I enrolled in AMEX Review Center last year, around August to the start of September. At that time, it was just a few months after me finishing Pediatric Residency Training. I knew I badly needed a review center because how can I get myself to study IM, Surgery, OB and Psych again when the past few years my only focus was just Pedia? And I know for a fact that Australia has an entirely different system compared to our medical practice here.
A lot of things happened and I wasn’t able to focus on this exam much, so I didn’t take it right away and then of course COVID-19 had to happen this 2020.
We’re used to taking exams – as a med student, being a resident, we’re always always always taking important exams. But this one was really the hardest of them all! For sure without AMEX, I wouldn’t have made it.
I had to juggle being a mom who’s adjusting to online classes and home schooling, housework without our usual helpers, telemedicine and scheduled vaccinations and studying for the AMC MCQ. I didn’t have time to read books from cover to cover. I was really dependent on my notes from AMEX and I’m really glad the words of my amazing lecturers then really stuck with me. I did exactly what they said, read the handbook more than once, browsed my handouts just once and practiced a lot by answering recalls. I don’t remember a single recall question existing in my exam. I don’t know how they’re so smart in making the exam but they really are I swear! Good thing though that everytime I did recalls, I really tried to answer them on my own, as if I were already taking the exam. If there are cases or questions I really couldn’t figure out, those were the topics I’d return to in my handouts. I was really dependent on what I learned from AMEX and not on my e-books. I felt it was impossible to do books with the time I only had to review.
Yesterday, at the middle of a strong typhoon, the sad news everywhere, having no electricity the entire day – I got to see my candidate number in the list of those who are eligible for clinicals! And it was the best feeling ever especially for such a bad year (I mean for everyone right? 2020 was the worst). Thanks AMEX for really helping me out! Because of AMEX and sooooooooooo many prayers… I made it! And now I can really say my 2020 isn’t so bad after all.