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@mctvm96
>> Creativity >> How To >> U. S. M.
L. E. |
| U.
S. M. L. E. |
A
hands-on guide to U. S. M. L. E. |
A
guide to U. S. M. L. E. :
This
post is especially dedicated to KKwee, for breathing
down my back enuff to get me to write it.It's the
least I can do after the really groovy site he has
created. KK had asked me to write in about the USMLE.
So here are a few basic points. Remember I am only
human and the information I can give you may be minimal
and erroneous !
Some Points:
-
Contrary
to popular belief the USMLE is not just for Foreign
Medical Graduates. It is a licensing exam that even
American docs have to give during or after their
board exams. Surprisingly this is news to many!
-
The
exam(s) comes in steps(hehehe). Step one - preclinical,
Step two - clinical, CSA (Clinical Skills Assessment,
I think) and the step three (differs according the
State you wish to practise in).
-
You
dont have to do Step three before the residency.
But you have to give the other three, as well as
TOEFL. (Step three is for practising without supervision)
-
It
really isnt as easy as that. Getting a good residency
sometimes is just plain good luck. And the exams
are costly, for eg., Step one alone costs $799/-!
-
Another
problem is the visa - You have to give the CSA in
the US. Even if you give the CSA , you still have
to get the h1B visa (work visa)for your residency.If
the residency of your choice is not available in
your home country, you can take a j1 visa. There's
far too much unreliable information circulating.
I really cant tell fact from fiction, so I am not
in any position to write about Visas. I repeat,
I am not a reliable source for visa information!!!
Thats just a very brief introduction to the USMLE.
You can get more information from the ECFMG website
(http://www.ecfmg.org)or
the USMLE website (http://www.usmle.org).
I'm sorry if that sounded too formidable, but then
which exam isnt? Its all a matter of will. If so you
will, so you shall.
About the exam preps. Of course there is KAPLAN. But
please dont come to Kochi as of yet unless you are
forced to. Compared to Bangalore, it's a mess. If
it werent for my silly NIIT classes i would have taken
a transfer.The library here is poorly equipped, there
are only 3
functioning TVs, only a single computer at present,
and so many more problems!!! The centre at B'lore
has a good study atmosphere, its got a great library,
lots of batches (you can join the one of your choice),
you can do the course at your leisure, etc, etc. It
costs about Rs. 54,000/- in B'lore and about 49,500
in Kochi, but this difference doesnt make Kochi better!!!
You can learn more abt Kaplan from the site http://www.kaplanmedical.com
or http://www.kaplanindia.com.
You can see the main reason why ppl prefer to use
Kaplan is because they do get students with great
scores (anyone can pass, but the higher the score,
its easier to get a residency of your choice), and
the same in the States would be pretty much more expensive!!!!
Thats
about the MLE & Kaplan in a nutshell. You can
get a good idea about what books you can buy from
a really good series - The First Aid series. They
have books for the ECFMGraduate, all the Steps. Definitely
recommended for an overall idea about the MLE.
I
guess thats all I can write about. I really dont know
every single detail about the exam, so please dont
think this is all, or that you may get a better idea
talking to me!
(Did
this article help you in anyway? Do you need further
information on some points? Feel free to write to
write to the webmasters about
this article.)
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