boards are DONE!

I took my USMLE Step 1 exam last saturday after 5 weeks of pure intense crazy studying that sometimes wasn't so intense, just crazy. I am very relieved I don't have to open my USMLE first aid anymore, hopefully. The key to the Step 1 is to not just pass, but also to pass with at least a decent score. If, for instance you get a barely passing score, you will have trouble getting residency spots because of the emphasis that residency sites place on Step 1, and to a lesser extent, Step 2 scores. Oh and if you pass, you cannot retake the exam for a higher score for 7 years! You're stuck with whatever passing score you get. This can be very traumatic to people's careers!

So what's a decent score?

The highlighted ones are the specialties I'm considering going into. You can see the average scores and the standard deviation of scores for each specialty. It would make my life easier to have a higher score because not all residency sites are created equal. Some are better than others. But I still believe it is what you make of it and for speaking for myself, I'm happy if I get an average score for those specialties I'm looking to go into.

So what was the test like? You go to a standardized testing site and sit down in a cubicle in front of a computer. You have to be checked in, finger printed, made sure that nothing is in your pockets or written on your skin somewhere every time you step away from your computer to take a break. No strip search though! You do hour long blocks of 46 questions each. You have to do 7 of these blocks and you're given 45 minutes of break time thru out the entire day and you manage it on your own.

I had enough energy to last me through the day and I didn't feel exhausted at the end. It was very nerve wracking at first to think how significant this day will be for my future. Once that passed, though, I got into the groove of working through the questions. I don't want to pretend to know how I did. I will find out in 4 weeks and for now, I'm blissfully ignorant!

What's next? I'm going to France and Italy for 2 weeks. I'll be visiting the French Riviera, Cinque Terre and Florence before heading north to Paris for a week. It's been a very strange and I guess rewarding 2 years. I think patience is the most important lesson I've learned these past 2 years. I learned how to be patient with life and with family and with myself. I learned the value of slowing down and stopping for a while just to enjoy the moment. I'm looking forward to more lessons to learn. Done with year 2. I've got 2 to go.

Gotta pack

Pictures coming!