Clinical Documents List

I have officially passed Step 1! I took the exam October 27, 2014. As the date rapidly approached I was becoming increasingly more nervous each day. I felt confident but can you ever be 100% confident for exams like this?! I had thought about pushing my date back multiple times but knew that this was the date God has specifically chosen for me, two more weeks or so was not going to prepare me anymore than I already was. It was also not an accident, the day before my exam the sermon at church was the story of David and Goliath. We all have "Goliaths" in our lives, things that seem daunting and things we believe we can never overcome. My Goliath was my exam and I knew I was unable to succeed without God's help, just like little David, a small shepherd, felt when he approached Goliath. The morning of my exam, I got in my car to find a slingshot, one probably similar to the one David would have used to defeat Goliath. The slingshot gave me the encouragement I needed that morning to defeat the exam and that I did!

Many have asked me how the exam was and it’s very hard to answer. Not to scare anybody but I thought it was very hard, harder than the uworld or Kaplan qbank. I would say it was most like the NBMEs. Surprisingly I thought the most difficult questions were in the category of Cell Biology. You must remember that the exam also has about 50 trial questions that do not count which is equivalent to a whole block. For my mental sanity during the exam and to not get myself down, I told myself that each question I didn’t know just wasn’t counted ;) That wasn’t the truth but 50% of the exam is a mental game as well.  I had heard before that the questions were longer and time may be an issue but I didn’t have a problem with time, the questions were about the same as uworld and since I had practiced so much I didn’t have problems. Overall, I believe UMHS prepared us well!

Test results come on the 3rd or 4th Wednesday after your exams depending on what day you took it. If you took it on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday you will get it on the 3rd Wednesday after. If you take it on a Saturday, Monday or Tuesday then you will get it on the 4th Wednesday after. Both my friend and I received the email around 9 am on that Wednesday and then you have to login to ECFMG's site to view your score.

Waiting for the test results was the worst part but you have a long list of things that needs to be completed before you can schedule your clinicals so that will keep you busy. I requested the list from the clinical department when I finished Maine so I would have a good idea on what needed to be done (I’m a planner if you can’t tell ;) 

Here is the list that must be scanned and emailed to clinicaldocs@umhs-sk.net:

USMLE Step 1 Score Report (Email a copy when you receive it)

Proof of OSHA/HIPAA, Infection Control (Carol should give you a copy at the end of Maine)

Student Information Form (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7aP9Ft3g9drQ2lJTy15LWVkQ0lHS0taWXZyX29BbzZZOWdj/view?usp=sharing)

Clinical Handbook Receipt (We did this in Maine but I did it again to make sure it got there https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7aP9Ft3g9drLTZ3bVJkNzhGbzROSUJocDRJVHM5cVpNWG5J/view?usp=sharing)

Student Curriculum Vitae

Health Assessment form (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7aP9Ft3g9drRmRLMHB1TjdfUTQxODZ0SFBqTDU0OXRFNW9V/view?usp=sharing)

MMR Vaccination Titer (All titers should have been done for Maine just re-email them)

Varicella Titer

Proof of Tetanus Vaccination

Hepatitis B surface antibody Titer

PPD Skin Test Results/Chest X-Ray if positive

National Background Check (Use 24/7 service http://www.24-7dat.com/UMHS.html)

10 Panel Drug screen (Use 24/7 service)

Copy of UMHS Student ID

Passport Sized Photo 2x2 (Can just scan a passport photo)

Personal Health Insurance card

Proof of ACLS certification (Can use 24/7 Service or find a local class near you)

Flu Vaccination

24/7 Drug and Alcohol testing center: I used it for both the drug screen and the background check. You can also do your ACLS through there but I did mine through the American Heart Association and found it to be a little bit cheaper but I know there was only one course offered near me for the rest of the year. You can do a live class or online. I chose to do a live course because I thought it would be more beneficial.  

What you do is you go to the 24/7 website http://www.24-7dat.com/UMHS.html and order whichever ones you want. For the drug screen, you have to pay first (which scared me a little because I didn't know where they were going to send me but they send you to the closest testing center to your address, which is within 20 miles), they then will send you an email within 48 hrs telling you where you need to go within the next week or so to complete it. It’s that simple and results are sent directly to the school.

If anyone has any other questions regarding the process of completing these documents please don't hesitate to email me at lellson@umhs-sk.net. I would be happy to answer any questions or the clinical department at UMHS is great at answering questions as well!

