USMLE Videos You should watch videos for clinical cases before you enter the exam as this will help you to remember the steps and to manage your time , you can find these videos in CSEVideo. , By popular demand over 99% of students say CSEVideo.com matches the cs exam in all of the details ICE CIS and SEP. It is very helpful for FMG's and IMG's to see how the exam is performed in the USA. It is the number one source and Gold Standard for AMGS in preparing for the USMLE STEP 2 CS exam and the Comlex PE exam. Scheduling It's strongly recommended to schedule your exam early. For Step 2 CS, there are five sites where the exam can be taken: Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles or Philadelphia. If you're fortunate to already live in one of these cities, great! If not, try and schedule your exam to coincide with interviews in a certain area. Clothing Attire Wear something comfortable, but look presentable. Men, wear ties. Women wear either slacks and a dress shirt or a dress. Dress as if you are in clinic; wear closed toed shoes and, women, if wearing a dress, wear nylons. Bring your white coat. If it has a badge stating your medical school, the testing center will provide you with a piece of tape to cover the school name. Studying and the Actual Exam Your clinical experience during third and fourth year should prepare you for this exam. First Aid has a review book that may be useful to flip through a few days prior to the exam; however, by your fourth year in medical school you should be able to pass this exam without difficulty. It may be helpful to jot down clinical presentations and differential diagnoses. Approach the patient during the exam as you would a patient in the hospital. Ask goal directed questions, as you only have fifteen minutes. With each patient, make sure to add a sympathetic statement, such as "this must be very frustrating for you". If someone is sweating, offer them a tissue. If someone is crying, offer a tissue. A tissue, in fact, may be your key to scoring well on this exam! Telephone Encounters Talk to the patient as if they are sitting in your exam room. Emphasize that without being able to exam the patient physically, you cannot diagnose the condition, but do provide reassurance. A safe bet with the telephone encounter is to 1. provide reassurance, 2. explain your differential diagnoses and 3. suggest that the patient be brought in to be seen by a physician. The Five Minute Warning You will hear an announcement when you have five minutes remaining. Do not freak out if you have not begun the physical exam at this point. Wash your hands and start the physical exam. Remember, you can always ask questions as you examine the patient. The Physical Exam Tell your patient what you are doing as you examine him or her. Do not forget to tell them which physical exams you would like to do (for example, a rectal exam or vaginal exam). At that point, the patient will hand you a card with findings from that specific exam. Always include general appearance, HEENT (look for JVD, thyromegaly, lymphadenopathy), Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Abdominal exam and extremities. While looking at the neck, tell the patient you are looking for enlarged lymph nodes which can sometimes be a sign of infection. Communication is key in this exam, so keep the patient informed. Include other system exams as necessary. For example, if a patient comes in with altered mental status, include a neurologic exam. Closing comments and the Write-Up When completing the patient encounter, summarize their findings, ask if there is anything else, describe what you think are the main problems and the possible diagnoses. Ask the patient what questions they have. Shake their hand and leave after answering questions. Smile. Act concerned. Remember that these patients are actors, in some ways, you should be an actor too. Source
