Are doctors open to HS students shadowing them?

[thepocatomyhontas]

Are doctors "ok" with HS students shadowing them, or do they avoid situations like that? I'm trying to find a pediatric oncologist to shadow, and I'm not sure if they're open to a HS student shadowing them. I don't want to bother anyone. I just want some shadowing experience. I'm not any other HS student. I KNOW I want to be a doctor, but I'm not sure what they will think.

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[Doctor Dream]

I'm sure there are some who wouldn't mind a high school student or any student for that matter shadowing them, you just have to find the right doctor. I never got the impression the doctor's I shadowed cared if I was in high school or college.

 

[superpom_7]

The only way you'll know is to ask. I really wanted to shadow a doctor, but I was only going to try and shadow my physician or my parents' PCP for now, but I didn't bother asking because they're always so busy and my mom is always taking about how hard it is just to get an appointment with them, so I didn't even ask.

 

[PsychPod]

Just lie and say you're a freshman in college.

 

[Time Table]

I tell them that I am a med student on the phone and when I see them in person a few days later and they ask me again, I tell them that I'm a pre-med student. It works every time lol

 

[radkat101]

When I shadowed in college, two EM docs from different places thought I was in high school. I corrected them, but it probably just made me sound like a loser because they didn't seem to see any difference. As long as you don't look like a little kid....

Edit: Oncology might be a different case because of the personal nature of the field. ESPECIALLY peds onc.

EM docs are likely to be much more chill about allowing you to do this. Patients are less likely to even acknowledge your presence which makes the docs more comfortable.

 

[thepocatomyhontas]

When I shadowed in college, two EM docs from different places thought I was in high school. I corrected them, but it probably just made me sound like a loser because they didn't seem to see any difference. As long as you don't look like a little kid....

Edit: Oncology might be a different case because of the personal nature of the field. ESPECIALLY peds onc.

EM docs are likely to be much more chill about allowing you to do this. Patients are less likely to even acknowledge your presence which makes the docs more comfortable.

A couple of my friends actually advised me against shadowing EM doctors.

 

[thepocatomyhontas]

They are in 4th year rotations, and they said that EM doctors are not very welcoming bc they're so busy.

 

[radkat101]

They are in 4th year rotations, and they said that EM doctors are not very welcoming bc they're so busy.

That's because they are rotating at busy teaching hospitals where all docs are busy teaching med students and residents. That type of scenario would play out in just about any field of medicine. You need to find a community hospital or maybe even a doc working out of an urgent care (they are all over the place now) where you are likely to find greater success.

 

[EMDO2018]

Are doctors "ok" with HS students shadowing them, or do they avoid situations like that? I'm trying to find a pediatric oncologist to shadow, and I'm not sure if they're open to a HS student shadowing them. I don't want to bother anyone. I just want some shadowing experience. I'm not any other HS student. I KNOW I want to be a doctor, but I'm not sure what they will think.

If you're privileged enough they will let you shadow.

 

[sonofva]

When I shadowed in college, two EM docs from different places thought I was in high school. I corrected them, but it probably just made me sound like a loser because they didn't seem to see any difference. As long as you don't look like a little kid....

Edit: Oncology might be a different case because of the personal nature of the field. ESPECIALLY peds onc.

EM docs are likely to be much more chill about allowing you to do this. Patients are less likely to even acknowledge your presence which makes the docs more comfortable.

I didn't find peds onc to be more personal than other specialties. In fact peds onc patients and their families are often more open to talk about their conditions because going to the infusion center is so much just a part of everyday life. Also they often Are trying to raise awareness. Peds onc is really nothing like most people think!



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[radkat101]

I didn't find peds onc to be more personal than other specialties. In fact peds onc patients and their families are often more open to talk about their conditions because going to the infusion center is so much just a part of everyday life. Also they often Are trying to raise awareness. Peds onc is really nothing like most people think!



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I didn't really mean personal in regards to the subject matter, I was thinking more along the lines of how comfortable the doc would be with a high school student standing around. I could be totally wrong about peds onc, but I would think certain environments, like emergency departments and free clinics are better to shadow because you can blend with the crowd better. One of the biggest reasons doctors say no to shadowing is because they aren't comfortable explaining to every patient who the shadowee is.

 

[RTC19]

I am fairly certain that doctors would be alright with a high school student shadowing them. Just be sure to act professional when you call.

