Per the USMLE website, Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) “uses standardized patients to test medical students and graduates on their ability to gather information from patients, perform physical examinations, and communicate their findings to patients and colleagues.” Yeah, and it’s a pass/fail exam which costs over $1,100 and is offered in only five cities across the country. Fortunately, Houston is one of them. Oh well, I guess it’s something we all have to take at some point… just happy to be done after taking it last Tuesday. 😀
Now I’m about to start my last week of CV anesthesia. I’ve had a chance to work with most of the attendings, residents, and fellows at this point, and they’ve all been nothing short of spectacular. The farther I get, the happier I am with my decision to pursue anesthesiology… namely because of how I gel socially with the group. This rotation has also given me plenty of time to work on small IT projects – a hobby I wish to continue doing throughout residency and as an attending.
My application is pretty much finished aside from recommendation letters. Waiting to submit the form online in September. 😀
Was hoping you would update this blog, and was happy to see your most recent post!
Congrats on writing your Step 2 CS exam. I know you give your very best to whatever you do, and am sure your results will be spectacular.
Keep up the amazing job. You are definitely an inspiration to many people, including me.
Cheers.
Thank you so much for the kind words, shama. 🙂
Hey Rishi, glad you’re keeping on top of things and doing everything well! I’m really happy to read another one of your posts. You are definitely ahead of your game =D
How did you study for Step 2, btw? How do you think it compared to Step 1?
Well now, back to understanding the role of clathrin and caveolae, as well as something about the long thoracic nerve for me! ^_^;
Have a great day!
Thanks Lucy! I just skimmed through First Aid for Step 2 CS. Keep in mind that this is the “easy part” of Step 2 (CK being more comparable to Step 1), and Baylor Med does a great job preparing us to interact with standardized patients. I’ll probably be taking Step 2 CK after I match per the recommendation of my mentors, and I intend on using USMLE Step 2 Secrets, Kaplan Master the Boards Step 2, and USMLE World for Step 2 CK.
You’re brave – I couldn’t read about endocytosis before going to bed. That’s like asking for a horrific nightmare. 😉