The Learning Journey Of USMLE

"Always talk about your learnings rather than interest"

I was an average student throughout my medical school. Hence, had an average understanding of the way to prepare for my medical studies, like spending most of my time in the library. Sitting with books continuously at a stretch of five to six hours.
I entered one of the top 10 medical schools of India, in the year 2010.  Getting influenced and inspired by my seniors who had cracked USMLE or were preparing for USMLE, I too started thinking about it in 2013 -14. It was so fascinating to think about pursuing your medical career in the US, that I made up my mind to crack it.

So here I was preparing for Step 1 exams of USMLE. Again the same approach I applied for the preparation, sitting in front of the book for at a stretch of about five to six hours. And at the end I realized that I could hardly remember anything from that five to six hours of my studies. I discussed this issue with a few of my friends and also did the introspection that how should I improve or else I won't be able to crack Step 1 at any cost. This is when I developed a technique of preparation / study. The number of hours hardly matters but you need to study smart. Now I used to sit for study for a stretch of half an hour or 45 minutes and then take a break of 10 or 20 minutes for coffee or a walk etc. What I realized, that sitting at stretch for studies for really long hours makes you too tired and exhausted and ultimately inefficient to grasp the required knowledge. Taking a break in between, kills monotony, helps you to refresh yourself in between and eventually helps you to store more information in your head.

I graduated in 2016 and the same year did electives and Step 2 CS. I did 2 months of electives and 1 month of observership in the US and then came back to India. After coming back I gained 1 year of clinical experience in Mumbai, India and 2 years of clinical experience in my hometown which is in rural India. I gave my Step 1 in 2018 and Step 2 CK in 2016. The experience of electives did help me in preparing for USMLE exams and  while preparing for Step 1 I focused on improving my weaknesses, build up my stamina to sit in an exam of 8 to 9 hours, found good study partners for the preparation and that helped me a lot to prepare insightfully  for Step 1 exam. 2-3 months before exams I used to study very dedicatedly and the rest of the months I used work.
My experience of work in my home country which I chose to project in USMLE interviews as an added advantage. I showcased in front of the interviewers that this isn’t only about my interest in my chosen specialty but I have learned thoroughly my specialty by working in my specialty on root level. I emphasized on my learnings more which eventually showed my interest in my specialty, which is internal medicine.
I chose internal medicine as my specialty due to various influences indeed, as I came across very good professors of internal medicines in my medical school. While working I as well realized that this specialty was realistic and achievable. Therefore I gained confidence in internal medicine.

Irrespective of getting decent scores in Step 1, Step 2 CS & CK I could not crack interviews last year. I had got 5 interviews which I think is quite a good number. But I could not crack any of them unfortunately. I took some time to reflect and the reasons were obvious, that I was not well prepared for the interview, applied late, didn’t practice enough before the interview. This is when I came across USMLE Sarthi.

At USMLE Sarthi I learned how ERAS is very much significant. Sarthi mentors and videos helped me create an impactful ERAS application and many other small things which we often overlook in the stress of preparation. Here I did learn to focus on my learnings and how to use them at the right point of the time. And hence, this time I was able to crack the USMLE interview with the help and support of the USMLE Sarthi team.
I as well had no research experience, so I went for the same but it got delayed due to COVID. I then  worked in Asia’s largest COVID care center in Mumbai which was as well added value during my interview.

To sum up my journey of USMLE, once when you plan for it, see it as a learning process and stay focused. Some useful tips that can help you initiate your this journey are

• Talk to your seniors once you have made up your mind for USMLE.
• Surround yourself with people who are on the same journey. This will help you stay self-motivated.
• Take mock tests to make your preparation strong.
• Do electives for hands on experience to get acquainted with the US medical environment, which will eventually help you during the time of interview and further while dealing with patients in the US.

Last but not the least, my advice to IMGs who did Match

• Identify your weaknesses and polish them to convert into your strengths
• People will give up on you, but you shouldn’t give up on yourself.
• Find someone like USMLE Sarthi to seek guidance from.
• USMLE is a learning journey. Learn from your mistakes here and re appear more stronger next time. Just don’t give up.

Dr. Akshay Aggarwal

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