Friday, March 20, 2015

How to apply for the USMLE Step 1

Towards the end of your Maine semester you need to request a USMLE/ECFMG ID number. You need this number to sign into ECFMG’s website to register for all of your USMLE Steps. In order to do this you need to:
1. go to www.ecfmg.org
2. Hover over the yellow tab that says “On-line Services”
3. Click on IWA – Interactive Web Application on the left side
4.  Go to the bottom it will says “If you have never been issues a USMLE/ECFMG Identification Number and want to request one" Click!
5. Follow the instructions and your number should be emailed to you within a week.

After you receive your number you will have to use this to login to the ECFMG site. You then have to submit a request for ECFMG Certification. You must also do this prior to applying for Step 1. I was in Maine from May-September and I submitted this form mid July to allow time. There is a $65 fee associated with this form. This is a certification that will be ongoing and won’t be finalized until after graduation.

After completing both of these items, you may request for USMLE Step 1 examination. Again login to ECFMG’s site via IWA and there is a link that says “Begin a New Application for USMLE Step 1.” Follow the instructions. I completed this application a few weeks before the exit exam. During this application is when you must choose a 3 month eligibility period for USMLE. ECFMG gives you a 3 month period to take the exam. If you have to extend that period and apply for another one it's another $70. Choose this period wisely. If you know you will pass the exit exam then choose a period close. I chose my period to be from September 1th to November 30th and in the end I ended up taking my exam October 27th (2 months after completing Maine). Everyone is different on how much time they think they need to study. I don't think I would have been able to take more than 2 months. At the completion of this application you are required to pay the fee for Step 1, which is currently $865.

Once you have completed the online portion, there is also a Certification Form 186 that you must fill out and submit 2 passport photos with it. This form + photos go to Carol in Maine. Make sure to write your name and ECFMG number on the back of each photo. Carol then sends this to the New York Office. Once you pass the exit exam, NY signals ECFMG that you’ve passed and to continue with your application for Step 1. To give a timeline, I submitted my step 1 Application on Aug 12, 2014, I took my exit exam Aug 21, 2014, application was approved by ECFMG on Sept 15, 2014. I actually got my scheduling permit to schedule via prometric on Sept 18, 2014 and scheduled my date that moment because I was afraid spots were going to fill up. So it took over a month to even be able to schedule my exam, so moral of the story is to allow time!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Electives in Augusta, GA

Interested in doing electives in Augusta, GA?
Here is a list of ones that our school currently offers. Start times vary.

ACGME Electives
  • Trinity Hospital
    • Family Medicine Elective
    • OB/GYN Elective
    • Gynecologic Oncology
    • Infertility
    • Perinatology
    • Emergency Medicine
  • Doctor's Hospital
    • Surgery
    • Orthopedic Surgery
    • Urology
    • Vascular Surgery
    • Otolaryngology
    • Burn Surgery
Non-ACGME Electives
  • Trinity Hospital
    • Ambulatory Internal Medicine
    • Anesthesiology
    • Cardiology
    • Clinical Reasearch
    • Gastroenterology
    • Neonatology
    • Nephrology
    • Oncology
    • Pathology
    • Primary Care

Saturday, March 14, 2015

OBGYN Shelf

I finished my OBGYN rotation and took the shelf on Friday! Friday March 13th, pretty unlucky of a date. About a month before your rotation ends, the clinical department will send you an email saying they are registering you for a two week period to take the exam, a few days later you will receive a scheduling permit from prometric and you can then schedule. There were not times offered in Augusta over the weekends so I ended up choosing a Friday. The exam does cost $106. It is 100 questions and you are allotted 2 hours and 30 minutes without breaks (You can always get up and take a break but the time keeps ticking).