Until next time,

Laura

Studying for Step 1 like a Pro

I’m going to try to tell you how I prepared for Step 1 and hopefully it will help others. My goal all along has been to get higher than a 260 but I will be happy with anything higher than a 240.  I started preparing while in Maine. As we were learning about each system, I would read the section in First Aid. This would prepare me not only for the step but also virtual clinic that week. I would then try to do some practice questions related to that system usually on uworld pdfs. I am a very question based learner so it helps me to solidify information by doing questions as well as sometimes I think I know the information but when I get a question about it I realize I really didn’t know it. Besides doing that in Maine, I would study almost everyday. If you get into the habit in Maine it will be a natural transition when you get home and start REALLY studying. I know some people that slacked off during Maine and I think are really kicking themselves now. When you get access to your Kaplan qbank, start doing 46 questions (1 block) in timed mode EVERYDAY.

**Little Note about First Aid. When I was on the island, students who were in the clinicals came back and each and everyone of them said "Start dictating info in your first aid now!" Well I rarely looked at First Aid on the island and honestly do not regret not looking at it or writing stuff in. So if you are in school and haven't marked up your First Aid like crazy, don't worry! Do what works for you!

During Kaplan:

It was so hard after a 8 hour day in class to want to go home and study more but I would go to the library and I seemed to get more accomplished there. It helped having friends to go to the library with. During Kaplan class, I HIGHLY recommend going through your first aid as the teacher is teaching. It is kinda annoying because everything isn’t in the same order but I’m so glad I did this. First off, the Kaplan books they give you are kinda large when you combine them all together and who has time to reread them again?! I highlighted my First Aid and would include any other important information that was in kaplan but not in my First Aid. Now all my notes are in ONE book not 8 ;) Exception: The only book I did have a hard time following along in my first aid was Physiology. That I did use the Kaplan book just because it was moving too fast for me to flip.  I then copied additional info after class into the First Aid when I had a little more time.

Ok so after class, I would do the 46 questions and then review them. I would then review what we went over in class that day (for me it was just rereading my first aid again). If something didn’t make sense, I made note and asked the Kaplan prof the next day. Never say, “Oh I don’t quite understand it but it isn’t that important” EVERY DETAIL IS IMPORTANT J You never know what type of question is going to be asked on the step. I also need to know the Why behind everything, because its very hard to purely memorize something, I needed to understand why in order for it to make sense it my mind to remember it.

**A little note about the kaplan qbank, I know lots of my classmates chose to not do the kaplan qbank and just bought uworld instead. Many said Kaplan was too easy etc etc. Let me tell you this, most medicals students across the country do BOTH qbanks. Kaplan's is part of our tuition so why would you not use it? They say the more questions you do the better you will be prepared. Why only do 2500 questions when you could do 5000?! Saying that, I still recommend buying uworld even if you're budget will only allow a 30 day subscription (which is what I'm doing) but do BOTH, multiple times if you can!

At home:

After Maine, I spent a week with my sister and had a nice little break. The moment I got home, I started the hard core studying.  I am studying 12+ hours a day in my pajamas and probably haven’t worn make-up or done my hair in ages except to go to church every Sunday :P It’s nice to run upstairs and food is on the table waiting and then I can go back down. I’m very thankful for both my parents!  I’m still doing the 46 questions a day. I also do a system a day. I’m rereading my first aid and learning every inch of it.  It takes me awhile to read each section because I’m soaking it all in not just reading it like I had before.  Other than first aid, I bought Deja Review’s Pharmacology book. It's a review book that is set up in a question and answer format. I chose to get an extra book just because Pharmacology is something that never seems to stick.  Oh and I am using picmonic. Picmonic is mnemonics in pictures, I am a very visual learner so this works well for me. I don’t use it for every disease just the random ones that for the life of me I cannot remember a certain detail, symptom etc. They are a little crazy but make learning fun!

My plan going forward:

I have set my date for October 27, 2014. This gave me 2 months after Maine to study, which I feel was an adequate time. The school recommends taking it within 3 months of finishing Maine. I knew I couldn’t go into November or I might go crazy. I am now about a month away from Victory Day! I am going to buy a 30 day subscription to uworld and complete it in about 25 days. I am doing 2 blocks daily now and every Saturday I am doing a practice exam (Kaplan comes with 2, 8 hr exams and you can buy 2 exams with your uworld subscription as well). NBME also offers 4 hr exams for $50 each.

