USMLE Step 3

Every Now and then

2010-10-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

I am back again after a long break, I successfully got into Internal Medicine Residency. Congratulations to me and to all others who made it. I finally got time to write a blog. It has been so relieving and fulfilling to join residency finally.

The first thing I noticed was how relieving it is when you start your residency with your USMLE step 3 done. Most of the programs want the residents to do their step 3 by the end of the first year of residency . At the most in 18 months. Practicing medicine does help a lot to solve the CCS cases and also the MCQs which are part of residency training, but the amount of time you get to study during residency is hardly few hours a month. My suggestion get your step 3 out of your way before you start your PGY 1. Also IMGs who need a H1 Visa needs to complete step 3.

I recently went through USMLE Master the Boards Step 3 -By Dr. Conrad Fischer and Sonia Reichert. It is concise and easy to do quick review for the MCQs. I liked it better than Step 3 Crush. Any suggestions? Post on Comment section....

Also guys , I guess Dr. Red liked the USMLE3 title of my blog and took it in the .com domain before I could grab it. Anyways, I like that guy for making my life easier with my CCS preparation. I peeped into his website which had amazing question series and also the videos. I didn't check those videos , as they are paid ones. If anyone had a chance to view them give us a feed back. We certainly would like to pool all the better stuff for the Step 3 Prep.

Step 3 USMLE will be discussed in series of blogs each topic a day. Good luck to all the guys who are studying for Step 3 and Good luck for the Residency interviews and Residency.

USMLE Step3-Application Process

2009-09-22T01:24:00.001-07:00

Its been a while since I had written a blog. Sorry about that. I had been busy with my Residency application and other things. I will try to be regular . I will soon update a blog about residency too.

The website that deals with the USMLE Step 3 application process is www.fsmb.org. Please go through the website throughly for the frequently asked questions. It answers most of the doubts.

Watch out:

1)September deadlines for the academic year application.

2)No choice of eligibility period selection unlike other USMLE steps.

3)Attempts for step 3 for each individual states in USA. Each state has fixed number of attempts for taking step 3. It doesn't matter which state you take your exam from. Connecticut state has no limit on exam attempts.

4)For residents the hospital reimburses the exam fee.

Helpful Tips:

1) IMG's/FMG 's select Connecticut state for the exam. Attempts are not a problem with CT.

2) Exam is held in two days. Select exam dates with a holiday in between. It helps to revise Step 3 CCS cases.

3)If applying for residency try to finish the exam before August 1st Week. Exam results come on 3rd Wednesday after your exam. Residency application starts from September 1st.

Keep looking for more tips about step 3 . I will update more as soon I know few. Fellow doctors can add some tips in the comments section.

Good luck for your USMLE Step 3 .

DR. Red Step 3 Review

2009-01-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

I am back with the Dr. Red Step 3 course review.

Last time when Step 3 review course was done it was supposed to be a 2 day review, but it turned out to be another 10 hours more than he planned for. He did go into the details and was calm composed and patiently answering all the fellow students answers. He tried to accommodate a ten hour extra time to make people understand what he was saying rather than just going through the slides. It was very helpful.

About the review course , Dr. Red goes through the high yield points for step 3 in each topic. Most of the topics he covered, had all the needed information precisely tailored to answer the step 3 questions. He has mix of USMLE World questions, Swansons family practice notes in his review course too. He goes through the topics in detail and tries to answer all possible questions. I feel personally, his material is a good addition to Kaplan Step 2 USMLE material and not a replacement completely. It doesn't take much time to do his slides and it has many high yield exam oriented points. It will surely improve your score if you add his slides in your preparation.

Few draw backs about this review are ,some slides are just facts and filler stuff from the books and are not needed to the course.Some times the course goes as an enrichment of your knowledge instead of just sticking to the exam point. But still it is good course to have a quick recap for your step 3 preparation. Technically slides are not that complete. He needs to work on the slide display and the spelling mistakes in it. He needs to add few pictures and also come up with answering questions like , what is the best initial, best test and so on. I think he is going to improve these in the coming review course. Over all I would recommend it as an addition to your preparation, but worth taking the review.

If you are looking for better exam orientation, I suggest Dr. Conrad Internal Medicine review course. He is to the point on each topic about the questions you need to expect and need to answer. It is totally exam based and it fits for the USMLE Step 3 and 2 preparation. If you can afford and need extra score try Dr. Conrad Internal medicine review course. His material is excellent. I do not know if that is sold separately , but if u find it. It is good one to study.

Thanks for reading....Please let me know if you found my blog helpful by voting on the right side. Looking forward for suggestions and comments.