Prepping for the exam:

  • Throughout the rotation I read Case Files, it's an excellent resource. I read it almost 2 times. 
  • I also used Step 2 Uworld which mimicked the questions on the actual exam.
  • NBME offers 2, 50 question exams for $20 each, but I didn't take them as I felt prepared with the Uworld questions that I did.
  • I'm working on possibly getting UMHS to have a subscription to the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, as they have a killer qbank called uWISE which all of the U.S medical students use to prep for the exam, otherwise an individual subscription is over $200 which isn't worth it. More on that to come.
How the NBME shelf is used:

What you receive on the test has nothing to do with the grade you receive for the rotation in general. Your grade is determined solely on your evaluation from your preceptor. You must pass the NBME in order to pass the rotation. A passing grade is 50%. If you do not receive a passing grade the first time, you will have one more chance to take the exam and if you fail a second time, you must redo the entire rotation.

According to the clinical department, your scores from your NBME shelves will not be released to any schools or residencies programs in the future. So techinically there is no added benefit on scoring extremely high on a shelf in a area in which you want to gain a residency spot. Of course, you always want to score well as you are continually prepping for the USMLE Step 2.

When will you receive your score:

You should receive it 3-5 buisness days after the 2 week testing period ends but you will have to email Isabel at imonarca@umhs-sk.net to receive a copy of your report.

**Update: I passed! 

Friday, March 6, 2015

General info about life at UMHS

I just realized via a source that a lot of prospective students read my blog before deciding to come to UMHS and I don't really have a post dedicated to the island life or the school in general. So here it is!



ARP, Med and EBS:
After you apply, you are accepted into either of the following 3 programs: ARP, Basic Sciences (Med) or EBS and can start in September, January or May. I'm not a great person to ask about ARP because I didn't go through it but basically it is a semester long in which you take a variety of subjects including Math, Organic Chemistry, Anatomy. Almost every Monday you have exams. Depending on your passing score you are then placed in either the EBS (>70%) or Med program (>80%) for the following semester. (Contact the school for more information on the ARP program because I honestly don't know much)

If you are accepted into the Extended Basic Sciences (EBS) program, it is a 5 semester program on the island.

Semester OneGross & Developmental Anatomy11
Medical Ethics1
Molecular & Cell Biology6
Physical Diagnosis2
Semester TwoBiochemistry7
Behavioral Sciences5
Histology5
Genetics3
Semester ThreeMicrobiology5
Physiology10
Immunology2
Semester  FourNeuroscience/Neuroanatomy7
Pathology I9
Biostatistics & Epidemiology2
Semester FivePathology II12
Pharmacology & Therapeutics7
Introduction to Clinical Medicine6

(Received from www.umhs-sk.org.)

If you are accepted into the Med program (Basic Sciences) program, it is a 4 semester program on the island so you are taking one more class than the EBS students except the last semester is the same.

Semester OneGross & Developmental Anatomy
Medical Ethics
Molecular & Cell Biology
Physical Diagnosis
Histology 
Semester TwoBiochemistry
Physiology
Biostatistics & Epidemiology
Immunology


Genetics





Semester ThreeMicrobiology
Pathology I
Neuroscience/Neuroanatomy
Behavorial Sciences



Semester FourPathology II

Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Introduction to Clinical Medicine

(Received from www.umhs-sk.net) I highlighted in red all the courses that are different from the EBS program to the Med program.



My perspective is going to be from the Med program as that was the program I was accepted into and continued with. The only thing about the Med program is you feel like you are split between 2 "classes". Your first semester, you become friends with everyone in your anatomy classes and cell bio classes because you are all new and instantly become friends. If you are in the Med program, you slowly start to become apart of the EBS class that came to the island a semester before you (all the red classes), until you are 100% part of the Med4/EBS5 class your last semester. I made new friends in the class above me as well but a majority of my friends were in the EBS program and thus were on the island a semester longer than I was.

The 4 semester program (Med) is not easy especially the 3rd semester. You are competing with a majority of students that have one class less than you and technically have more time to study, but don't let that inhibit you. I was told multiple times by faculty as well as members of administration that I should drop down to the EBS program because I was taking classes for my masters through Walden (more on that later) and TAing classes at UMHS as well. One reason I am in the Caribbean is because other U.S. medical schools believed that I would not succeed in their programs. I was tired of people telling me that I couldn't do something that I knew I could. So instead of dropping down to EBS, I used that negativitity to fuel my determination to prove them wrong. And that I did because I am currently in my clinicals, finished the 4 semester program, 2/3 of the way through my Masters with Walden and TAed a class each semester while on the island. I had to work my butt off for it though. I studied almost everyday until 11pm (the last bus from the school to our house), I listened and took great notes in class and most importantly, I had a mission to succeed.

