Two months, two weeks, and a number two pencil

To become licensed as a physician in the United States, one must pass the USMLE steps 1, 2, 2CK and 3. That is just to be eligible to apply for a license; it doesn't include all of the testing that physicians do to be considered board certified in their respective speciality. That is a whole other set of hoops to jump through and the process varies depending on the speciality. Obviously, one must complete a residency (and fellowship if sub-specialized) to be eligible to take the boards. I'm years (of if I go into hematology/oncology close to a decade) away from those exams, so I'm not as informed about all of the nuances involved.

Anyway, there is a little saying that to prepare for Step 1 you need to study for two months, for Step 2 you need to study for two weeks and for Step three you just need to bring a number two pencil. I've also heard that generally if you study for more than 2-3 months for Step one you will start to become inefficient and things will go downhill. Farley and I scheduled 2.5 months to study just for that reason. Today, I was grateful that I only need to keep up this pace for another month. No matter how nervous I am to take this exam, since it is such a monumental aspect of the early part of my career, I know that I couldn't keep up studying at this pace for more than 3-4 months. Many physicians have told me that they are not sure they'd go back to medical school again if they knew what they'd go through. Most of them said that the first two years are the worst, culminating with USMLE step 1. They added that the third and fourth years are better because you spend more time with patient, rather than just book learning, but that the intern year and the rest of residency are extremely challenging. I know that I have some of the most toilsome aspects of medical training ahead of me--clerkships, intern year, residency and maybe even fellowship--but I know exactly what those physicians were talking about. I'm glad I went to medical school, but if I had to start again from scratch knowing what I know, it would be a more difficult decision. Medical school is mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and even financially exhausting. It isn't going to get any easier from here, maybe more rewarding, but not any easier.