Posted by Dr Puma from IP 122.173.224.136 on August 14, 2010 at 18:26:38:
I passed this exam in my second attempt. I know how
traumatic this can be .I now coach all who need help to
pass this exam. I will guide and nudge you and work on
your specific issues/weakness be it English, be it data
gathering or anything I feel is going to help u pass
with confidence.
my creds:94/99/cs-2nd/91.
skype id: dr_puma_cs_coach
email:dr_puma@rediffmail.com
Visit: www.drpuma.net for more details
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Some Feature of my classes:
-Personalized attention to each students weakness
-Help with English language as need for CS,help with
pronounciation,ideal phrases based on each students
ability.
-Answer to any nagging doubts a student may have
-Tips on difficult patient/cases
-How to get 100% score on data gathering
-How to master the Patient note
-How to use the blue sheet
-Mental aspects of the exam
-A video session devoted exclusively to Physical
Examination skills
-2 Mock Exam sessions-just like the real exam day.
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How hard is 2CS?
CS is ''super easy for all who pass and difficult for
those who fail ".Let me explain.
Compared to STEP 1 and STEP 2 CK exams, STEP 2 CS
doesn’t sound so hard. I mean, all it is is acting like
your a doctor right? Ironically, the STEP 2 CS is an
easy exam to fail. In fact nearly 33% of US candidates
fail the USMLE on their first try. Let’s take a look at
the pass rates for 2008 as provided by USMLE.org.
87.5% of US and Canadian students passed the STEP 1 on
their first try compared to only 75% of IMG students.
91.5 % of US and Canadian students pass the STEP 2 CK
on their first try compared to only 81% of IMG
students.
92% of US and Canadian Students pass the STEP 2 CS on
their first try compared to only 72% of IMG students.
Numbers can't lie, STEP 2 CS is as hard as STEP 2 CK,
'especially for IMG' Students, and there is no way to
know how many took a workshop. Looking at the numbers,
it would seem that IMG students have a harder time with
STEP 2 CS than US Students!
Why so many IMGs are failing the STEP 2 CS?
There are many specific things you must do to pass the
STEP 2 CS. For e.g.:
You must act like you are performing a real exam, not
just say the right words.
You must show empathy.
Stay calm and remember what to do, many candidates get
nervous and forget important aspects. Due to gaps in
knowledge about the format of this exam, what ECFMG
Expects, and lack of practice the IMG's often have a
hard time thinking of the next step during the
exam..............this often leads to the student not
fully registering the RESPONSES OF THE SP---->Result is
that the data gathering and patient note suffers and is
sub-standard. This explains the recent rise in number
of IMG who pass in questioning skills and still fail in
the data gathering and PN (.....myself being one such
IMG during my first attempt.)
I say this because I believe knowing is the first step
in winning the CS battle. I have devised simple
plan/steps to assist you to stay calm in this exam. I
am not a rocket scientist.....and I am sure many people
who pass this exam have their own
methods/secrets.....but unfortunately they are not here
to share it with other IMG's due to the obvious reason
that they r fighting with the next USMLE step,etc.*****
Also most US med schools have 2CS workshops for their
students by people who are familiar with 2CS and /or
have passed this test recently.IMG's don't getn this
advantage.This I feel is a crucial factor.In fact I
taught in one such workshop in a University Program.I
always have loved teaching and I never let any
opportunity to teach pass by.
I am trying in my own humble way to provide Guidance
for any IMG who feels he/she need coaching that is not
super expensive like K*****,c3** etc.
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Most people pass with 14 days of practice. But the key
is to follow the right format and do cases with right
people. This is especially true for young
grads....3rd/4th yr students.
For older grads who have clinical experience back
home...this exam is a ''step down''.....you guys got to
think and act like med students at level of 3/4th yr
students. Don’t underestimate this.
Also the shyness factor. Unless you find a way to get
rid of the feeling of shyness and awkwardness, it will
be a bit challenging.
