? It was my own email - duh! I'm such a dork. Anyhow, that probably a good sign that I should go to sleep!

Tags: me, school

I am taking USMLE Step 2 CS next week, which is a full-day clinical exam, where medical students see 12 (I think) standardized patients with a variety of problems and have to take appropriate histories, do focused physical exams, and then write up a note with a plan. We only get 15 minutes to see each patient, and 10 minutes to write (or type) a note. Most physicians get more than 15 minutes to see a new patient, so it's a bit of a time crunch. Also, it's kind of stressful because you know you have to ask certain questions to get credit for the test, and perform certain parts of the physical exam as well. And then the standardized patient also scores your professionalism and demeanor, as well as ability to communicate.

Most students pass the exam, and there has been a lot of talk about how unnecessary this $1000 exam is, if nearly everyone passes it. Some people say it's mostly aimed at the international medical graduates (they have lower passing rates), others say it's just a money-maker. Whatever the reason, it's expensive (it's only offered in certain cities, so most of us have to buy plane tickets, rent a car, and stay at a hotel) and stressful (at least for me - I have a lot of test anxiety).

Now that my critical care month is over, I am supposed to be studying for this exam. However, I've mostly spent the beginning of this week catching up on everything that I put off during last month. And I've got a ton of things to do regarding residency (as well as planning our lives during that busy time). We've got lots of surveys to fill out, schedules to pick - it all seems to be happening so fast! It seems like Match Day wasn't that long ago. I think it's because I haven't really had a chance to relax or reflect over the last few weeks. Between the intense rotation, Match Day, and the funeral I went to, I just haven't had a chance to sit and think or absorb any of the events that have happened.

In any case, I am trying to send in my schedule preferences (it's hard to plan through June of 2009, when no one else has their schedule planned that far in advance). And I have to resist the urge to sort and organize things, so I can sit down and study for this exam. It's been a little while since I've performed all the components of a complete physical exam. I suppose I can deal with the rest after next week, even though I've got tons planned already (research to finish, books to sell, even some much-delayed unpacking). Whew!

Despite the fact that most people pass, I am still pretty nervous about this exam. It is an unrealistic environment. No matter what anyone says, to me it is quite different having a standardized patient vs. a real one. It's hard not to obsess about the points you need to hit or what you might be forgetting when you are with a standardized patient (as well as worrying about whether your hands are cold, if you washed your hands, or if you appropriately draped the patient). I know many excellent students who have made uncharacteristic blunders during similar exams we have here at school. One time, a friend of mine sent a patient home who may have had an ectopic pregnancy (it was the first exam, and she was pretty nervous). Another friend of mine performed a full neurologic exam on someone who came in with respiratory symptoms. I hope my brain can function adequately because I know I'll be nervous and so pretty much all the planning will go out the window and I'll be on auto-pilot (I just hope that auto-pilot is ready!). I guess I better go study!

Tags: me, school

If anyone is interested, USMLE Consult is offering $30 off 3-month subscriptions to Step 1 and Step 2 CK Question Bank and Scorrelators from now until April 30. Enter and activate promo code FCBK$30 at purchase to redeem.


Tags: school

Well, it's official - I matched at my first choice residency program. Matthew helped me open the envelope, which took what seemed like 5 minutes (especially after he dropped it)! I'll be at a great academic center in California.

More details about what I applied into to come very soon, I promise!

Tags: school, me, M

Yesterday, we got an email to tell us whether or not we matched at one of our ranked residency programs. We didn't find out where (that's on Thursday), only if we did (I did). We've gotten a string of emails recently with alarming subjects, like Scramble Advisory (someone probably chuckled to themselves when they sent that one out to thousands of nervous graduating seniors). The "Scramble" is the stressful process you go through if you didn't match at one of your ranked programs, and you essentially try to pick up an unmatched spot, possibly in an entirely different specialty. In any case, lots of people are on edge this week, since we're going to find out where we spend the next several years. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Two more weeks of critical care and then I am done with rotations! Hooray! Then I have several weeks to finish writing up some research projects I've had on the backburner for quite some time. But at least I'll be on a flexible schedule and won't have to get up at the crack of dawn (at least not until mid-June). Or unless the boys do.

Tags: school

I'm post-call again, but this time I got out at 12:30pm, a big improvement from last time (I realize it's only about 1.5 hours more, but when you are tired, every minute counts). I even had a chance to have lunch with Jason at one of the cafeterias at the medical school, something we hardly ever get to do.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids today, since I haven't seen them (awake) since Tuesday night. I did talk to them on the phone last night, which was really cute. When I am a resident, I plan to iChat with them when I am on call, and even have them meet me at the hospital on quiet weekend calls. We can have lunch or dinner or just play in the courtyards. This is all theoretical, of course. I'll find a way to make it work.

