I took the "prequalifying exam" through our school about 6 weeks ago. I did very well on it, which made me feel like I was just around the corner from being ready for the big guy. I started struggling with booking a date. When should I book it? How much time should I take? This test is so tricky, especially for international graduates like myself. There is such a heavy importance placed on our score for this. From my understanding, it basically goes like this: each residency program sets a "cutoff score" for the USMLE. They only look at the applications of those who score above their specific cutoff score. So, only if you score above whatever number they set will they look more into your application and see the other qualities that you bring to the table. That being said, it should be simple to understand that a low or mediocre score can make a whole lot of opportunities disappear just based on that score alone. A high score can open many doors and have residency programs want to see more about what you have to offer. Because I will be a Canadian seeking residency in the USA, plus I will be an international graduate, it is in my best interest to score as high as I possibly can.
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| View from the lakehouse...peaceful, right? |
At this point right now, I am very confident that I can pass the USMLE. I have done 3 NBMEs and have had passing scores on all of them, however I am still scoring right around the average of everyone who takes the test. Don't get me wrong, this isn't bad...I just feel like if I can score higher than your average US student, it will really look good to residency programs and will open so many doors for me! Also, Patrick and I are obviously hoping to get residencies that are at least somewhat closeby eachother, and if we both have great scores it will be a lot easier to do that than if we don't.
Studying for this test has been challenging, and I have changed my approach several times. You study, you learn, you figure out what worked and what didn't, and you change things up and study some more.
Patrick and I have been working together a lot. We spent the first couple of months sort of doing our own thing and getting a solid base of information, and now we are studying in a much more interactive way. We drill each other, we do questions together, and just talk things out over and over. It is amazing how well it works. I will admit, I had a very hard time accepting that this test wasn't over as quickly as I hoped it'd be, but what we are doing is truly great. We are breaking things down and learning them cold. I honestly do not want to go and step on a hospital floor until I am confident that I have a GREAT understanding of the things that I need to know in order to perform well and help people to the best of my ability. One big thing I didn't realize, but definitely do now is that when you go to a Caribbean school like I did, you are getting the "quick and dirty" of everything. There are a lot of shortcuts taken, and a lot of learning that should be happening that isn't, and I think that is just based on time. The Caribbean schools boast this "accelerated program". We covered everything most US students cover in 2 years in only 16 months. It is not surprising that many of us find that we lack a certain foundation when we are finished. I am OK with all of this - I am taking the time to build that foundation myself so that when I do move on, I will be the best physician and practitioner that I possibly can!
Anyway, I should get back to it. Patrick and I are actually heading to Canada in the next few days and will be setting up "study shop" there for awhile. Thank you to everyone reading! For any medical students, as always please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about anything at all. I promise I will post some good tricks and tips for the USMLE when it is all over - you can all learn from my experiences (good and bad)!
XOXO
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| On to our next adventure! |