In regards to shadowing in Hem/Onc, I am actually set to shadow an adult medical oncologist this coming week. My assumption is that pedi onc would be welcoming as well.

Good luck to you, OP.

 

[Beargryllz]

If they aren't, they should be

 

[thepocatomyhontas]

@RespectTheChemistry19 Thank you!

 

[RTC19]

@RespectTheChemistry19 Thank you!

Anytime. Please feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

 

[thepocatomyhontas]

@RespectTheChemistry19 Thanks so much! You were really helpful. It says I can't PM you ("you may not start a conversation with RespectTheChemistry19"), so could you try PMing me? I have a question for you already lol.

 

[RTC19]

@RespectTheChemistry19 Thanks so much! You were really helpful. It says I can't PM you ("you may not start a conversation with RespectTheChemistry19"), so could you try PMing me? I have a question for you already lol.

Hmmm...That's odd. I wonder why it the system is being goofy.

Just sent you a PM right now!

 

[Law2Doc]

If they aren't, they should be

Meh. I get the need for college students shadowing, but high school isn't high yield enough to be worth the inconvenience. We all know like 95% of those who show up to college planning to be premed won't be applying to med school four years later. What's the rush?

 

[Beth_W737]

Plus for applying to med school value of hs shadowing is slim to none.


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[Law2Doc]

Plus for applying to med school value of hs shadowing is slim to none.


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Agreed. On the application, your life doesn't begin until college -- nothing prior matters.

 

[hmockingbird]

Private practice - sure. If the doctor works for a hospital, it might not be up to them. A lot of hospitals I have worked/shadowed at have a rule that you need to be 18 to shadow because of HIPAA concerns (I think they want you to be legally old enough to sign a HIPAA agreement, or something like that). Of course, that wouldn't exclude high schoolers who are 18.

 

[Beargryllz]

Meh. I get the need for college students shadowing, but high school isn't high yield enough to be worth the inconvenience. We all know like 95% of those who show up to college planning to be premed won't be applying to med school four years later. What's the rush?

Plan accordingly

That is what they tell me anyway.

Preparation, exposure, knowledge, all good things

 

[bonedoc82]

Email doctors in your local area and explain to them that you are interested in applying. If that dosent work, call your local hospital to see if you can volunteer (then you can approach doctors as you meet them and ask for shadowing). You may have to email 5-10 people before someone gets back to you.

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[chomperz22]

I've shadowed many physicians before. The key is just to be professional and polite. Express your interest in their field and work and ask for any potential opportunities to work with them at THEIR convenience. I've shadowed heart surgeons, endocrinologists, neurosurgeons, oncologists, etc. I had a bit of luck with the oncologist because he happened to be my mom's oncologist but nonetheless I was still polite and eager for any information or advice he could give me.

I can tell you that I have seen many university students ruin their shadowing experiences by taking for granted what they were given and pretending that they were the physician. If the doctor does accept you to shadow them, go over how they expect you to shadow. When I shadowed an endocrinologist who was in private practice, she would review the next patient's case with me and then ask me to wait in her office so she can ask the patient if they would be okay with a high school student observing their visit. Most said yes, some said no. Either way, you have to respect their practice and their ways.

Hope that helps!

 

[BuckyBadger!]

The surgeon I shadowed in HS was the ENT who did my own surgery, several surgeries actually. I knew him very well personally. In HS, I would try to stick to surgeons/physicians you know. I agree with previous posters who say that it is more important during college. Try volunteering at a hospital as well/instead.

 

[OddNath]

Plan accordingly

That is what they tell me anyway.

Preparation, exposure, knowledge, all good things

See, I'm not sure what knowledge and preparation you would get from many shadowing experiences. In many contexts, sure, you'll see a physician speaking with a family, doing an exam, and coming up with a plan.

But the actual heavy lifting here isn't what you can necessarily see. It's thinking through disease processes, going through drug mechanisms in your head, weighing pros and cons of various testing with different sensitivities and specificities. It's these sorts of things that allow the doc to answer the family's questions and make the plan. And unless the person you're shadowing has a bunch of time to explain these things, you may as well have watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Plus, many of us do not have much experience in explaining this stuff efficiently to someone who might not have taken intro biology yet (this happened the other day).

