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for all those candidates who are taking csa--updat -
#1
amaresh - amaresh001

Hi.I am from India.I recently took CSA and passed.It was one of the most nerve wrecking experience i have ever had in my entire life.To ease the concerns and fears of CSA takers,i am presenting you an article which is based on my personal observations which i made by coming in contact with a number of students who took CSA---some of them failed and some passed.

Why do students fail??This is an evergreen question which remains unanswered.Every student who appears for the CSA is capable of passing.Then why do certain students pass and certain fail?

Based on my observations i quoted certain reasons as to why students fail.By noting these reasons you can potentially avoid pitfalls that you encounter in CSA.

1.Take it is a daily morning rounds kind of thing which you are so routinely used to in your country.Don't consider it as an exam where you are paying 1200 dollars--this can considerably tense you up.Most of the candidates who appear for CSA mess it up by becoming nervous and anxious.Don't do that maintain your cool and composure.This is very important.Some people take drugs which work as antianxiety.I would rather avoid using drugs because they make you drowsy and mentally lethargic.If you are in such kind of desperate situation where you have to take drugs then i would prefer low doses of Propranolol(10-20mg).Please consult a doctor before you take any such decesion.
2.The way one introduces oneself to the patient is very important.All of the following statements appear good but they are not
--Hi.My is name is Dr.------.How are you doing today.What brings you here??
---Hi.I'm Dr.------.What brings you here today??
The main fault with the above statements is that you never address the patient by name.The correct way to introduce yourself is

Hello Mr.---(patients last name)I'm Dr.---(your last name).What brings you here today??

Always address the patient by name and never introduce yourself without addressing the patient.

3.Dont be over confident.Some of my friends who got above 90 in both the steps flunked the CSA.They thought that they could easily clear the CSA and they did not do the preliminary preparation required for the CSA.That doesn't mean that CSA is tough .
4.If you are poor in english improve it.You don't have to speak like a native american but you should be able to communicate clearly with the patient.
5.Pace yourself.Dont hurry the patient.Try to close the discussion 1 minute before the scheduled time.
6.Try to do a running

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commentary with the patient!!!!This means that everytime you do some thing to the patient you should explain to the patient what you are doing.
For example:now i am going to listen to the heart sounds by placing the stethoscope on different areas of your chest.
7.The standardised patient definitely asks you certain questions --dont evade them.Like when you are dealing with a case of pericarditis the patient may ask is this an episode of heart attack.Your reply should be--It really doesnt look like an episode of heart attack because the pain is chronic,postural and increased by breathing.Although i cannot rule out this possibility completely.So i am going to do certain investigations which should help me rule out this condition.
8.One difficult thing i faced during the exam is the flow of thoughts.You cannot stop even for a second in front of the patient to think.So i don't have the chance to review the fact that whether i have asked all the important questions or not.To counteract this i used a technique which is as follows--
when ever you are examining the patient like listening to the heart or breath sounds--thats it --pretend you are listening to these things with full concentration but think of all the things you have missed in the history.Anyway all the findings in the st
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#2
Resid - Resid804

Hi
Thanx. How did u prepare for CSA?
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#3
Enon - enon

Thanks for the much needed advice.
It helps a great deal when you get them from different angles, and this forum is one.
It certenly does, when advice comes along with direct and personal impressions.
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#4
mohammad - mziari@bcm.tmc.edu

thank you
God bless you.
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#5
elk

Thanks
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#6
D.A. Jabbar

Thank you Amaresh.
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#7
mini

hi amresh,
that was a very good message...very helpful.its rare to see a sincere message on this forum...especially once people have passed their respective exams! by the way ,are you from UCMS in delhi? just wondering coz i was in LH and then in UC for my PG . maybe we were from the same batch..just curious thats allSmile now i'm in chicago and writing step 1 in july.any way thanks again for such a nice e mail & god bless you in all your steps ahead
mini
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#8
yingdriesch - yingdriesch@yahoo.de

a question. must the medical students ,who do not come from usa and canada,take the csa test and step 3 or only csa.?
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