End of rotation exams

[Pastudent463]

Our program is starting rotations soon and we are using standardized end of rotation exams though the PAEA.  What are the best books to use to prepare for these exams or any end of rotation exam? 

Thanks in advance! 

[Guest HanSolo]

I used Pearls and Rosh. Found the PAEA exams to be pretty similar to rosh questions. It's nice to look at the PAEA EOR exam blueprint, but I wouldn't go crazy over it. I always keep a pocket book or two with me on rotation as well. It's more about learning bit by bit as you go. It can be tricky because you'll learn "real world" medicine but you also need to keep on top of "textbook" medicine. Those worlds don't always align. Also, keep in mind the relative % of questions. 

You'll find you'll get comfortable with what patient population comes through the door at your particular rotation, but don't forget to look up the stuff that doesn't show up on your rotation. 

 

[Maryness]

My recommendation is to find a select 1-3 books and stick to those for studying. When you have so many books to study from, it becomes stressful and you lose focus and feel like you "have to know everything." A lot of the books present the same information in different ways. Find a book that you like and makes sense to you and stick to it.

My favorites from PA school was:

A Comprehensive Review for the Certification and Recertification Examinations for Physician Assistants
Step up to Medicine
First Aid USMLE Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge)

The first book is my favorite, it's concise and not a big bulky book. What I did during rotations was read from various books and then consolidated my information into one book so that as my exams got closer, I only had to really study one book.

Definitely use the blueprints as a guide because anything on the blueprints is fairgame for the test. There were a hand full of times I recall that a question that was on the EOR blue print showed up on a test but it wasn't anywhere in my prep books.