*Important updates to this video* #1. The pass score for step 1 was raised to 196 as of this year. It was previously 194 #2. Although I had every intention of studying for step 1 in August of 2021, unfortunately this was delayed so that I didn't start the UWorld question bank until January of 2022.. In any case, for those who are interested, I wrote the exam in April of 2022 and passed :)
Grinding for the mcat soon! I downloaded uworld mcat and mcat prep onto my phone. Mcat prep gives you 5 daily practice questions along w an explanation which I find very helpful. At least so far it’s free, although probably doesn’t have the question/teaching extent that uworld’s paid version does.
Good stuff dude 💪 when are you writing? Do it right and this time next year you'll be in a much better place 😎 I didn't use UWorld for the MCAT but it's a must for some of these licensing exams
I assume that you want to take them to keep your options open for fellowship reasons. I digress. Considering that Mac is 3 years with no summers off, is it really feasible to write STEP 1? From what I've heard, the Canadian med curriculum isn't directly created with the goal of completing the USMLE (unlike the US one). I understand that all you really need is a pass, but would a goal like that be hard to accomplish, as you have to do your last rotation (albeit easier ones), while also studying?
Hey Anthony, that's a very reasonable question and quite frankly, many students at the 3 year programs do not typically write the Step 1 for the exact reasons that you mentioned. In addition, I do know a couple of Canadian students who have written Step 1 and not been successful. In the future, I want to get involved with medical education and I think that to an extent, writing the Step 1 will help me get a better grasp of both systems. It is a lot, even with the pass fail. But I plan to try my best, find an appropriate time to write that doesn't interfere with clerkship / residency and then hopefully help future students who want to do something similar :) Wish me luck! - Gianluca
Hey Katherine, glad it helped :D The short answer is that I don't know how that would work exactly. The long answer is that it'll vary by state and also over time. Many states (but not all) will allow Canadian trained docs to work in the US without the USMLE exams - however there is talk that this will be changing soon. Specialty may also be something to consider as some training programs are longer in the US (and some longer in Canada) and this may cause discrepancies with what happens long term.
Yeah smart choice. I know a doctor who decided to do the test after 5 years of practice and she said she had to relearn almost everything, she passed though but it sucked
Depending on the day and which elective I did last, it's a toss up between family medicine and emergency medicine. I love procedures, but generalist medicine is definitely where I want to be and delivering a few babies every now and then would be great 🔥 That's an interesting question and to be honest, I don't know if we can find much data on it since most Canadian medical students tend to (at the very least) stay in Canada for residency. To put things in perspective, there were around 20,000 US students who applied for US residency in 2021... there were only 22 Canadian students who did so though 😅If you're interested in small samples sizes... 22 Canadian applicants, 7 matched and 15 didn't match (to a US program). Link: mk0nrmp3oyqui6wqfm.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MRM-Results_and-Data_2021.pdf Keep in mind though that some portion of those students were students that did not match when applying in Canada for 1 or more years prior*
8 hours...? After the GAMSAT I could not think without a headache for 3 days... In saying that, the GAMSAT is only 6 hours, while your MCAT is 7+ hours. What kills you though in the GAMSAT is "humanitarian reasoning", 2 hours of humanities reasoning and a sprint to write two 500-word essays in one hour.
I’ve had a few of my buddies from the hospital tell me about the GAMSAT - sounds difficult too. The humanitarian reasoning section is kind of like our CARS section - it used to be essay format but was changed to multiple choice now. Congrats on being done 🤙
Hello brother I am from India and i would be starting my first year of mbbs in 2023 Can u tell the right time for preparation and writing the exam? ...and is first aid alone enough for the preparation?
Thanks Piku 🤙 right now it's a toss up between emergency medicine and family medicine. I know I'd be happy with either but they both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Applications opening for residency in only a few weeks though😶 let's see how it goes
Hi.Could you please make a video about mature students who want to apply for medical school. I'm 33 and I have a bachelor's degree in IT. I want to change my career and go into medicine. I have no clue on where to start! I've graduated in 2011 and I don't know what should I do for recommendation letters because I've lost touch with my professors. It's been a long time.
