USMLE Step 2 CK study guide
USMLE Step 2 CK · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
USMLE Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) is the middle exam of the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination program, which is owned jointly by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Step 2 CK assesses an examinee's ability to apply medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for the provision of patient care under supervision, and it includes emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention - so preventive care is part of the exam's stated purpose, not an afterthought. The USMLE Step 2 CK study guide has 6 sections and about 1,516 words.
01Internal Medicine: Stabilization, Pattern Recognition, and Next Best Step
Start with ABCs and a focused problem representation: acutely ill vs chronic, stable vs unstable, and whether the finding is a complication of treatment. High-yield concepts include ACS, heart failure, COPD/asthma exacerbation, sepsis, diabetes emergencies, CKD and electrolytes, thyroid disease, GI bleeding, and anticoagulation.
273 words, about 1 min02Surgery: Resuscitation, Operative Indications, and Source Control
Surgical questions reward a disciplined sequence: stabilize, diagnose, decide whether the patient needs the operating room, and control the source. High-yield topics include trauma, shock, acute abdomen, bowel obstruction, appendicitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, hernia, wound care, perioperative risk, and antibiotic prophylaxis.
249 words, about 1 min03Pediatrics: Age-Specific Assessment and Safe Empiric Decisions
Pediatric questions depend on age. Know normal growth and development, feeding and output, immunization schedules, neonatal jaundice, dehydration, respiratory distress, congenital heart disease, asthma, seizures, and fever in the young infant.
241 words, about 1 min04Obstetrics and Gynecology: Pregnancy Physiology, Hypertension, and Emergencies
Pregnancy alters normal physiology: plasma volume rises, blood pressure often falls early and rises later, and heart rate increases. High-yield concepts include prenatal care, ectopic pregnancy, hypertensive disorders, gestational and preexisting diabetes, labor assessment, postpartum hemorrhage, contraception, STI management, and menopause.
252 words, about 1 min05Psychiatry: Safety, Differential Diagnosis, and Medication Pitfalls
Psychiatric assessment starts with safety: suicide risk, violence risk, withdrawal, and medical causes of altered mental status. High-yield concepts include major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, substance intoxication and withdrawal, delirium, dementia, and psychotropic adverse effects.
234 words, about 1 min06Preventive Medicine and Public Health: Screening, Risk, and Bias
Preventive questions test screening, counseling, immunization, outbreak investigation, and study interpretation. Know the levels of prevention: primary prevents disease, secondary detects preclinical disease, and tertiary limits complications.
267 words, about 1 min