Jake Sossamon, Founder
The motivation to create PDSP came from my experience prepping for Step 1. I was frustrated by the lack of information for how to prepare for a Pass/Fail exam. I recognized that there are a lot of great resources out there but no guidance for how to use them in an organized study plan in the months leading up to the dedicated study period. After analyzing my own success and discussing the concept with 50+ students that took the exam, we took the information and created PDSP with the goal of setting students up for success while not sacrificing preclinical performance. Please contact me with your questions. I'm always ready to help!
Andrew Brown, Content Creator
With Step 1 becoming pass/fail, I went through my preclinical years without spending much time on preparing for Step 1 prior to our dedicated study period. Once dedicated began, I felt extremely behind and went through the entirety of my study period stressed about if I would be prepared to take Step 1 come test day. It would have been very useful to have a planned out pre-dedicated study schedule to better prepare me for my dedicated study period while also not interfering with the current system we were studying in preclinical. That is exactly our goal here with PD Step Prep, and I am excited to answer any questions you may have and do what I can to ensure your success!
Alex Galan, Content Creator
When I was reaching the end of my preclinical curriculum and starting to transition to studying for Step 1, I felt fairly confident about the exam. After taking my first practice exam, I was quick to realize that this period was going to be much more challenging than originally expected. I had not realized how much I had forgotten and had no idea where to begin. After a lot of effort and planning, I was able to develop a strategy that worked well for me. After talking with some of my other classmates, I learned that I was not alone with my frustration. I was very excited to join the PDSP team and help develop the program so that we could help future students be successful for this important exam. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
Kartik Akkihal, Ambassador and Content Manager
I was lucky enough to be introduced to Jake just before my M2 year at Texas A&M College of Medicine, and I got PDSP into the hands of some of my classmates and myself. After going through the course, and speaking with the creators, I wanted to help give back to the future medical students by bringing my own vision to the PDSP team. This course is fantastic and helps direct your studying in a controlled manner that is easily digestible and alterable. I am so excited to be a part of the PDSP team. Please reach out at anytime, I am always happy to help.
Evan Wilson, Ambassador and Content Manager
My motivation to join the PDSP team and improve access to data-driven Step 1 preclinical preparation stems from both my belief in the program itself and commitment to disseminating resources that medical school students can use at low or no associated cost. I used the PDSP program myself during the end of my preclerkship curriculum and it provided a firm foundation from which I could build upon during my dedicated prep. It provided a profound sense of ease surrounding content review because I had already "seen" this material once before in the comprehensive modules provided by PDSP. This is an invaluable resource for second year preclerkship medical students looking to hit the ground running in their dedicated board review preparation with flexibility to work with a variety of schedules and time constraints.