Oh, and remember that patient I had to write a transfer summary for on my last call? They weren't transferred on Saturday, and instead moved to the floor only yesterday (and a new transfer summary had to be written). It did make it a bit easier to have done it already, since I could just add an addendum to it, but I would have preferred to have written it after having a reasonable night's rest.

Tags: J, A, school

If I have a free morning, what I really want to do is drop the kids off at daycare and then come home, have a bowl of cereal and maybe fold some laundry while I catch up on months of recorded television shows on our Tivo. Then I might catch up on email, and post something to this site. And then study for a few hours. If I am feeling really indulgent, I could take a nap.

This never happens. I hardly ever have a free morning, for starters. But let's just say it's a rare occasion. Realistically, what happens is I throw in load after load of laundry, letting the clean clothes pile up into baskets in the hallway, and wolf down a bowl of cereal while I try to catch up on my studies. Why not take a break? Well, I've learned that I can pretty much be called at any time during the day because someone has a fever, fell down, or has pinkeye. Especially during the winter months. I can live with unfolded laundry. I will fail my exams (not to mention be a terrible physician) if I don't study.

Prior to any major exam I've taken since the kids were born, someone always gets sick in the few days beforehand. It happened before Step 1 and Step 2, as well as several shelf exams. This is stressful to say the least, but what's it taught me is to try not to procrastinate, especially when it comes to studying.

Tags: health, school

I'm going to refrain from writing too much lest I start ranting about how people have no respect for other people's time. I am post-call today, and did not leave the hospital until 2:11 pm this afternoon, after having to request that I be excused because I was post-call (and over the hour limit). And not before my resident asked that I write a transfer note for a patient being moved tomorrow, and sign out to the resident on the team who would accept the transfer (even though that resident probably wasn't going to be the one accepting the patient tomorrow). Which explains why they haven't paged me back. Anyhow, no respect for time is what I am saying.

I'm mostly annoyed because I have a schedule to follow this afternoon. I was supposed to get home at 12:30pm, take a shower and a quick nap until 1:30pm, after which I'd start prepping a pork roast that takes at 2.5 hours to cook (during which time I would catch up on email and perhaps take another nap), and then go run an errand between 4 and 5pm (a pre-scheduled appointment which also happens to double as a favor for a friend, who is also on a critical care month and is very busy as well).

I've now started the roast, and am now catching up on email and busy work (got a notice to apply to graduate), and I'll take a quick shower before running out the door again at 5pm. No nap. Oh well.

I know I am being overly dramatic, but it's been a rough day. Plus two patients died. So really, I'll stop complaining, because their families have had one of the worst days ever. But I can't help but reiterate the importance of having respect for other people's time.

Tags: school

I've been a bit slow about posting lately - it's sort of chaotic right now. I've mostly just been posting photos of the boys (mainly because I know my mom checks the site every day). J is finishing his last (full) week of call as a fellow (thank goodness), and I am cramming for boards. I do realize that all I need to do is pass, but when you've only got a few hours each night to study (and realize that you are exhausted during those hours), it can be a challenge, especially if you're like me, and hate walking into stuff feeling unprepared. Studying on Sunday nights is particularly difficult after an active weekend with the kids.

J and I were chatting about this whole med school with children thing. It's definitely tiring. We came up with the analogy that it's like having (at least) two full-time jobs. And then add on clerkships and boards, and it's like having (at least) three full-time jobs. Studying is the most flexible in terms of schedule, so it has to wait until the end of the day, but I often find it hard to concentrate when I've just spent an early morning with the kids, a whole day at school, an evening with the family. The thing that requires the most focused brain effort gets the last few ounces of energy left. It brings me back to the days when I was applying to medical school and had one full-time job and three part-time jobs while I was studying for the MCAT (my least favorite exam of all time). I still think that was much worse, because getting into medical school is such a crazy process. Compared to that time, I'm kind of coasting now (as long as I don't royally screw up in the next few months).

Tags: me, school

J has a lot of call this month, plus he has to work every Saturday, so the boys and I have lots of time alone together. Of course this means I am pretty exhausted at the end of the evening, which is why I fall asleep after their bedtime at 8:30pm (big thanks to J who has been doing dinner clean-up duty alone when I crash) and then get up really early to read and do work (like now).

As a general rule, when we are with the kids, all of our energy and attention is devoted to them. That makes it pretty hard to get anything else done (so we don't do any chores until after they go to bed). The exceptions are when I am preparing snacks or meals for them, when I put A in the playpen (which he will tolerate for maybe 10 minutes, depending on what toys I put in there with him) and have M play or read independently. Occasionally, he'll play with A through the playpen mesh (peekaboo and other hiding games) which is really cute (and great for me).

