The Med Boards Review Guide For Dummies (Made by This Dummy)

First and foremost, you should know that I have zero ascendancy/moral high ground to be writing this piece.

This “studying” photo of me is proof:

If you are an achiever who thinks this writeup will help you top the med boards, this is your chance to get back to your reading materials because I guarantee you that it will be a complete waste of your time. It will only add to your already unmanageable and overwhelming backlog.

Ah, “backlog“. The remnants of the anxiety derived from the mention of the word alone still haunts me to this day.

I guess that is exactly the point to all of this:

When I was in the middle of boards review season last year, I wished I had some guide, some manual, that will help me survive that crazy time of self doubt and overwhelming uncertainty.

I remember crying every night during boards review season because it was such a vulnerable time. You had to deal with the concept of saying goodbye to your friends, while dealing with the pressure of making life-changing decisions about your career, while also wondering, not without bitterness, why you always had to choose between being with friends or being with family. So many things to cry about, so little time. Partida, wala pang pandemic nun ha

It helped that I had a hands down amazing support system who never tired of listening to my countless “Ayoko na!!!” (Of course I knew they did grow tired! Wala lang silang choice HAHAHA)

When it came down to me thinking if I should just stop showing up in the middle of the examination (HAHA more on that backstory later), what led me to continue anyway wasn’t what I read from Step1 or Robbins or The Handouts.

So here are a few tips I am privileged to know only because somehow, I managed to get through it. I hope it is equally helpful for you 🙂

1. Know your Why

The overwhelming question you may be asking yourself at this time is: “Am I ready?”

We are in the middle of a Public Health Crisis.

Long before this Pandemic reached our shores. Way way earlier than polio resurfacing, or the totally preventable measles outbreak, even before dengue vaccines were politicized,

long before this pandemic reached our shores, we were already at war with an epidemic of overburdened, underpaid health workers in an unprioritized, underfunded health care system.

But you also know in your heart that being ready isn’t the question to be answered. Because how many times in medical school were you forced to do something without taking into consideration how “ready” you were? If there’s anything medical school taught us, it is that the world does not wait for us to be ready.

Screams of (multiple) “FULLY!!!!!!!!” when you are a Pedia catcher, or “BABY OUT!!!!!!!!”  as an OB intern who hasn’t donned your sterile gloves yet, come to mind. Imagine that transition between ICC and clerkship year!!!

Medicine stretches one’s limits. It makes us question whether all of our sacrifices are worth it. You will ask yourself if you are really meant for this.

And when it reaches that point, you go back to the central question of this lifelong profession,

“Why?”

And whatever your response to that may be, no matter how many times your personal answer has changed throughout the years, hold on to that anyway 🙂 During the worst of days, it will be enough to moor you amidst turbulent waters.

Wag ka susuko okay HAHAHA

2. Share your Why with others

Because they know you best and therefore know when they ought guilt trip you into actually studying and when to accompany you to get a quick break from the world’s absurdity.

Sometimes your “Ayoko na” turns into a “Tara, inom!”

Plus, they bring your favorite snacks during lectures, so make sure to sit with them!

But seriously though, make sure you have a strong support system during these mad times. They will be a constant source of inspiration to go on even if all you hear from each other is an exchange of “Ayoko na!“

3. Be friends with Baristas

Being friends with baristas mean not having to bring jackets because you can ask them to change the temp for you :p

Plus, instead of giving you the usual thingo that vibrates when your order is ready (you can tell me what it’s called, thank you!), they deliver your cup of coffee directly at your table (saves you time! haha)

And if you’re like my friend (who will go unnamed here HAHAHA), baristas will memorize your name, and deliver freebies straight to your table (for some reasons this barista who managed to memorize Friend’s name did not even bother to memorize mine, but thankful nonetheless because I still get to benefit from the free stuff HAHAHA)

4. KNOW YOUR VALUE

It will never change regardless of the results of the boards.

Quick boards story:

You will receive lots of unsolicited advice about Boards (this entire blogpost, a testament to that!), one of them is the lie, “Madali lang Biochem”

According to rumors, you only need to listen to a certain lecturer (haha Hi Sir idol ko po kayo!), and you would end up acing it.

Because it was with Biochem that I was most insecure about (we only had it during first year med and that felt like eons ago), it was probably my most studied subject of the lot. It was also the first test in the series of examinations so I felt like my performance there would set the tone for the rest.

So imagine my dread when I was answering the actual test, panic setting in, as I try to interpret the hieroglyphic before me.

It didn’t help that it was followed by Anatomy which was also challenging in its own way. I even had to check if I got the wrong questionnaire because of certain questions that would never fit into the “Anatomy” category.

This massive blow on my confidence made me ask, “Lord, bakit naman ngayon mo lang sinasabi na di ako dapat nag-doctor?!?”

Managed to convince myself to keep taking the rest of the tests anyway. Andyan na rin naman tayo eh.

So I was bringing with me the entire time this heavy feeling of pessimism. UNTIL,

In the middle of the surgery exam, after reading an astonishing, out of this world question wait, actually, it was part of this world pala, but what did I care about the incidence of some thyroid disease in Ireland???, the weight of the world resting on my chest left:

I had a sudden moment of liberating epiphany:

No absurd series of exams can ever define who I am as a future physician. No question can measure all those sleepless nights, the ceaseless crying, the countless sacrifices that had already been made.

Despite the doubts, the indescribable fear of failure, the uncomfortable vulnerability, you remain to be the wonderful person that you are and continue to be. Yup, exactly the same bright-eyed pa-bibo kiddo wielding your stethoscope for the first time!

So once again, I repeat, KNOW YOUR VALUE. It will never change regardless of the results of the boards.

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So I guess more than a “guide”, this is moral support. For our clerkies turned interns turned board takers.

To the future physicians who will inherit the ills of this nation. The gamechangers, the dreamers, the average, the dummies.

This Dummy is always always betting on you 😉

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And because you read through the entire thing even when I warned you that you won’t get anything valuable, here’s my attempt at a Thank You:

• The 12 Board exam subjects (in the order you’ll take them)

Biochem Anat Micro|

Physio Med Juris Patho|

 Pharma Surg IM |

OB Pedia Prev Med

• The best topics to study during quarantine period since you have time:

Biochem, Micro, Pharma (you’ll need long term memory for these)

• Patho is the most high yield to study since studying it means covering basic principles in all “clinical” subjects (IM, OB, Surg, Pedia)
• Physio (especially using BRS Physio) is the most kilig-inducing to study since you finally have time to sit down and understand principles. I can’t emphasize enough how amazed I was when I was reviewing for physio because everything made sense!
• Anat is personally the most tiring (haha and boring!!!) to study so I study it along with Surg (para two birds with one stone, plus clinical correlates!)
• The clinical subjects (IM, Pedia, OB, Surg) could be last priority since these will be reinforced through your rotations. (Hopefully, kahit na Pandemic!)
• Would answering samplexes help? A bit, but given the amount of time you have at your disposal, it wouldn’t be the best strategy to employ.

• ALSO, try to correct your body clock as early as possible!!! Your brain has to relearn how to be optimally functional from 8 AM to 5 PM (when you will be taking the tests) instead of in the wee hours of the morning. The conditioning care of crazy med school body clock will make this close to impossible, so you have to exert extra effort to make this work!

I guess I have been sufficiently nostalgic for today.

Good luck, future Doctor. The world is cheering you on! Padayon! 🙂

xxx