Part IV boards: Is it that bad?

Hey guys, my name is Jason and I wanted to write my experiences with part IV.  This is not one of those scholarly articles, but just some advice on part IV.  I definitely think that you should prepare for part IV.  You should study as hard as you can and personally, I did my review with NBS and my scores were excellent.  I did better than I expected.

Guys trust me you really have to try to fail this test, not to make it sound easy but if you did some studying, you should be fine.  I have to say thanks to Dr. Clerge for letting me participate in this blog. 

Ok, so when I enter the room, I was nervous, nervous, nervous.  The first room was adjusting and I did very well with that, and once again if you study with NBS you should be fine in that section.  Remember do not thrust, DO NOT THRUST, that’s an automatic failure.   I remember a couple of my friends were freaking out because they heard a cavitation upon positioning the patient, even they did well.

The second room was diagnosis, where they presented you with a case and a booklet and you had to choose some diagnosis that went with the case.  I did very well in that also.  By the 4^th or 5^th room, I was calm and I knew that this would be a breeze.  There are several rooms in part IV.  Some rooms deal with adjusting and others may deal with things like Phys Dx, Performing orthopedic tests, Case history etc……with NBS, you will be ok for that section. Some of the instructors or graders are very nice and some of them will talk to you and make you feel at ease.  On the other hand, there are some jerks that will say absolutely nothing and will do nothing but write.  If you see a lot of writing then that’s not good.

The X-ray portion of part IV is impossible.  Most of the students think that they knew maybe 2 or 3 of the X-rays.  If you fail this test, it’s probably because of the X-ray section.  When I left the X-ray room, I was discouraged because some of these X-rays looked normal and I had to choose a diagnosis.   Personally, I don’t think that there is a way to study for the X-ray section, but study your ass off!!!! You will need it.

Ok, so this is what part IV is all about.  They want to be sure that you can diagnose and that you will not be killing anybody when you get out there.  You should study as hard as you can.  Once again put some effort into it and you will be fine.

If you have any questions, I will try my best to answer it.  I do think that students should start using this site more often, because we can learn valuable information from other students and the successful doctors in this site.

Good Luck Guys,

Jason

Comments

[Dr. Traci]

I sat part 4 in may 2006. I agree with you on the comments about all but the x-ray portion. It really isn't impossible. I walked out feeling very confident about it. I knew all but 1 x-ray for sure. I made an educated guess on that one. I ended up with a 480. I also took NBS review, which I had done all the way through boards. I would recommend them to students, as I never had to retake anything. Also, for anyone taking florida boards, I took them this november 2006. Again, as with part 4, they are really not trying to "get" you. They are fair, and just trying to make sure you know your stuff and will make a good doctor. So... study hard, but if you do, go into these tests with confidence. You'll do fine.
Dr. Traci

[Lane]

Hey Dr. Traci, I heard that the florida boards were very hard. Some of my friends took it and failed it.

Do you have any tips like what to look for etc..... any comments would be greatly appreciated........

Lane

[Traci Donnelly D.C.]

Yes, I had heard the same thing before I took them. The hype was a little scary; I had heard things about the participants being "grilled". Although, apparently this time they have changed the testing protocols, because nothing besides what was actually part of the exam was asked by the examiners. They didn't speak to me unless required by the test. The florida department of health has a candidate information booklet that tells the exact setup of the exam. I found that helpful in just knowing what to expect. I did take NBS review again, as I had for all of my other exams. As I said before, the exam seemed very fair. Nothing too out of the ordinary or surprising showed up. Hope that helps.

[Lane]

Thanks for the prompt response. After I take my part IV boards. I plan on getting an associate position. I have a little bit of money to open up, but it's not much. After reading some of the articles on this site, it seems as if opening a practice is a lot of work and headache.

What do you think Dr. Traci? What's your advice, should I associate or open up.

Thanks in advance for any response or comments.

Lane Hughes

[Traci Donnelly D.C.]

I'm just starting out as well, since I just moved to Florida. From what I can tell, unless you have experience or a very close mentor to help you out, the best way to go is to associate, at least for a year to get some experience. Then save save save and open up your own if you like. I've found a position where I can associate and then segway into a buyout... which I think is really the most attractive position. You really need to research the Doc's you will be working for though. I had an experience with one doc in the area which was less than desirable... then I came across a really good opportunity. Overall, be careful and make sure to sign a contract before you do any relocating, if applicable. I wish you the best of luck!
Dr. Traci