It feels like just yesterday I was writing about the stress surrounding taking Step 1, and now, I’m in my second to last rotation of my third year of med school!
Now is the time of year that we have begun to think about scheduling our fourth-year, which includes two Step 2 exams (Clinical Knowledge, which is a written test that is similar to Step 1 but focuses on treatment and plans for patients and Clinical Skills, an in-person exam with standardized patients testing our clinical skills) and planning our schedule for next year.
There’s a lot more flexibility with fourth-year than with third-year, which is similar for all third-year students, and many things to consider: How long do I want to study for Step 2? When will I take my exams? WHERE will I take my exams? Do I want to do away rotations? When will I do my acting internship? What electives will I take? Who do I even want to be when I grow up?! And where do I want to live for the next 3-7 years?
Fourth-year planning is stressful, but we’re lucky at my school where we have lots of support from our advising deans, clerkship directors, and other mentors to guide us. There are a lot of things to consider as four-year approaches, but they are all good things!