People often ask me if I think we spend enough time with the kids, and that is a big worry of mine with residency coming up. If I end up seeing the kids as much as I do now, I'd be thrilled. It'll probably turn out to be less, but I'm currently trying to devise ways to maximize the amount of time I will get to see them. In medical school, it varies based on which rotation I am on (I'm currently on radiology right now, which is pretty light). Hopefully I'll still be able to spend lots of quality time with the boys even when I am a resident.

Currently, I spend about 1.5 hours with them in the morning before dropping them off at daycare, and then about three hours with them afterwards before they go to sleep. And all their waking hours on the weekends. I know there are lots of opinions out there about that being too few or even too many hours (being a parent means opening yourself up to a whole new host of unwanted judgement by other people, something I am not thrilled about). But it works for us, for now, and we'll adjust accordingly as our schedules and their needs change.

They clearly know we are their parents, and prefer being with us over being anywhere else, so i am feeling encouraged that we can develop a healthy, nurturing relationship with our kids. It certainly helps that they love going to "school." In fact, after spending two days at home with me when he was sick last week, A seemed bored at times. And while I was feeling conservative about bringing him back to daycare because I worried he might not feel up to it, I asked him if he wanted to go to school. Ee-yah he said. He's still a little hesitant at drop-off time but when I peek in the room after a few minutes, he's off playing with his little friends, usually digging holes in the sand.

Of course, ask me again in a few weeks when I do a critical care rotation with longer hours, and I'll probably half-jokingly tell you I want to quit med school.

Tags: school, daycare

J and I are in total agreement that having kids is way harder. It makes med school seem like a vacation sometimes. You are literally on q1 call, year-round (and you will be called).

Tags: school

A classmate forwarded this article to the class list. It's a CNN Money article that basically tells the story of two young physicians (residents) who are trying to get by, given the hundreds of thousands of dollars they are in debt as well as their relatively meager resident salaries.

Without going into too many details, I can just say that we can totally empathize. Jason easily has about a quarter of a million dollars in debt from medical school (with interest accumulating), and mine will also amount to a hefty six-figure sum. Currently, we are living off of one resident's salary (okay, a fellow, but they don't get paid any more than an equivalent-year resident). And unfortunately, we live in an area where the cost-of-living is pretty astronomical.

To give you an idea, our on-campus rent (that reminds me, I still have to explain why we moved to a different place in October) cost more than their mortgage payment. And we have daycare costs that approximately double the cost of that on-campus rent (no joke). We can't afford our current lifestyle (we can't even cover rent and daycare with our income) so I am borrowing tons of money for the rest - food, diapers, toys, clothes, you name it. I know how lucky I am that someone (school and the government) is willing to lend it to me, because there'd be no way I could do this otherwise. We are certainly lucky in many ways, even if we are incurring a lot of debt. We rent an old, very small half of a duplex in a safe neighborhood, and we live fairly comfortably (the boys certainly have a lot more toys and books than I did as I kid). We splurge on some things, and save on others (our clothes cost less than the kids' clothes). I cook three or four times each week, saving leftovers for lunches, and we take out or eat leftovers on the other nights. We haven't taken a real vacation since our honeymoon (and even that was on a tight budget). Scratch that, I guess Disneyland was a mini-vacation (road trip).

In any case, you probably get the idea. I could easily go on and on about the hardships (real ones) we've endured to get where we are, but I'll spare you the boring details (plus, I should probably study). We're certainly a lot better off than many people, even though it does feel like we're drowning in debt sometimes. I know a lot of people who often call themselves broke, but as a rule, I've always been careful when using that term, since in my mind, broke doesn't mean you can't afford a cellphone or a new car - broke means having $2 in your bank account and sleeping on your friends' sofa. And while I've fortunately never been broke, during my younger years, my family has certainly come close. Growing up poor certainly gives me an interesting perspective about finances.

I realize that we won't get much sympathy since we're both going to be physicians and all, but it certainly wasn't without a lot of sacrifice, for a very long time. Neither J nor I come from families who are in any position to help financially, so we are pretty much on our own. In fact, I daresay it's the other way around when it comes to supporting family, but that is another story for another day. Since college, we've watched all our friends buy (and sell) homes and cars, travel the world, own every new gadget, you name it. Friends who are actively saving for retirement (like the couple in the article) and actually have a positive net (financial) worth. It can be frustrating at times, since we've lived in dinky apartments with leaky faucets and coin-operated washers and dryers that don't work. But we do live a comfortable existence, and I am grateful for it.