Doing lot of cases with people who have passed the exam
and are good at teaching is a method I used to pass my
CS on 2nd try.
Initially after my fail CS result....I cried and was in
shock for 2 days. Then I checked out the ''big guns
courses''---k***** etc......and honestly they were
beyond my reach. I managed to find a mentor/coach on
this forum. I want to do the same for few who are
finding it harder than others or want quality inputs or
are taking the exam again after failing.
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My aim for doing these coaching sessions:
To be able to help many IMG as possible to clear CS,
which I believe is a exam with a twist. I say T-W-I-S-t
because it is so easy to pass if you prepare with the
right people and it is so easy to fail also if you
don't know the right approach. The KEY is to practice
with people who have passed....but those who have
passed often don't have the time or motivation to help
those following in their footsteps....and they are not
to blame as they have to take all the other USMLE steps
and do well in them. As for me I have done all steps
and am waiting to apply for the next match.
My story in brief:
I had done step1 and 2ck prior to 2cs.I had good scores
[94/99] and lot of clinical experience in ER and
Internal Medicine. Now the twist came into play, I
foolishly gave the exam with 6-7 days of preparation
and had done cases with people I met on the forums. I
totally misjudged this exam and underestimated it. Lot
of people who had worked under me in my hospital passed
with 2 weeks prep and this gave me the illusion that it
will be a cakewalk. It was anything but that the first
time around.
After failing in my first attempt I was in a state of
shock, but I managed to get out of the shock and
prepared for almost 2 months....not because I was
scared, but because I could not get an earlier date. In
the process I joined a paid coaching session on skype
and I benefited a lot from that. During these 2 months
I did so many cases and read all available info/books
on cs....it was almost like doing a thesis on CS.I had
14 partners all passed...most were giving the exam for
the 2nd time. Many were from China, India, Peru,
Nigeria and Iran and I am glad that I was able to help
them with the language skills needed for this exam. And
they helped me as well.
Why I failed:
I failed due to overconfidence and lack of proper
practice with the right people(someone who has passed
the exam).I now want that no IMG shall needlessly
suffer due to these 2 reasons. I have decent English
language skills and I failed the ICE -part....that is
though my questioning skills were good, my data
gathering and patient note were below par. This
happened because all the time I was wound up with
''mnemonics''....which work for most but did not do the
trick for me. I was also having a hard time thinking of
the next Q to ask the SP and so did not register all
they told me. Now in retrospect I feel that failing was
the logical conclusion of my haphazard preparation. I
say this not to scare u but to give u another
viewpoint. I STILL MAINTAIN THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE
BRILLIANT AND NEED ONLY 14 DAYS PREP TO ACE THIS EXAM
(provided they have the right guidance)
After failing my cs I did an observership in a Internal
Medicine private practice and that also taught me the
US way of dr-pt interaction.Though I maintain it is not
at all necessary to do observership to pass...but it
surely helps. I will be able to use all my experience
to help you pass with confidence.CS is a CONFIDENCE
THING.
How this works:
I do sessions on skype, which starts with a lecture for
few hours, then one of the candidate acts as doctor and
I act as the patient, I give my inputs so that everyone
in the group can listen and benefit. I try to do one to
one practice but that may not always be feasible and
the max no. of students in a class can be 4.I analyze
the weakness and strengths and give tips accordingly.
At the end of each session there is a Q session where u
can ask your doubts.
All those interested in joining my sessions can leave
their skype/email ID here or mail me at---
dr_puma@rediffmail.com
{dr underscore puma}
My skype ID is: dr_puma_cs_coach
Be sure to mention your exam date and time zone.
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I have noticed that people start rubbishing such post
pretty soon, and that is the reason why so few IMG
return to help after their CS.
Especially be warned of a childish spammer who is
blaming all CS coaches on this forum for his/her
failure.
Talk to me directly on skype and fix up a free session
to see how I do it.
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