#fullnessandfire

[pleasedotheneedful]

fullnessandfire replied to your post “I got the wifey and the dogs settled into their house. Well, sort of…...”

your journey has been wild but so amazing to witness. you really worked for this shit and i'm certain that you're gonna be an awesome physician!

Thank you!

I went to my therapy appointment today and we spent most of the session on what an insane ride this year has been (after checking in on my anxiety level, preparedness for intern year, and general handling of life)

[pleasedotheneedful]

Hi PDTN! I'll be taking the boards this year and I'm definitely freaking out! Any advice you'd be able to pass along? I'd greatly appreciate it :)

I almost answered this based on COMLEX 3, when I realized you’re probably talking about the earlier parts. I had written this stuff about how the CDM cases are stupid.

Anyway, I’m not gonna lie to you. The first of these exams carries a good amount of weight. When it comes to getting your foot in the door, nothing kicks harder than a high Step 1/Level 1 score. It’s stupid because it’s mostly testing pre-clinical knowledge but I guess that’s what makes it the hardest, and allows programs to separate candidates out.

Modify your board prep schedule based on how you learn (and that’s assuming you would benefit from a fixed schedule at all). You can find thousands of study plans floating around and it’s great to steal pieces from those, but in the end this is about building a bridge that you can cross to get to a good score.

I learn by facing a clinical situation repeatedly and with each exposure a little more is committed to memory, so the Qbanking makes sense. And I seldom did any full-length self-assessments. My attention span catered to blocks of 10-15 questions at a time, then going back to review the material of those questions. Lots of short breaks to digest. Most Qbanks come with basic stats so you can still see how you’re doing overall.

Not everyone is like that. Other people live and die by First Aid. Any book-based prep was not for me, and outside of a few pages I never used it.

With all that in mind, don’t freak out. You know roughly when you’re taking the exam so pace yourself, and especially in the weeks leading up to the exam get enough sleep. I couldn’t sleep the night before my exam and I’m sure it affected my score.

[pleasedotheneedful]

fullnessandfire replied to your post “so I just sort of sat on this news all weekend, mostly because it’s...”

this is good news, right? man your journey has been something crazy! i hope it all works out!

thanks! yeah it’s definitely better than the straight “no” I thought I was about to hear, I mean I know there are unmatched DOs out there... I just have to find the right one!

[pleasedotheneedful]

dogemd replied to your photo “me n @big_hungry_honu went to show at the #newfoundland national I...”

that jacket is amazing. 10/10

fullnessandfire replied to your photo: me n @big_hungry_honu went to show at the...

outfit: fresh to death

this is the jacket/bowtie I had made in Kampala last year. I love it but couldn’t find a place to wear it... once at the horse track, once after I got married. I think I found a home for it at dog shows lmao

[michelise]

fullnessandfire replied to your post “Studying for the MCAT 6+ hours a day while working and taking classes...”

been there. the time goes by so quickly. before you know it, you'll be in med school and all of the current BS will be a thing of the past. hang in there, push through. i'll see you on the other side!

I really hope so, I’m counting down the days until I can apply and stop jumping through all these hoops. Major props to you for having gone through this and making it to medical school!