The time has finally come… you’re locked in, ready to go, and you’re going to ace your retake exam. Why? Because you’ve followed our TOP 5 tips that ensure your success in passing your Psychiatric Board Exam with ease!
1 – Analyze Your Weak Points
If you know where you struggled with most in the last board exam you can hone in on intaking as much information as you can retain. These don’t need to just be areas you did pool on previously, but could also be ones that could be further reinforced. Try out My Psych Board’s customizable tests that zero in on your most missed questions!
2 – Focus On The NOW
The past is the past, there’s no point in going back! The only way to move in a positive direction is forward. Learn from your mistakes and how you can apply what you’ve learned for better-guaranteed results. If you stay focused on past failure it’s only going to bring negativity and additional stress to your study sessions.
3 – Create A Plan
When studying it’s essential to make the most of your time. Create a plan tailored to your needs. Before you can even begin studying you need to make sure you have all the resources you need. Organize items into folders, check you have all the materials you need, and tidy up your study spot.
4 – Utilize Detailed Questions Banks (like ours here)
With detailed Q-Banks, you’ll get the blueprints, questions, detailed information, vignettes, and more! Within the question breaks, you can get real-time feedback on correct answers, and learn where you’ll need to continue to improve.
BONUS TIP: Did you know we offer FREE Trials of all of our Question Banks? Click here to try today (with no credit card required…)
5 – Take Regular Breaks
As with anything don’t overdo it, You need to ensure you aren’t pushing yourself too far! When you’re studying and preparing for the exam you’re taking a mental health break. This will help break up your studying time, keep you from feeling overwhelmed, and ensure you’re retaining all the information you’re taking in.
Still, feeling uneasy? Contact us and we can help YOU pass your boards with ease!
Observership Options for Residents
/in Board Prep, StudyingPractice makes perfect. And as a resident, observership, or hands-on experience, is paramount in your education to become a practitioner. Finding a good fit can be challenging, but My Psych Board has options for you!
Medical students and international medical graduates seeking US clinical experience may apply to our Clinical Observership program. This may be in person at the clinic in Westlake, OH, or it can be accomplished via Telehealth!
During the Clinical Observership, participants will interact with Dr. Abdel and learn about the US healthcare system.
Observerships range in duration from three weeks to a maximum of three months. During this time, participants will have the opportunity to observe a wide range of experiences from patient care to mastering high yield points on the USMLE exams, and will earn a letter of recommendation for future residency applications.
My Psych Board also covers summaries of clinical treatment and psychopharmacology. We offer valuable electives for medical students who are preparing for the USMLE and residency.
We understand the difficulties surrounding the search for high quality, valuable, hands on experience. And we want to make sure you succeed in your training! When you join our observership/preceptorship program you will also receive a 15% discount to any question bank of your choice from My Psych Board.
If this is something you still need to check off your list, contact us for more information! And to take advantage of the 15% discount, you can also check out a sample of our question banks using our Free Trial to decide what option fits your needs best. We’re just a click away to help you take the next step!
Common Misconceptions- Depression
/in Health and WellnessThe field of mental health has come a long way over the last few decades. While work has been done to normalize the existence of mental health disorders, there are still some surprising stigmas and myths surrounding even the most common conditions. Today we’ll talk about one of the most common, Depression.
Did you know there are still stigmatic beliefs surrounding depression such as….
All of these statements are myths that are falsifiable by scientific literature. Let’s debunk these common misconceptions:
It’s all in your head
Depression is a complex condition involving physiological markers as well as emotional and physical symptoms. Brain scans have shown neurological differences in the brains of people who deal with depression, and those that do not. The brain is literally changed in those that live with depression, making it by virtue “all in their head”, but not in the slightest how that phrase is intended.
It’s just feeling sad, or because of a sad situation
Major Depressive Disorder extends beyond situational issues, and runs much deeper than occasional sadness. It involves continual, unrelenting feelings of despair, emptiness, apathy, and hopelessness. Everything can be going right in this person’s life, but it doesn’t change the neurochemical and psychological pain they experience.
The strong genetic link in depression means if you parents have it, so will you
There are genetic components, but the hereditary nature of it is not that determinate. While there are steps you can take to decrease your risk of depression, just having an immediate family member with the condition does not mean you will develop it.
Antidepressants will always cure it/are the only treatment for it/will change you/…stay on them forever
Antidepressants are one of the many tools used to combat depression, but they don’t work for everyone. There’s a lot of trial and error finding the right one, but there are other options as well such as lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, and alternative therapies. Depression can ebb and flow and go into remission-like states; just because you start a pharmaceutical therapy doesn’t mean you’ll be on it forever. Many people stop and start antidepressant medications and are able to take it as needed, not just on a continual basis.
People who are “depressed” are just lazy
And finally, the stigma that people who suffer from depression are just lazy is thought from ignorance. Individuals who deal with this battle the desire to have an active role in their own lives, while literally being beat down by their own mind and brain. It is one of the hardest battles to overcome, and those that do it are the opposite of lazy– they’re superheroes.
If you think you are dealing with depression, reach out to someone. Another myth is that talking about it won’t change anything–and it’s wrong. Talking to a trusted source can make all the difference in the world. If you want more information, we talk extensively on this condition specifically here.
Ready to learn more? Give our question banks a try- FREE- using our Free Trial! Or if you’re ready to take the plunge, check out our Question Banks.
Get Ready to Crush the PRITE
/in Board Prep, StudyingThe date range for taking the PRITE is quickly approaching. Each year from September 24th to October 15th, residents around the U.S. sit down for the 8.5 hour exam. This year, the PRITE has 300 questions (access to pdf breakdown of topics with annotations here).
Residents need to know a foundation of Neuroscience and Neurology, Clinical Psychiatry, and Diagnostic Procedures to be ready for this exam. It may be tempting to try studying off old PRITE exams, but we have a whole blog entry on exactly why not to do this (check it out if you’re curious!) Instead, take a peep into some question banks that are made for the sole purpose of helping you reach at least that 70% passing mark (and let’s be real…you’re going to far surpass it!).
Taking the PRITE may not lead to as much anxiety or stress as this is an exam a resident will take 3 or 4 times throughout their medical education career. But even if it’s something you’ve done 1 or 2 or even 3 times before, it’s still important to properly prepare for it. The ease that you pass this exam is a good indicator for how well prepared you are to launch into your medical career after graduation!
Even though the countdown is on, there’s still time to add in a little extra studying. Want some help? My Psych Board is here for you! Check out our PRITE question bank, even just to give the FREE TRIAL a try. If you want more focused help, reach out to talk to someone about our tutoring services. We know you’re going to crush your exam!