Passing the Pediatric Boards After Failing ! Make it Happen October 2023

Are you dreading the exam  ?  Are you procrastinating ?    Let's face it, taking the Pediatric boards again has to fill you with dread.  You did all you could to pass the exam the first time and didn't.  Now you have to do the same thing all over again, with the dread of knowing you might not pass again.  Well that is all true, except you should not " do it all over again".  You will need to do something different this time around. 

If at First you Don't Succeed ! Try ! Try ! Something New ! 

Whatever you did the first time around didn't work. Therefore you need to tweak your approach in order to improve your chances of passing the 2nd time around.  Now is the time to begin the process.  You have plenty of time between now and October to prepare !  The following are 5 steps you can take so that Passing the Pediatric Boards is within easy reach ! 

Step 1: Strike while the Iron's Cold 

We all know the expression " strike while the iron is hot " . That would mean you should begin your studying when you feel motivated. Yeah ! Like that is going to happen !    There are always  activities that are more fun that reviewing Inborn Errors of Metabolism and serum ammonia levels ! 

Step 2 :  Go Your Own Way? 

Identify how you learn ! We all learn differently!  You must of had some success in school or you would not be reading this blog and sitting for the American Board of Pediatrics exam in the first place. Think back to those days and how you learned best. Ask yourself the following questions: 

Do I learn best alone or in a group? 

Am I visual learner who needs to see text and infographics ? 

Am I an audio learner who needs to hear something in a lecture to learn best? 

Does it depend on the material , ie. Cardiology I need to see illustrations but Endocrinology is something i learn best in a lecture setting ? 

Step 3 : Study to the Test 

Forget about reading and learning for general pediatric clinical knowledge. You are learning and studying so that you can decode the questions and identify exactly what is being tested in each question ! 

 Are you the type of person who needs to filter out all distractions or do you prefer to study surrounded by other people? Thinking about this will help you when you turn over your new leap in 2023.

Step 4: Textbooks are as wasteful as Texting.

Nelsons Pediatric Textbook is great as a clinical reference but memorizing it from cover to cover won’t help you on the boards. I am not even sure if it will help you clinically. While clinical skills are not the same as exam taking skills they both require pattern recognition. 

This is not something you will develop reading Nelsons Pediatrics. The same goes for Rudolph’s Pediatric Textbook. Reading that book cover to cover will be as helpful as watching Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer over and over. In fact, the latter might be more helpful at least it gives your brain a much needed rest by getting to  feel like a kid again and reset your brain for your preparing to pass the exam in October 2023.

I can honestly tell you that I do know how you feel. I also had to take the exam again and it felt demoralizing and humiliating. I also had to dust off the snow and take a new approach. I needed a guiding light to glide my new slate and I realized Rudolph the textbook or Rudolph the reindeer weren’t going to get me to the other side. I knew I had to develop my own path to success and I did it.

Step 5 Guiding the New Slate Tonight.

Start over and keep your eye on the horizon and the prize of passing the pediatric boards. By keeping your eye on the horizon you won't be distracted by fun activities on the ground. The eye in the sky is the new slate and the new sleigh leading to the north pole of passing the pediatric boards