Rethinking My plan...

With much contemplation and consideration, I have decided to push Step 1 til end of May  or early June...I have been so busy with this semester...I am putting in 16 hr days and do not feel I am mastering what I need to master this semester...There are so many clinical tasks that I have to know and will be test on that I can not afford to forgo this semester trying to reach into the future....Coming into This Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine semester, we were told that studying for Step 1 would be a huge challenge and it is not recommended.  But, I thought I could do it...I want to do it...I need to do it....Well, Step 1 is the most important exam I will ever take in my Medical career..It is the score that will get me through the door...So, I can't count my chickens before they hatch....Right? So, I am going to slow my roll and pace myself to make sure I master the concepts I need to do exceptionally well on the exam....Step 1 exam can not be rushed....So, first things first....Finish this semester strong...

I have put all my energies into studying for Step, now I have to play catch up with my assignments that are in front of me....I have a physical exam competency (165 things to do within 45 mins) hoovering over me, a final OSCE exam (Observed Structured Clinical Exam), and my comprehensive final written exam...Not to mention class time....So, I better switch gears.....I just had my midterm on Monday and I believe it went well...I have not received the results yet....

Back in December, I said I was going to study diligently over Christmas break and take Step before this semester started..Well, the studying diligently part did not happen...LOL....I missed my window of taking Step before this semester started....As a wise saying goes."Nothing before the time."  Although I want to start this new assignment on May 19th...It's not going to happen....I am going to trust that I'm on schedule, in the right place and all things are working for my good....I know that my steps are ordered by GOD....

Psalm 37:23-25, NKJ "The steps of a good man is ordered by God, and he delights in his way...Though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down: for the Lord uphold him with His Hand...I've been young and now I am old; yet, I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread."

So, with that said.....Rethinking your plan can be frustrating at times, trying to make sure all the pieces of the puzzles fit, but this we all should keep in mind,  that the Universe is filled with opportunities and filled with provision...Your future is bright...There is greatness in your future....So, if by chance a curve has been thrown into your plans...fear not...there is another way.  The Universe is so dynamic and has unlimited options and resources available to you, if only you open your eyes to see.  

The limits and constrains we impose on ourselves are sometimes unfair to the cultivation of the splendor that resides within...So, let's plan our future with great expectations, but when the plan need rearranging, fear not...this is yet another opportunity to see the splendor of GOD's work manifesting in your life...Selah

It's the first day of SPRING! Enjoy the day!

Now, go live your dream!

Feeling the Fire....

Okay, after 12 hours of studying yesterday, I am feeling the fire..."I"m on one."  I am in my study groove...Thank you Lord....It took me a while to get back in this groove since I made it back to the US...I guess over the past two years I equated coming home to the US as vacation time.  And now that I have a set time to take Step 1, I had to get my focus back....

I had some very exciting news that motivated me even more.  I applied to start a clinical rotation track. Thinking there might be a small chance that I would get the track due to the fact that I didn't have my Step 1 score and I know it is a really competitive track to get into, I applied anyway, just to see what happens...it was a track I had my eye on from day one and was so glad to finally be at this point to have the chance to get in...Well, our clinical adviser said it may be hard to get into  it, since I did not have 5th semester completed and getting all paperwork completed and submitted would be a challenge, etc, etc, etc....and guess what???  I got the track...OMG!  I didn't know whether to celebrate or cry....I felt more like crying because knew I had to get serious about studying and now I'm in a huge time crunch.  According to my acceptance letter, I must sit for Step 1 by April 4th....Oh no!

I had already resolved in my mind that I was going to relax this semester and casually study (in medical school causally studying means at least 4hrs after class..LOL) and then crank up my studying (12 + hrs/day) April and May and sit for Step no later than June 15th....Well, that has all changed...my schedule exam day is April 3rd.....I have to make huge leaps and bounds by then....

So, what does all this mean for me?  I have to juggle a million things at once.  According to our program directors, they do not recommend us trying to study for Step 1 during this semester because there are so many clinical things we have to learn....So, I am juggling my obligations to this semester and then studying til 2 am or so.....Right, now I'm running on adrenaline..I just pray it keeps me going til April 3rd...

I'm feeling the fire.  I am in my zone....I have to make this happen.  Step 1 is the most important exam a medical student can take...It is the first thing that is looked when applying for residency.  So, I have to hit a home run..I have to score high enough...What's high enough?  Enough to get the residency I want...No one can really say what enough is but I need the score that will get me through the doors I wish to walk through...There are statistics out there on average scores....But, I've never focused too much on those. Because I know I have GOD on my side..... But, I sure do not want to fall below them...I know with determination and persistence, I will get where I want to be, where I'm suppose to be.....But, I have to do my part and prepare for it..So, I will score my best...I will be prepared.  And if not...I will decline the track...and take the time I need...There will be more opportunities...But, who knows when they will come along, again...That's why it is so important to prepare NOW and seize the opportunity in front of me.  So, with that said...PRAY FOR ME, PLEASE...!!!