The hardest part about studying for the step is not getting down. You can mentally defeat yourself but you have to look towards the future and know that you can do it!! God had given me strength to continue even when I have wanted to give up or feel like I’m never going to improve. He has a great plan for me and is the reason I have gotten so far already without crashing and burning.

Talk to you all after I rock Step 1,

Laura

Mainahs Love a Wicked Good time.

Hello Everyone! It looks like it has been over a year since my last post. During school, I get very busy studying and posting gets placed on the back burner. I am off the island of St Kitts now and have already moved to and from Portland, Maine and back to Iowa again. I wanted to do a post about Portland though to give you a little idea of how it works up there.

I was able to spend May-Aug in Maine. Maine is a beautiful state and reminds me a lot of Minnesota. I wish I would have been able to go up north to see more of the state but I really enjoyed being by the ocean (one thing I was very spoiled by in the caribbean). Boston is just a 2 hr drive away and NYC about 4 1/2. I took quite a few road trips to both cities. For anyone that has never been to Boston/Maine before, the accents just cracked me up. Pahk the cahr ovah theya. (Park the car over there) :)

Boston

NYC

As far as school goes, we spend 4 months at our Portland, Maine location mostly getting hands on experience as well as completing a Kaplan test prep course. The first 8 wks of the semester goes as follows:
Monday: Receive lecture on organ system (cardio, resp, MSK etc) + occasional extra lectures
Tuesday: Virtual Clinic for 1 hr and Clinical Skills Lab (Choice of Tues or Wed)
Wednesday: Sample Cases for Organ System and Clinical Skills Lab
Thursday: Preceptor or if not in one Break!
Friday: Preceptor or Break!
*There are 2 exams (besides the entrance and exit) given over the organ systems we have studied. One at the 4 wk mark and one at the 8wk mark.

Preceptor

You are assigned a preceptor in which you go weekly either the 1st 4 wks or the 2nd 4 wks of the semester. I was placed with a Pediatrician the first 4 weeks. From what I've heard from other students, I believe it is best to get your preceptor the 1st 4 instead of the 2nd 4. Towards the 2nd part, things get a little more busy and it can be a bit harder to reschedule missed times.

I had an excellent experience with my Pediatrician. He allowed me to go into the room with the patient and complete a full history as well as a limited physical exam. I would then go discuss with him what I had talked about and then he would review some things with me and we would go back into the room together. Prior to this experience, I didn't have a lot of experience in pediatrics and this allows me to change my thinking a little because the style and type of questions you ask are very different in a pediatric setting vs an adult setting.

Virtual Clinic

Virtual Clinic was my favorite part of Maine. The school has 8 exam rooms each with a fake patient (an actor) as well as either a retired or currently practicing physician. You are paired with another student doctor and both of you enter the assigned room. One of you is the Doctor and the other is the presenter. The presenter sits in the corner and writes everything down as the doctor asks the patient for a complete history and then does whatever physical exam is necessary. During the physical exam, the doctor will provide necessary lung and heart sounds needed for your diagnosis as the patients are healthy and you won't actually hear anything abnormal. After completing the exam, you are required to come up with a list of differential diagnoses you think the patient might have, as well as tests you would like to run. You will then council and suggest necessary treatment. This was the most difficult part, as you didn't have time to walk out of the room and collect your thoughts, you had to come up with everything right on the spot without notes. After you have completed, the other student doctor can ask any additional questions or perform any additional parts of the physical exam he/her thought were necessary. They then present the case and then can either agree or disagree with the prior diagnosis made by the other student. When finished, the Doctor in charge of the room discusses the case with both students and gives feedback. 

Clinical Skills Lab

We had clinical skills lab every week either on tuesday or wednesday. We learned how to insert IVs, draw blood, intubate, give injections etc. Everything was done on fake arms but it allows us to practice these skills.

Learning to intubate!

Kaplan

A 6wk kaplan review course is offered with live professors. It includes classes from 8-4ish almost everyday. You have a break in between each section such as biochem and micro but somedays your break is a monday some days a saturday etc (and yes we went on weekends as well.) Class was good, but long as you can imagine. Sitting in one location all day listening to someone else talk is not the easiest. I can't say I enjoyed all of the Kaplan professors but some I did and learned a lot from. Not only do you have the live classes but you have access to the qbank with over 2500 questions and online lectures. 

