NPLEX & USMLE

I guess I'm competitive by nature!  I think it takes a significant amount of competitiveness just to complete 8 years of school and then continue another 3 months of intensive studying/reviewing to prepare for NPLEX and Boards.  So, I recently could not help noticing while I was studying in a Toronto Public Library that a young woman sat down at the same table to study with her laptop and a book, "Step-Up to USMLE Step 2."  Now, I just bought this book a week ago. 

For those not sure why I would buy this book, naturopathic doctors follow a somewhat similar licensing and board certification track to medical doctors with some variation in the order.  The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 is similar to our NPLEX 2 exams and many naturopathic graduates use the USMLE books as a part of their review material.

So, what fascinated me was the simplicity of this particular young woman's study tactics as she read her Step-Up to USMLE Step 2 book and wrote supplemental information from some online medical sources onto the pages (I realize that she will undoubtedly have many medical reference texts at her disposal).  Now on the cover of this book it says, "Comprehensive yet concise coverage...Perfect prep tool for Step 2 CK and a head start for the Step 2 CS" (note: CK = Clinical Knowledge and CS = Clinical Skills).  Yes, I really like the book because it is very concise; but comprehensive?

Wow, if that is the definition of comprehensive, what do you call the plethora of review notes, manuals and textbooks most ND graduates use to prepare for our exams?!  No disrespect intended, I just found it comical in light of some comments by outspoken critics of naturopathic doctors.  I realize conventional medicine is no walk in the park either but, if you want a real challenge: try naturopathic medicine!!