Dr. Red CCS WorkShop

2009-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

Most of the searches for my website were for Dr. Red. Hence I thought I would write a blog about his workshop.

Dr. Red is an Internal medicine practicing doctor. He has a good knowledge about the CCS and the Step 3 exam question format. I personally feel that he has good teaching skills and good fund of clinical and medical Knowledge. He has clear voice and patiently answers all of your questions. About Archers CCS work shop,it is an one day interactive webinar held online. For dates and prices please look into his website-www.ccsworkshop.com.(I am in no way related to him. I am providing information as I attended his webinar and I am sharing my personal views for the benefit of others)

Pros

He starts with explaining the basic concepts about Emergency Room (ER), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Floors and Office settings. It gives an over all view and then makes you familiar with the CCS software by ECFMG. This can be watched right on your screen. After the concepts are taught, each doctor gets a chance to practice one CCS case on the USMLE CCS software CD. Each one gets a different case scenario. This gives an opportunity to do a case under supervision. Also watching the other cases done by the fellow doctors help you to know common mistakes and also the way these cases are to be handled. Overall you get to see and practice upto 15 or more cases in a single day. I felt really comfortable with CCS cases after practicing in this work shop. This workshop can be done in one day , delivered to you right onto your laptop.

Cons

Too long sessions without breaks.You loose concentration after long lengthy hours. Somtimes webinar is interrupted due to technical ignorance by the fellow doctors.

Over all it is good. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick start up and understanding of CCS cases.

Feel free to post comments and questions about the CCS workshop. You can also write in comments if you find any other workshop similar to it, better or good ones. After all the motive of this blog is to help fellow doctors to crack USMLE Step 3 in least expensive and quick way & not to promote review courses. Good luck ...Hope this review was helpful.

Step 3 CCS

2009-01-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

This blog is an effort to give an overview to save time and money during the USMLE Step 3 preparation. Few of the suggestions are my personal opinions.

CCS is unique of all the USMLE tests.In my opinion, practicing CCS cases on the interactive software needs a little guidance. Best resource to practice is the USMLE practice CD sent by ECFMG/FSMB. If you have difficulty in getting the CCS concept right, I suggest CCS work Shop by Dr. Red ( Archer CCS review ). I was told by a friend about this course and I registered for a one day webinar (88$). Initially I was skeptical, but by the end of the review I felt confident and well informed. I personally feel it is worth all the penny paid. Though there were some technical glitches during the course, over all it was very impressive. Being able to do the workshop right from your laptop at a price of 88$ ....Great deal.Isn't it!!!

I also attended the Step 3 live lectures by Kaplan, but the CCS discussion is not detailed to the point as Dr.Red CCS work shop.

I haven't heard about any other workshops on CCS personally. Feel free to share information about good inexpensive workshops and save time and money for fellow doctors.

Good luck to all those giving their step 3 and keep reading my blogs for more updated information...

Useful Websites for Step 3 Information

2009-01-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

www.fsmb.org
www.ecfmg.org
www.usmle.org
www.kaplanmedical.com
www.ccsworkshop.com
www.premierreview.com
www.usmletomd.com

USMLE Step 3 Budget !!!$$$

2009-01-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

Exam Fee
690 USD or Higher depending on the state you apply.

Iowa $740
South Dakota $840
Vermont $725

Kaplan
Live lectures (1800 USD for 10 days)
Video lectures (1800 USD for 6 months access)

Archer's
Step 3 Online Review Course (169 USD 2 day Rapid review)
CCS Online Work Shop (88 USD for one day online work shop)

Premier Review
Step 3 course (1195 USD for 1 week)
CCS Work Shop ( 295 USD for one day)

You can always read on your own too.

USMLE Step 3 Courses

2009-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

1. Kaplan Live lectures and Video Lectures.
2. Archer online CCS Work Shop (By Dr. Red)
3. Archer online USMLE Reviews (By Dr. Red)
4. Dr.Conrad Fisher Internal Medicine Board Review
5. Step 3 Premier Review Course.

Welcome

2008-12-31T02:43:00.000-08:00

Study Materials

Kaplan Medical USMLE Master the Boards Step 3

(Heard its very good for Step 2&3)

1. Kaplan Notes ( Step 2 CK and Step 3)
2. Swansons Family Practice Review
3. Dr.Red Power Point Presentations.
4. Usmleworld Step 3 Q bank
5. Kaplan Step 3 Q bank
6. Usmleworld CCS Cases
7. Crush Step 3
8. First Aid for Step 3
9. Dr.Conrad Fisher Ethics Book
10.CMDT Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment.
(Reference purposes).