Exam Center: Atlanta Exam Date: 14.November.2006 Result: Passed Weeks for Result: 12 My Experience: Coming into the test I was a little nervous…to say the least. I arrived in Atlanta the day before the exam. The airline had lost my luggage (with shave kit, nice clothes for the exam, shoes, stethoscope, etc) and I left my scheduling permit in a taxicab. To make a long story short, the airline got my luggage back to me that night and I was able to reprint a copy of my permit. But I couldn’t help thinking that those two events were signs telling me to bail. I’m glad I didn’t. The test center itself was great. The center was new and clean looking and the people running the show made things very comfortable and seemed to be in tune with our fears. I can’t thank them enough for their support. The test itself wasn’t hard, but it also wasn’t easy. The 1 or 2 cases, I felt nervous and uncoordinated. However, after the first 2 or 3 cases, I felt more at ease and more sure of myself. The questions began to flow more easily and the conversation with the SP seemed more at ease. The cases were 5 then lunch, 4 then a 15 min break, and three. The day was long. The lunch was pretty good and you are permitted to sit with the other test takers and chat about anything except the exam. All in all, the experience wasn’t so bad except for the 12 week wait getting the results. My Advice & My Errors: Here are some tips that I think can help: 1) Read First Aid CS from cover to cover and MEMORIZE each case. The book contained all of the cases (except 1) that I had. Thankfully, I didn’t have any neuro cases, but study those cases and know them cold well because they are long. 2) Memorize DD’s for each case. Before you walk into a room after reading the case file on the door, take an extra 20-30 seconds to write down the DD’s for that case. That way, when you are in the room, the DD’s are already in front of you and you don’t have to fumble your brain to come up with them. #3) Memorize Liqor AAA or some other mneumonic that will help you cover all of the important questions. Cant help but to stress this point 4) Always knock on door and wait for SP to acknowledge you, smile and shake hands, introduce yourself and tell them you are there to conduct the medical history and physical exam 5) Always cover them with the sheet right after introducing yourself and always wash hands with soap and water (and dry your hands completely) 6) Before untying the gown from behind, ask permission and when done, retie the gown 7) Help the SP lie up or down by supporting their back with your hand. Pull out the leg extenders when telling the SP to lie down 8) Always try to close the case by telling the SP what you think the Dx is and what tests you are ordering. Also, ALWAYS ask if they have any questions. I think it also helps to map out for them what they will see over the next hour. For example, “Ok Ms. Smith, the nurse will come in after I leave and will prepare you for the tests we just spoke about. After the tests are done, hopefully in about an hour, I will see you again to discuss the results and treatment options. So for now, thank you. (shake hands, smile and leave). I was able to complete every case except for 1. They say its more important to complete each case, so don’t spend too much time on the physical exam (I always did lungs and heart on each SP, and then continued with a focused exam), and always leave 2 min for the closing. My mistakes were mainly forgetting to ask certain questions. For one case, I completely missed the diagnosis, but I did all of the procedures right (which is what saved me, I think). For another case, I didn’t finish on time and didn’t do the proper physical exam. But I did write as if I did the proper exams on the PN. Always counsel on smoking and alcohol use (which I forgot to do in some cases), and if you have a sexually active teen, recommend safe sex practices. For people who seem alone, ask about support at home (I forgot to ask this of an elderly sick man). Remember to do these things and you will be fine. My Stay / Cost / Travel to Center: I used Kayak.com to book my flight from NY to Atlanta on TranAir. The flight was very very cheap and the hotel, also booked on Kayak.com, was pretty good. I stayed at the Ramada Inn for two nights. It was a 10 min walk to the center. The night before the test, I walked to the center so that I would not have any problems in the morning finding the place. Name : Vic

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