Exams:
Exams are block style. We take all our exams for all classes once a month on the same day. So if you are in the Med program, your 3rd semester you are taking 4 exams that day. I thought I would hate this style of exam taking but it promotes integretation, discourages procrastination (because it's impossible to learn a month's worth of material in a weekend), and is a great stepping stone for studying for the USMLE. All tests are multiple choice. After your last exam, you also don't have anything hanging over your head and can relax, go on a catamaran trip, hang out with friends etc.

Classes:
I feel like I received an excellent education from all of my professors on the island. Anatomy lab was super helpful your first semester and there are 6 students to 1 cadaver, and you are dissecting every other day with 2 other students (2 groups of 3). You get to see everything! There are also TAs for every class that are students that previously did well in that class. They have weekly review sessions and office hours.

Some have asked me about the size of classes. I'm not so sure of how big the class sizes are now because I know the school is becoming more well known. If you start in September, those tend to be that largest classes just because September is the "traditional" time to start an academic year. When I was there September classes were usually over 100, I started in January and probably had 80 or so?

Buildings:
There are plenty of places to study at school if you chose to do so (and it's air conditioned!). The library has a large computer lab with printing (you are given a certain number of pages you can print each semester), a quiet room in the back with cubicals and an open area with tables. There are all the necessary books that you can reserve to use within the library or others you can check out. The auditorium is also open every night for people to study. As well as classrooms and group study room. There is a student lounge in which you can rent out lockers to use while on campus.

The Library

Food:
There is a small cafeteria on campus that offers usually 2 different options to eat each day for lunch and there is always Dominos pizza for lunch and dinner. They also have bagels, coffee, cake, candy and other snacks to take care of that sweet tooth while you are studying. There is also fridges and microwaves in the student lounge so you can bring your own meals to heat up. FYI, food is very expensive on the island so after your first semester you will packing your suitcases full of food! The school also offers weekly bus trips to the grocery store!

Getting to School:
The school hires taxi drivers to pick people up from their individual homes each morning and take you home. There are normally a few pick up times in the morning and then in the evening there is usually a 5:30pm , 8pm and 11pm bus home. If you need to go into town for shopping or the post office, the school is located on the main street so you just stand on the side of the road and hail an H bus (the local buses) for super cheap.

What to bring your first semester:
You need a white coat that is waist length (you're a student not a resident, coat should be short!), a longer lab coat for anatomy lab (it will get dirty and you will want to throw it away after), a pair of scrubs that you don't mind throwing away after anatomy because they get pretty gross, pairs of nicer scrubs for your physical diagnosis class. A few business casual outfits for physical diagnosis and the white coat ceremony. Sweatshirts! Yes, you are going to the caribbean but the classrooms are cold so I wore pants almost every day to school and brought a sweatshirt even though it was >80 degress outside. Also a stethoscope for physical diagnosis. For books, don't buy all the books, first of all they are more expensive through the bookstore, 2nd all you really need is Grant's Dissector and an anatomy atlas (I prefer Netter's to Grey's). There are usually upper semesters selling books for cheap too!

Oh if you want to get your white coat embroidered with your name and UMHS there is a place on the island that does it. I can't remember the name but if you take the main road from school that goes into town and eventually hits birdrock area, its right before you hit the best buy in bird rock. It's by the Sol gas company. Its pretty cheap like 20 E.C. or so and just tell them UMHS.