Not to mention that, as others have said, it doesn't really "look good" to so shadowing at this point- I've helped with admissions on the med school side, and we are much more interested in someone with actual passion for something (teaching, cultural studies, whatever), than some number of hours logged shadowing in high school.

At this stage of the game, I would recommend using your free time to do something where you can actually contribute in some way, and get exposed to a variety of human interactions in the process:

- Working a job with any amount of human interaction. This includes becoming some sort of tech (or translator!!) in college, where you can kill 2 birds with one stone and earn some money Be a ski instructor. Anything like this will likely build maturity and teach you to deal with difficult personalities.
- Volunteering in *anything* which interests you. If you're actually passionate about it, this can be a wonderful conversation to have during an interview later. Helping kids repair computers, tutoring in prison, even newborn nurseries will often have volunteers around as extra hands to feed babies.
- Leadership in your school. Take charge of something, follow it through.

These are just my thoughts as someone who was once in high school, did admissions in medical school, and is now a resident. The way I see it, your time is precious, try to make your experiences high yield!

 

[barsoum.michael]

I shadowed a neurosurgeon this summer and I'm only going to be a senior. I got to see some incredible surgeries and learned a lot. You just have to contact any doctors

 

[bonedoc82]

Email like 10 different people (of course change the title and subject body a little) and out of those 10, 1-2 people should email you back. Good luck! Remember we are very busy, sometimes it takes a little persistence (repeat emails)



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[HjadeK]

Say youre a med student.

 

[Law2Doc]

Just start volunteering in a hospital or clinic while in high school. That's enough exposure at that stage. Once you are a premed in college shadowing becomes much more important, and doctors will take you much more seriously once you survive a culling of the premed herd.

 

[Dr.TonySoprano]

sure. it's not like undergrads have much more medical knowledge than a high school student.

 

[Ashers]

My community actually has a program developed over the last several years where several (maybe 10 or so) local high schoolers shadow doctors for about 5 weeks. They're assigned to work with a certain specialty over that 5 weeks. One problem that we noticed is there is a wide range in maturity of the high schoolers -- some asked age appropriate questions and seemed interested, and some seemed bored out of their minds and couldn't think of any sort of question to ask, made innappropriate comments, and just wanted to leave and enjoy summer -- taking that spot away from someone who might have benefited from it. I was really excited to be involved in this, since this is the community where I had gone to high school.

When I interviewed for medical school at my state school, I was asked, "Why doesn't your high school prepare you better for med school? You're only the 2nd person to apply from that school in the last several years." I don't remember what I said, but I remember thinking that was weird, and I probably didn't want to go to that school.

It doesn't hurt to ask about shadowing. Maybe ask your pediatrician as a starting place.

Edit: At the end of the 5 weeks at a formal dinner with parents and preceptors, the students present a small presentation about something they learned about in the specialty they shadowed. I was on call and couldn't make it to the dinner.

 

[app1]

Say youre a med student.

Seeing a lot of this on the thread, don't do it. For the 5% of you that end up applying to med school, don't lie for something as unimportant as shadowing in high school. Medicine is a small world.

 

[grapp]

Are doctors "ok" with HS students shadowing them, or do they avoid situations like that? I'm trying to find a pediatric oncologist to shadow, and I'm not sure if they're open to a HS student shadowing them. I don't want to bother anyone. I just want some shadowing experience. I'm not any other HS student. I KNOW I want to be a doctor, but I'm not sure what they will think.

I've shadowed family medicine, internal medicine, and general surgery... All of which were super friendly doctors, and although I'm a high school student one of them accidentally called me a med student. xD Lol, of course I corrected him but thanked him for the compliment... I teased him about it a little. Hi how are you doing Mr. and Mrs. so and so, I have a med student (my name), here shadowing me today. Then he realized the mistake! Lol There are a lot of nice doctors, in general surgery we had an emergency tracheotomy where the surgical tech told me to move... But of course, there was a reason for this. Many doctors that I have met don't mind one single bit.

 

[tealover30]

I shadowed an ENT at the Johns Hopkins Hospital as a rising senior. Amazing experience, but the nurses were stingy. The residents were amazing, but the experience was downgraded by how the professionals stared at me oddly. Highly recommend just asking through email or call.

 

[barsoum.michael]

I shadowed a neurosurgeon starting in my summer of junior year in high school. It was amazing watching surgeries and all

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