USMLE STEP 2 CS - Did I screw up?

[thelegend23]

I been reading many threads on SDN about people failing step 2 CS and it's freaking me out now.

I took my test in January and I'm still waiting on my results...anxiously.

What worries me is that I ran out of time on 2 patient notes... for one I left the work-up section completely blank. For the other I wrote CBC and then time ran out. I always used the full 15 minutes for pt encounter leaving me with less time for pt notes. I think my pt notes suffered because of this.

Some cases were very vague and I think I put the wrong DDx... I missed some easy DDx in 2 cases and wrote DDx that were unlikely for the CC. After the pt notes time ran out I was kicking myself for missing such easy DDx.

For two cases, near the end I remembered that I had missed important PEs. So half way through my closure I stopped and put on gloves again and quickly examined the pt...then finished closure. I remember one of them felt very awkward. I was suspecting pulmonary embolism and I examined the pt's legs for signs of swelling, tenderness, erythema (for DVT) and checked Homan's sign. Before doing so, I was rushing to finish and completely forgot to ask pt's permission before undraping her legs. I could tell that she certainly did not appreciate that.

I never performed a complete neuro exam even when the cases clearly warranted it. I was constantly worried that I'm going to run out of time for closure.

Overall, I was feeling extremely nervous at the beginning. Things got more smooth as I went along. But I was constantly having trouble to finish pt notes on time. When there is time constraint and the fear of forgetting to ask the right questions you tend to overlook easy DDx and go for more unlikely ones. Anyways, waiting for CS results sucks big time.

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[Redpancreas]

I been reading many threads on SDN about people failing step 2 CS and it's freaking me out now.

I took my test in January and I'm still waiting on my results...anxiously.

What worries me is that I ran out of time on 2 patient notes... for one I left the work-up section completely blank. For the other I wrote CBC and then time ran out. I always used the full 15 minutes for pt encounter leaving me with less time for pt notes. I think my pt notes suffered because of this.

Some cases were very vague and I think I put the wrong DDx... I missed some easy DDx in 2 cases and wrote DDx that were unlikely for the CC. After the pt notes time ran out I was kicking myself for missing such easy DDx.

For two cases, near the end I remembered that I had missed important PEs. So half way through my closure I stopped and put on gloves again and quickly examined the pt...then finished closure. I remember one of them felt very awkward. I was suspecting pulmonary embolism and I examined the pt's legs for signs of swelling, tenderness, erythema (for DVT) and checked Homan's sign. Before doing so, I was rushing to finish and completely forgot to ask pt's permission before undraping her legs. I could tell that she certainly did not appreciate that.

I never performed a complete neuro exam even when the cases clearly warranted it. I was constantly worried that I'm going to run out of time for closure.

Overall, I was feeling extremely nervous at the beginning. Things got more smooth as I went along. But I was constantly having trouble to finish pt notes on time. When there is time constraint and the fear of forgetting to ask the right questions you tend to overlook easy DDx and go for more unlikely ones. Anyways, waiting for CS results sucks big time.

It’s just impossible to tell. It’s like the CK experiences thread where one person can tell you that they did UWorld x2 over the year and during their dedicated and scored 247 and another can say they didn’t even finish UWorld and scored 281. The good thing is it sounds like you have a reasonable insight into your mistakes, but that’s not always the best sign either because you could be unaware of others you made.

I will say that putting the wrong DDX is big mistake vs. doing something like not counseling a patient or not remembering to ask a certain questions because at the end of the day, it’s about diagnosing the patient properly, not just hitting getting all of the boxes. Leaving the work up section blank twice is a big problem too, but again I’ve heard of people bragging about doing all of this and still passing so I really don’t know what to say.

 

[thelegend23]

Got my score 15 minutes ago. PASSED! Thank God!!

The anticipation and the fear nearly drove me crazy for the past two months. I'm so thrilled that I'm through. Finally I can take my mind off it and focus on getting some work done.

Despite leaving two work-ups blank and making some silly mistakes with 2 of DDXs... I passed the ICE with five stars on borderline and 10 stars above borderline.
This goes to show that there is literally no point worrying while waiting for your results. Once the test is done, you cannot change anything. All you can do is believe in yourself and pray for the best.

 

[Nistelrooy]

Got my score 15 minutes ago. PASSED! Thank God!!

The anticipation and the fear nearly drove me crazy for the past two months. I'm so thrilled that I'm through. Finally I can take my mind off it and focus on getting some work done.

Despite leaving two work-ups blank and making some silly mistakes with 2 of DDXs... I passed the ICE with five stars on borderline and 10 stars above borderline.
This goes to show that there is literally no point worrying while waiting for your results. Once the test is done, you cannot change anything. All you can do is believe in yourself and pray for the best.

Congrats! Where did you take your exam?