I was born and brought up in India in a family full of physicians. On my father’s side of the family, my eldest uncle was an ENT surgeon and my father a Radiologist. One cousin was an Ob/Gyn and another an Ophthalmologist. On my mother’s side of the family, my aunt was an Internal Medicine physician and an uncle a Pediatric Nephrologist. Apart from this, there were multiple members in the extended family who were doctors. Being a physician was (and still is) considered a rite of passage. It was thought of as the best career that one can be in. I could not help but be drawn toward medicine.
Studying medicine was a huge challenge for me as I had no idea what to study, how to study and how to approach multiple choice questions. I managed to get through the first 2 years of medical school only to get stuck at Step 1. Due to my poor study habits & non-existent test taking skills, I had difficulty passing qualifying exams (NBME).
I decided to change my approach as I was not seeing any improvement. I took a live USMLE prep course which cost close to $10,000 USD (2009), was 2 months long in a city that was over a 1000 miles from my home. I managed to pass USMLE Step 1. When I received my score report, I was not happy. I started to worry about how it will impact my chances of residency. Throughout years 3 and 4 of medical school, I used to stress about residency and my career decision to a point where my mental health started to suffer. Unhealthy eating, sleeping late and getting up late, constantly worrying became a norm.
It was in my final year of medical school where I decided that I want to follow my dream & passion – lead a healthy lifestyle, make a difference as a USMLE instructor in how medicine is taught and make a medical student’s journey a little less stressful!
My expertise lies in training students for the following board exams:
-USMLE Step 1, 2, 3
-COMLEX Level 1,2,3 (medical portion only)
-MCCQE 1
-NAC OSCE
I have experience working with multiple choice questions from the following Question banks:
I have worked with medical students from the US, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Caribbean, East Europe, South East Asia, Far east and Africa.
The students who have worked with me are now in either residency or clinical practice ranging from Family medicine, Internal medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Anesthesia, Radiology, Orthopedic Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology among other medical fields.
My passion lies in identifying student mindset and providing skills & strategies to promote a growth mindset. If you are a medical student who is struggling with board exam prep, want to learn how to study, what to study, how to approach multiple choice questions and how to manage stress levels, you are at the right place. You may send an email to info@stressfreeprep.com for more information.