Really liked the RCM curriculum when I was learning to play (disclaimer: that's been put on hold until I graduate this year 😅). You buy the books which are fairly affordable and progress through the level system by following their testing criteria (even if you don't go ahead with the exams themselves). I found that it really helped to have a classical repertoire experience when trying to tackle some harder pieces that I liked. Beyond that, I've got nothing though 😅 but keep practicing!
Totally agree 🤙 in all likelihood most programs are going to increase the amount of weight that they decide to put on Step 2 (especially now that step 2 Cs isn't coming back). I think it's interesting to imagine what would happen if they decided to go the Canadian route though - none of our exam marks are even known until we've already matched 🤔 2022-23 shaping up to be an interesting year to match for sure 😅
Will hopefully been putting out an update soon :) Been swamped with hospital work and residency applications. Will be starting UWorld question bank next week. I'd say we're on track!
*Important updates to this video*
#1. The pass score for step 1 was raised to 196 as of this year. It was previously 194
#2. Although I had every intention of studying for step 1 in August of 2021, unfortunately this was delayed so that I didn't start the UWorld question bank until January of 2022.. In any case, for those who are interested, I wrote the exam in April of 2022 and passed :)
Great video! I was actually wondering if i should write the usmle and you made me want to do it. Thanks!
Oh no... hope you don't hate me for it in a few weeks 😅 LOL just kidding man, best of luck with the prep, we can do this 💪
Grinding for the mcat soon! I downloaded uworld mcat and mcat prep onto my phone. Mcat prep gives you 5 daily practice questions along w an explanation which I find very helpful. At least so far it’s free, although probably doesn’t have the question/teaching extent that uworld’s paid version does.
Good stuff dude 💪 when are you writing? Do it right and this time next year you'll be in a much better place 😎 I didn't use UWorld for the MCAT but it's a must for some of these licensing exams
I assume that you want to take them to keep your options open for fellowship reasons. I digress. Considering that Mac is 3 years with no summers off, is it really feasible to write STEP 1? From what I've heard, the Canadian med curriculum isn't directly created with the goal of completing the USMLE (unlike the US one). I understand that all you really need is a pass, but would a goal like that be hard to accomplish, as you have to do your last rotation (albeit easier ones), while also studying?
Hey Anthony, that's a very reasonable question and quite frankly, many students at the 3 year programs do not typically write the Step 1 for the exact reasons that you mentioned. In addition, I do know a couple of Canadian students who have written Step 1 and not been successful.
In the future, I want to get involved with medical education and I think that to an extent, writing the Step 1 will help me get a better grasp of both systems. It is a lot, even with the pass fail. But I plan to try my best, find an appropriate time to write that doesn't interfere with clerkship / residency and then hopefully help future students who want to do something similar :)
Wish me luck!
- Gianluca
Hi Gianluca! Thanks so much for this awesome and informative video
Hey Katherine, glad it helped :D The short answer is that I don't know how that would work exactly. The long answer is that it'll vary by state and also over time. Many states (but not all) will allow Canadian trained docs to work in the US without the USMLE exams - however there is talk that this will be changing soon. Specialty may also be something to consider as some training programs are longer in the US (and some longer in Canada) and this may cause discrepancies with what happens long term.
