Time off during clinicals to study for step 2 ck

[KurtaPyjama]

HEY GUYS!

Do residency program directors care how long we take off in the middle of third year to study for step 2 CK? I can afford to take 6 months and still make the 2011 match. Would it hurt me if I took the entire time to study? I know it would benefit my Step 2 performance, but how about my application, overall?

WHAT SAY YOU?!

[jaywalk81]

6 months is too much. your brain wont make it. spread out your time off for interviews and other stuff such as during 4th yr when you would like thanksgiving, xmas and other holidays off.
2 months off, i think is the most you need for CK and 1 week is good for CS

[RussianJoo]

yeah i agree. 6 months of studying for CK will only hurt you. you'll burn out. the PDs won't know how long you take to study but they will know if you're taking 5 years instead of 4 to graduate. having 6 months off during your clinicals means you started clinicals late because of some screw up and are now in the term below you thus graduating a year later. This might be asked on your interviews.

[KurtaPyjama]

6 months is too much. your brain wont make it. spread out your time off for interviews and other stuff such as during 4th yr when you would like thanksgiving, xmas and other holidays off.
2 months off, i think is the most you need for CK and 1 week is good for CS

burn-out aside, i will still have time for all of that during fourth year. that is how much time i have off!! i definately appreciate the input. thanks.

yeah i agree. 6 months of studying for CK will only hurt you. you'll burn out. the PDs won't know how long you take to study but they will know if you're taking 5 years instead of 4 to graduate. having 6 months off during your clinicals means you started clinicals late because of some screw up and are now in the term below you thus graduating a year later. This might be asked on your interviews.

well, i am obviously graduating a year late. this is all because i took some extra time for step 1 because I didn't feel comfortable with my learning on the island. the gamble paid off with my score, but it precluded any chance of graduating with my class, so here I am matching the year later with a ton of free time. i just thought it would be prudent to put it towards studying as the ck score is obviously paramount in the eyes of the PDs. how hard is it to explain-away graduating a year late?

[RussianJoo]

burn-out aside, i will still have time for all of that during fourth year. that is how much time i have off!! i definately appreciate the input. thanks.



well, i am obviously graduating a year late. this is all because i took some extra time for step 1 because I didn't feel comfortable with my learning on the island. the gamble paid off with my score, but it precluded any chance of graduating with my class, so here I am matching the year later with a ton of free time. i just thought it would be prudent to put it towards studying as the ck score is obviously paramount in the eyes of the PDs. how hard is it to explain-away graduating a year late?


if you think you can study for all that time then go for it. just take the exam early enough so that you have your score uploaded before sept. 1st when the applications go out. i presonally had a hard enough time studying for 8 weeks for that exam. then again i didn't get a 99 so i guess i should have studied more? but i am content with the score i have.

[aust0042]

6 months is too much. your brain wont make it. spread out your time off for interviews and other stuff such as during 4th yr when you would like thanksgiving, xmas and other holidays off.
2 months off, i think is the most you need for CK and 1 week is good for CS

Are there times of the year when there is mandatory time off for med students? Does it vary by institution? For example, are there no rotations scheduled around news years and xmas/hanukkah?

[jaywalk81]

you get federal holidays off if the hospital follows the federal holidays, but if you are on call that day, then you come in regardless of what holiday it is

[little_indian_boy]

Sorry off topic but saw the original poster's screen name - love it!

hahahahaha!

[EhJJ]

Are there times of the year when there is mandatory time off for med students? Does it vary by institution? For example, are there no rotations scheduled around news years and xmas/hanukkah?

It depends on the hospital. The one I am rotating through gives us two weeks off (excluding the weekends) over the break (Mon Dec 21 to Friday Jan 1, inclusive). Some hospitals do the same thing, some do not. You'll find out when you start your rotation.

Interestingly, we don't get time off for religious holidays (whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) per sé, but many of the attendings and residents will switch shifts if these holidays are on a weekend to take that day off. Also, there are no teaching activities on Federal Holidays, so those are generally "off".

[aust0042]

It depends on the hospital. The one I am rotating through gives us two weeks off (excluding the weekends) over the break (Mon Dec 21 to Friday Jan 1, inclusive). Some hospitals do the same thing, some do not. You'll find out when you start your rotation.

Interestingly, we don't get time off for religious holidays (whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) per sé, but many of the attendings and residents will switch shifts if these holidays are on a weekend to take that day off. Also, there are no teaching activities on Federal Holidays, so those are generally "off".

thanks, good to know