The very first day of class, back in May, we had to take an entrance exam. This was a 8 hr, 322 question exam just like the USMLE Step 1. This exam is not counted as part of a grade but I did not study for it, instead I wanted to use it as a baseline and see how much from the basic sciences I remembered. You received your score when you finished which is a percentage and it gives you about what number you would score on Step 1. I passed which was a good starting point! At week 8 of the semester, they offer another kaplan full length exam that is optional. I improved from my first to my second but not as much as I had hoped. Then the very last day of the semester, wk 16, we took a 4 hr NBME exam. Our semester we took an NBME but I think now they switched it back to another kaplan exam.

Exit NBME

The exit is the most important test of the Maine semester. You must pass (whatever the school makes a "passing" grade as) in order to register for the USMLE Step 1. The school does this because they want to make sure that you will pass the exam that matters, Step 1. As I said before, this is a 4 hr exam. You receive your score about a week later. If you do not pass, you are required to take it again and are given 3 tries to do so. Good news was I PASSED the first time! :)

Well that was a little about semester/ adventures in Maine. I will be writing another post soon regarding my preparation for the USMLE.

Another day in Paradise

A short update! I doing well. I just celebrated my birthday while studying for my anatomy exam which was the following day :/ My friends sang me happy birthday in the anatomy lab, can't say you have that every year. Today after the exam we were able to have some rest and relaxation at the beach. Thank you to all who sent me birthday cards, getting the email from school telling me that I have mail is super exciting. It's the little things :)

An AMAZING friend also sent me this basket full of goodies! Complete with school supplies, candy, movies, coffee and more! I love her to death and it really brightened my day.

Block 1

So anyone that is reading this, I'm sorry I'm very bad on updating.

The beginning of February was my first set of exams, Block 1. Here at UMHS, we take all of our exams on one day for all of our classes so I had exams from 8 am to 2 pm. I thought it would be terrible studying for all the exams at one time but it actually wasn't too bad if you keep up with the material. I passed all my exams with flying colors and I could not be more happy with the outcome. :)

Other than studying, I haven't been doing a whole lot. The island is small but nice and relatively quiet. The people here are very friendly. Food tends to be pretty expensive and they don't have a whole lot of options at the store. I sure miss a large supermarkets with everything under the sun.

Block 2 is coming up in a few weeks so I have been studying as the tests will continue to get harder as the semester progresses. The first semester is almost half way over and I cannot believe I've already been here for a 11/2 months. Time really flies. I am enjoying the beautiful weather and ocean as much as I can. Here is a typical night on campus.

My first couple of weeks

I have been meaning to post again but I have been super busy. I’ll probably try to post maybe weekly to update everyone on what is going on. After I arrive to the island, the next day we started orientation. This consisted of informative sessions, a tour of the campus and getting our ID. The President came from NY to talk to us as well which is really nice. During the evenings, we normally went out to dinner to get to know our other classmates.

The Saturday before classes started we had a catamaran trip. We went snorkeling and enjoyed the ocean. Some professors and the president joined us on this trip.

                                           Monday the 7^th was my first day of class!

The White tent is where we eat lunch everyday.

Mondays are my short day from only 1 -5:30, the rest of the days I go from 8-5:30 with a few hours of break in the middle. My routine includes Class, Eat, Class, Study, Eat, Study, Sleep and Repeat. This semester I am taking Histology, Cell Biology, Medical Ethics, Physical Diagnosis and Anatomy with Lab.

So far I really enjoy my professors; everyone is very concerned that you learn everything.

                              

The library, auditorium and ocean :)

Receiving my coat from Dr Garmon

Last Saturday January 12^th was my White Coat Ceremony! I officially received my white coat and am a student doctor. My parents were able to watch live online which was cool too. During the ceremony, we also recited an oath, stating we would never cause intentional harm to our patients. This coat symbolizes the hard-fought journey toward gaining admittance as years of constant, rigorous work have finally paid off; all of the pre-requisites of high school, ACTs, college, MCATs, AMCAS, and every other acronym you can think of are behind us; and becoming a doctor seems to be in sight at last.While it is only the beginning, I look forward to Graduation in the future which will surely be a celebration.

Dean of the University

My roommate and I

My class with the prime minister and professors.

I continue to tell my parents that it still hasn’t hit me that I am actually here, in the Caribbean, in Medical School. Each day I walk outside of class and see palm trees and the ocean and it hits me again that this is real. I am actually doing what I have waited my whole life to do. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I travel through this amazing journey that God has blessed me with.