Yeah smart choice. I know a doctor who decided to do the test after 5 years of practice and she said she had to relearn almost everything, she passed though but it sucked
Glad to hear that feedback from someone who's been through it 🔥I'm trying to reduce the suck as much as possible 😅
what specialty do u want to go to? Also do canadian med grads have a better advantage than international grads in US residencies
I’ve heard him mention Emergency Medicine in more than one video - although I don’t think he’s made an official announcement/decision
Yes kindly answer the second question
Depending on the day and which elective I did last, it's a toss up between family medicine and emergency medicine. I love procedures, but generalist medicine is definitely where I want to be and delivering a few babies every now and then would be great 🔥
That's an interesting question and to be honest, I don't know if we can find much data on it since most Canadian medical students tend to (at the very least) stay in Canada for residency. To put things in perspective, there were around 20,000 US students who applied for US residency in 2021... there were only 22 Canadian students who did so though 😅If you're interested in small samples sizes... 22 Canadian applicants, 7 matched and 15 didn't match (to a US program). Link: mk0nrmp3oyqui6wqfm.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MRM-Results_and-Data_2021.pdf
Keep in mind though that some portion of those students were students that did not match when applying in Canada for 1 or more years prior*
8 hours...? After the GAMSAT I could not think without a headache for 3 days... In saying that, the GAMSAT is only 6 hours, while your MCAT is 7+ hours. What kills you though in the GAMSAT is "humanitarian reasoning", 2 hours of humanities reasoning and a sprint to write two 500-word essays in one hour.
I’ve had a few of my buddies from the hospital tell me about the GAMSAT - sounds difficult too. The humanitarian reasoning section is kind of like our CARS section - it used to be essay format but was changed to multiple choice now. Congrats on being done 🤙
Are usmle step 1 scores accepted in canada instead of giving mccqe part 1 for an img?
No - you need to write the MCCQE 1 If you want to apply in Canada 🤙
It's my understanding that a Canadian med school student can compete for US residency programs WITHOUT writing the USMLE. I stand corrected.
Hello brother I am from India and i would be starting my first year of mbbs in 2023
Can u tell the right time for preparation and writing the exam? ...and is first aid alone enough for the preparation?
Sir what medical speciality do you want to become in future? Nice video.
Thanks Piku 🤙 right now it's a toss up between emergency medicine and family medicine. I know I'd be happy with either but they both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Applications opening for residency in only a few weeks though😶 let's see how it goes
Can you take the USMLE exam inside Canada?
Yes - that's what I did :)
Do we need to do an overseas internship after graduation to be able to do USMLE and move to USA?
The USMLE is required for an American residency not the other way around :)
Legend says if you want a competitive specialty a lot of the focus is moved to step 2 ck
that's what I'm thinking is going to happen too 🤙
MCAT next summer. Aiming for a high CARS score and starting early now
A good CARS score is arguably the most important part of the test. Good luck with it!
Hi.Could you please make a video about mature students who want to apply for medical school. I'm 33 and I have a bachelor's degree in IT. I want to change my career and go into medicine. I have no clue on where to start!
I've graduated in 2011 and I don't know what should I do for recommendation letters because I've lost touch with my professors. It's been a long time.
I'd love to do a video on this sometime soon! I just need to find a mature student who'd like to come on camera and talk about the process.
@@nxtgenmd That would be great. I can't wait. :)
Can you reccomend me some good online course for piano? I’m near intermediate
Really liked the RCM curriculum when I was learning to play (disclaimer: that's been put on hold until I graduate this year 😅). You buy the books which are fairly affordable and progress through the level system by following their testing criteria (even if you don't go ahead with the exams themselves). I found that it really helped to have a classical repertoire experience when trying to tackle some harder pieces that I liked.
Beyond that, I've got nothing though 😅 but keep practicing!
It has been argued that step 2 will be the new step 1, which is probably more accurate in my opinion…
Totally agree 🤙 in all likelihood most programs are going to increase the amount of weight that they decide to put on Step 2 (especially now that step 2 Cs isn't coming back). I think it's interesting to imagine what would happen if they decided to go the Canadian route though - none of our exam marks are even known until we've already matched 🤔
2022-23 shaping up to be an interesting year to match for sure 😅
Any updates within your journey and resources?
Will hopefully been putting out an update soon :) Been swamped with hospital work and residency applications. Will be starting UWorld question bank next week. I'd say we're on track!
USMLE 1 is pass fail
Yes it is 💪