STEP 2

 

The USMLE Step 2 exam is the next step a medical graduate takes in third year of his medical school. This step, consisting of the clinical sciences, focuses on testing the diagnostic skills based on various clinically oriented problems.

 

An important decision that you would require to make regarding the Step2 exam is when to take it! Some students prefer to take step 2 examinations before the step 1, as they are fresh and have studied the clinical subjects more recently. However step 2 examination is slightly easier than the step 1 as more and more students are more comfortable with the clinical sciences rather than the basic sciences. This viewpoint is rather subjective. You are free to make your decisions regarding which part you would appear for first. You may like to prepare for the difficult step 1, or the easier step 2 depending on your own time schedules.

 

Step 2 examination covers all the clinical subjects such as Internal medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Public health. The aim is to test if the examinee can apply the clinical sciences knowledge towards a sane clinical judgment, as far as diagnosis is concerned.

 

To learn more about the Step 2, choose the appropriate section:

 

 

-                    What to Study

o       Text resources

o       Online resources

 

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Text resources For Step 2

                               (a)Current's Medical Diagnosis and treatment, or CMDT 
This Book is the bible for preparing for USMLE Step 2. Refer to the latest edition of 
         this book.This excellent book needs to be read almost cover to cover. 
                               (b)NMS Medicine 
Another concise book , but at times becomes insufficient as a sole book. Good for Review 
                               (c)Washington Manual of Medical therapeutics.
This is a handy book and offers excellent guidelines and management protocols. You can carry this book even the pocket of your white coats.
(a)   NMS Pediatrics.
               This is undoubtedly the best text for Pediatrics. Provides you with adequate details. However getting to know the standard NMS format for pediatrics is the first hurdle. 
(b)   Current's Pediatrics Diagnosis and Treatment. or CPDT
               You may like to refer this book if you are interested in more details. First section on General Pediatrics is especially excellent.
 
      .Pschyciatry 
 
     This is a tough subject and actually it is difficult to select an appropriate text for the same.
          (a). Goldman's Review of Pschyciatry.
Must read the pschyciatry cases from this text. Can also use it as your main text, but is slightly lengthy.
          (b). NMS Pschyciatry
This is a standard text referred by many students, but must also review standard case histories alongwith.
          (c) Kaplan’s synopsis of Pschyciatry 
This rather long for Step2 can be referred from time to time , very good book for pschyciatry hard cores.
         NMS Obstetrics and Gynecology is both lucid and sufficient for 
         this exam.
      NMS Public Health needs to be browsed, however Medicine texts 
      cover a lot of Public Health. You should be aware of US Public 
      Health guidelines for prevention of various conditions.
   You should be well versed with General surgical conditions, but also 
   read about major orthopedic conditions. NMS Surgery is a reasonable text to browse .
     Forbe's Atlas is a good single comprehensive source.
     Should be able to identify from radiographs , pediatric orthopedic 
     conditions, adult chest and extremity conditions and important 
     Brain CT/MRI Images. See online resources for more.
 

 

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Online Resources for step2

 

Atlases and Images

General Sites in Internal Medicine

 

Prepration sites for step 2

 

 

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