Ugh.
So. This was my last shelf exam of third year!! And while I am super excited to be done with these required shelf exams, I’m also terrified that it means I’m one step closer to having to make decisions on my own.
Myself and several of my friends/classmates are so used to being in a learning role, that being in the leader role is scary. It’s not that we can’t or couldn’t do it; it is simply that (at least for myself) I don’t feel like I know enough to be in that role yet.
Who knows, maybe residency will completely change my mind on that. But for right now, I’ll get back to my surgery shelf.
So. Psych was my very last rotation of third year. It was also an online rotation for me, because they couldn’t find a preceptor who was willing to take me. I should be upset, but honestly, I’m glad that if I had to do an online rotation it wt I as this one.
Because I detest psych.
It was supposed to give me easy points on the MCAT –> nope. Psych and all that jazz and my brain don’t mix.
It was supposed to be fairly easy to understand for this shelf –> not for me. But hey, at least for majority of you, it should be rather easy.
And seeing as how most of the psych rotations now are in office for safety concerns, you don’t actually get to see most of the cool psych diagnoses, crises, or interesting things that occur inpatient anymore. So majority of what you see (or at least what I’ve been told) is medication management.
I’m sure that is thrilling and all, but I didn’t need to be on an actual rotation for that. So I am happy as a clam to just be able to do this rotation online.
Except for the extra busy work. Fuck that. But I digress.
Things that I thought would be more of on the shelf:
– diagnosing personality disorders
– diagnosing mood disorders
– diagnosing or recognizing some of the rarer disorders that you learn through studying
What was actually on there:
– meds. So many fucking medication questions. And they were nitpicky too. Like splitting hairs nitpicky. So if you are good with medications, this will be an easy shelf for you. I knew the big picture, but struggled with the splitting hairs crap.
– somatic disorders. Like WTF? I had 5 or 6 questions based on management for this. And I literally put the same answer for them. Hope it was right…
– There was diagnosing questions, but more focused on cyclothymic vs dysthymic vs could you figure out the newer terminology or where this fits with the new DSM-V wording even though you probably know the old terminology…
– So much neurocognative things. I.e. delirium vs Lewy body vs Alzheimer’s vs Pick’s disease. What meds do you choose? How do you tell which is which?
Again, maybe you are really good at discerning this stuff and you’ll be like “pffttt Joyce, this is child’s play”. Well good for you. I’m just happy that I won’t need to know it for the long haul.
Oh, and my study resources were literally the same as they have been:
– Online Med ED
– Anki (Dorian Deck)
– U world questions
And so ya, that’s it. I hope your psych shelf (or any shelf for that matter) gives you less grief than mine caused me. But I’m glad it’s over!
Cheers!
