Close, this is the current state of affairs:

Step 1 - 8 hours - $600
Step 2 CK - 9 hours - $600
Step 2 CS - 8 hours - $1275 (only offered in 5 cities)
Step 3 - 6 hours / 9 hours (2 days) - Total 15 hours - $830

Epi is a PhD, not an MD...

OK, i'll grant you that but the FE only became closed book two yrs ago, in Jan 2014, and still you have an electronic reference to use with the test. IOW, engineering has not yet become, and never will become IMO, a memorization-based field.

Also, just as a side note, an electrical engineering prof i see at the gym every so often told me that they now give out calculators to the FE test takers, and that they have both HP and TI calculators available. They give out standardized basic calculators so that no kid will have an advantage b/c his parents bought him a super calculator with programs already written to solve common problems:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

On the lawyer example, i think the reason is that you can go on to get a master's and a PhD in a legal specialty.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Thanks for sharing some of your insight into balancing training while in residency though I do not foresee having kids while in residency, especially not as a female, but that is another discussion. It sounds like you really do as much as you possibly can given your schedule, and probably as much training if not more than people who work a more typical job. I can see how you feel and perform better than your co-residents, one because exercise is good for your physical and mental health, and two because you are making time to do something for yourself, which is something I have seen many residents fail to do. My classmates were always amazed at how I was able to fit in training, when like you said it is fairly simple, just get up early and fit as much as you can into your free time. It is a bummer than you cannot race much, at least none of the bigger races that require travel. Good luck with everything and hopefully before long you'll be an attending and can race almost as much as you would like to.

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Emily Sherrard
@EmSher1
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In the states you do 4 years of medical school followed by residency. Here is a brief, and far from exhaustive, explanation of the process.

For primary care (family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatric primary care) it is a 3 year residency program. Trainees do the 3 years of training and take the specialty boards and can then practice on your own.

For specialties (cardiology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, endocrinology, rhematology, heme/onc, ect) there is 3 years of internal medicine residency followed by a 3 year fellowship in the specialty before being able to practice.

Radiology does 1 year of a general internship (called a prelim year) and then 3 years of residency. Ophthalmology is the same, as is pathology.

Most general surgery residencies are 5 years.

There are multiple ways to specialize within each specialty which require additional training in fellowships. But really a trainee need only complete their residency before going into practice. The one exception, which may not be the case everywhere, but it is possible to complete just an internship and take the final part of the licensing exam (USMLE step 3) then work in an urgent care, as a licensed, but not a boarded physician.

That's the gist, hope it clears things up for you.

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Emily Sherrard
@EmSher1
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Not sure which part of the E-ROAD you're on, but I'm a Peds Anesthesia Attending on Q3 pager call, probably for life. When I'm on the hook, outdoor long rides and runs can be done as shorter looped courses in case I need to bail. Not as much ability to sample the scenery, but better than nothing. And better than a trainer.

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Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

Not having kids in med school/residency leaves you with plenty of time, as noted. Maybe not for 25 hr/week, but that depends on your creativity and the demands of the specific rotation you're on. I/we chose to have kids during the process, but that's another story. Good luck with it all. Hope to hear more.

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Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

Thank you. It certainly does take some creativity, as well as a no-excuses attitude, to balance residency with training as you highlighted in a previous response where you do short loops on the bike while on call. I have heard of other people doing the same thing to get it done. I am glad I had a bit of a taste as a student so I could learn what works and what doesn't. Probably the most important lesson I learned was that no matter how tired I was or how little time I had, I always felt better doing some kind of workout even if it was just a short one.

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Emily Sherrard
@EmSher1
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On a related note, lawyers who routinely abuse the Esquire suffix are about as obnoxious as they come...

What strikes me as most bizarre about this dynamic is that, in most states anyways, an MD has to go through multiple years of residency in order to prescribe Atenolol and Xanax to the overweight and overworked, while a damn physician's assistant can effectively serve as a doctor doing the same. It seems like there is so much wrong with your profession--gluts in physician supply and demand in American medicine-- that some of these allowances can help correct, I guess, but still

So true. I am a family doctor in Canada. I do office based primary care, take care of my own inpatients and take care of a large number of nursing home patients. The easy money in the system is in office based care and episodic care in walk in clinic at least for family docs. We don't have a doctor shortage in Canada we have a shortage of docs who want to work a full week. At this point particularly in my area on can make 300K a year being in the office 3 days a week with no on call no weekends and just the occasional evening clinic. At that point you likely could be replaced by 1.5 nurse practioners. You can do that while recovering from your workouts. It is a lot harder functioning in multiple settings with sicker patients etc etc. And you are tied down because you have to get someone to cover for you if you go away. As far as Amanda Stevens goes I think I read/heard somewhere that she does occasional emerg work or walk-in clinic work. I think there are probably a lot of places in the States just like Canada where you could do that maybe make 100-200K a year and fund your triathlon lifestyle.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

yeah. Pretty crazy that a fourth year medical student has had more clinical training than is required for an NP, but it is what it is. I think PAs and NPs are not truly independent practitioners though, they are always "supervised" by an MD and as such have less autonomy and earn less. In my experience, they understand far less of what is going on, it is basically "medicine by algorithm". With technology, I predict these tasks will soon be automated. The human element of understanding the "why" and having the judgment to deviate from the algorithms is the secret sauce of M.D. training IMO.

...300k part time, primary care work?

BRB, going to med school and emigrating to Victoria. Screw pharmacy.

Yeah, MD degree... similar to a basic diploma degree in other natural sciences...or a basic technical degree.
Shows yo have some general knowledge, but are not an expert and experienced in the field.

Personally I am neither thrilled nor impressed when people advertise it on their resume.
Having encountered too many who wear that "Me Divine" on their sleeves, I actually tend to count the "MD" against a candidate during the hiring process for positions requiring analytical and innovative qualities). And not because they are overqualified....