In the end, all that matters is having two happy, healthy, curious little boys who have parents who love them very, very much (remember that, boys!). The rest is just icing on the cake.

Tags: school

I usually buy books at Amazon, since their regular prices often reflect a steep 40% discount. However, textbooks are rarely discounted, and so the following is a great deal. Barnes and Noble is currently offering 40% off one book when you use your MasterCard (expires December 31). Their regular prices are a bit higher than Amazon, so comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best price. In general, textbooks will come out to a lot less (free shipping for orders over $25). You pay tax, but it's still a good deal, depending on what book you get. Enter code X8X9X3K and use your MasterCard. Some exclusions apply, see site for details. I just picked up a medical spanish textbook I've been eyeing and two board books (which were heavily discounted) for about $27 shipped (they would have cost me almost $40 on Amazon). I'll try to post a review once I have a chance to read it (sometime in the spring).

Tags: books, school

14 residency programs applied to.
5 interviews completed.
9 applications withdrawn.
0 interviews left.
1 gigantic decision to make.

Eek.

Tags: school

I plan to take Step 2 in February and need to start thinking about a study schedule. I haven't had a chance to study much since coming off my neurology rotation because I have been trying to catch up on extracurriculars, interview, unpack (yes, still unpacking) at home, and spend much-needed time on some research projects. In any case, I had a brief free trial of USMLE Steps 123 a while ago and so did some questions off that bank, and I think it's pretty good. Most students here (including myself) used Kaplan QBank for Step 1, which, for a while, was the only thing around. But now there are a few new ones that have popped up (always nice to have choices). I have a friend who recommended USMLE World for Step 2 studying, but I am not personally familiar with that program. I have heard good things though.

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to add that I am also a student representative for Elsevier, which is the parent company behind USMLE Steps 123. I do some book reviews for them, and they send me informational flyers to distribute every month or two at my own school in return for Elsevier books (averages 4-8 books per year, and I also keep the books I review). I've been a representative for about a year now. I am not paid to write reviews like this, nor am I getting the question bank for free (I am going to purchase it myself). You can read my reasons for choosing it for myself below.

These programs were both given "A" ratings, according to the resource reference at the end of First Aid Step 1, 2007 edition. I have used them both and they are very similar in that they mimic the actual exam. I have seen factual errors in both programs (I try to email them when I see mistakes), and they both have similar search and summary features.

Kaplan QBank (2250+ questions for Step 2 CK)
3 months $249
1 month $149
Boasts a new Explanation-on-call audio lecture feature for difficult concepts, which I have not had a chance to try out.
*Kaplan is sometimes willing to work out discounts with your school if you have enough people registering at the same time, but then you have to wait for a certain time period to roll around.

USMLE Steps 123 (2500+ questions for Step 2 CK)
3 months $199
1 month $99
2 weeks $79
1 week $49
Has a High-Yield-Hit feature, where it links you to actual publications to explain answers in more detail. Personally, I like it, but I can see how some may think it is an extraneous feature.


With that in mind, I will probably sign up for two weeks or one month (you can buy it now and use it within 6 months of purchase), since with the discount, it'll cost much less (almost half the cost of QBank) and it has more questions. I like that they offer more choices, for those who don't want to spend a lot of money but can do a ton of questions in a week or two. I truly don't think it matters which one you decide to go with, as long as there are a lot of good questions and explanations, so (at least between the highly rated programs) I think it's reasonable to choose by price. I tend to prefer reading books but have found myself running out of time to do lots of questions, which is not good, since there is no way to know if I can apply the information until I test myself. So I am going to really try to start doing more questions from now on, which I think is essential to doing well on these types of exams.

Tags: school

This was the first rotation I did after I delivered A, which was really nice, since I needed a good review of general medicine. I wrote a few thoughts about this rotation last year, but here are more details. Read more

Tags: school

I like getting an update about the kids each morning after J drops off the boys. I got this text page the other day from J:

Drop off good. No crying. A felt warm T99, no D or V. Good po intake.

Right after I read it, I realized how much it sounded like a regular medical presentation (and how nerdy J can be). T99 means he had a 99F temperature, no D and V means no diarrhea or vomiting, and good po intake means he ate well. Since I got the text page while I was on rounds, it made me chuckle.

One more call night to go. Hooray! I discharged most of my patients yesterday and only have one to pre-round on this morning, plus any new ones that came in overnight. I hope I can make it through the night - I've been crashing around 9pm lately (and getting up ridiculously early to do some work). I've got tons of funny new photos of the boys to post, which I will do soon (haven't downloaded them yet). Plus, M has been adding to his collection as well.

Tags: school, health