Where to live:
Once you are accepted, the school sends you a housing database that you can see different places offered. Some students choose to live at The Royal which is a hotel/ student housing. It's right across from the Marriott and is easy access to everything but not exactly close to school. But like I said before, buses take you to and from school. The Royal is expensive though. I never lived there for that reason. I mostly lived at Ram's apartments in Birdrock. I loved living there, it was $1100 for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom and it was right across the street from Ram's grocery store. Some places had cockroaches and centipedes in the houses but we never had a problem. If you want to live somewhere within walking distance to the school, Camps is the closest. Most places in Mattingley Heights are also within walking distance. West Farm is a little bit of a jaunt but still walkable if in a dire situation. Most all other "neighborhoods" are not within walking distance.

View of Ram's grocery store (yellow building) from my apartment balcony!

Any other questions, let me know!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Interested in UMHS?

Are you interested in applying to UMHS? Are you planning on attending soon? Send me your questions through my "Contact Me" tab. Be sure to include your email so I can respond back! I know I had a ton of questions before I even applied or started and I would love to try to answer them for you!


For those going into Med 4/ EBS 5

So I know the school does not give you a checklist to inform you of everything you will need to do prior to Maine/ your last semester. I put together a few points that I would have liked to know or what I have discovered on my own. Hope it helps.

·      Get all your immunizations done for Maine before Med 4/ EBS 5.  There are 2 preceptorship groups when you get to Maine. Whoever has their immunizations completed for Maine first will get the choice to do their preceptorship first.
o   Benefits of going first? There really isn’t one. I wanted to get it out of the way so as I neared Kaplan I could have more free time to study. Basically what happens is every Thursday and Friday is free (minus a few extra lectures here and there), but you have a preceptorship you will either go Thursday or Friday. If you don't, you have the day off.
·      For titers for clinicals it’s best to get this done before Maine because there are a lot of other things that need to be done after Maine so just get it out of the way.
o   PPD
§  It must be done within 3 months of Maine, so you either have to get it on the island (I went to Dr. Holness' office near the town square and you don't even have to go back for it to be read because Nurse Gallanders on campus will read it for you) or wait until after your last semester (but remember you risk possibly not being in the first preceptor group, which isn’t a big deal.)
o   Varicella
§  Either the titer or the vaccine. The vaccine is 2 doses. If you’ve had Chicken pox, get the titer. If you have never had chicken pox, get the vaccine (2 shots 1-2 months in between) but if you get the vaccine you will be ok for Maine but will still need to get the titer before your clinicals (best to do this before Maine) If you get the vaccine you have to wait 2 months prior to getting the titer drawn.
o   Tetanus
§  You need to have had your tetanus within the last 10 years make sure you have enough time to cover your time in Maine and clinicals. If it will, “expire” within 1-2 years just get another one so you won’t have to worry mid-clinicals.
o   MMR
§  Since this was needed to come to the island, everyone should have this done for Maine already. But once again, you will need titers drawn before you start clinicals but do this before Maine
o   Hep B
§  If you didnt ever have the vaccine, get it before Semester 4/5 but it is 3 doses so after first dose, have to wait 1-2 months, then another 3-4 months after the 2nd dose
§  If you did have the vaccine, you will need to get the surface antibody test done for clinicals but do this before Maine
·      Look for housing early for Maine. The school doesn’t send out information until after Block 2. Here are a few sites for vacation homes, apartments, hotels etc. These will at least get you started.
o   The Marriott is another option if you don’t want to worry about finding housing: http://cwp.marriott.com/pwmts/umhs/

§  The address for school: its located in a office park on Atlantic Place Unit 24 but if you put 100 Foden Road, South Portland, ME 04106 into google it will show it better.

·      Items for Med 4/ EBS 5
o   Scrubs: You will be wearing scrubs almost everyday unless you want to dress up. I would have at least 4 pairs of scrubs to allow rotation.
o   Business Casual: You will need clothes for the hospital (5 wks) and 2 ICM practicals. Remember closed toed shoes for girls. Also dresses, sleeveless shirts are best for the girls because it’s hot in the hospital and you have to wear your white coat.
o   Nice dress/ outfit for Banquet
o   Your brain! Last semester is a tough one, blow block 1 out of the water so you don’t have to be playing catch up. Focus on all classes, never only study 1 and put the other to the side because it will hurt you in the end.

Good luck everyone! 

-- Laura