Enhanced shadowing, or Fluff?

[Apollo1]

A colleague brought this to my attention (http://www.tampabay.com/news/health...-students-early-taste-of-medical-life/2196504). I couldn't quite determine whether a "program" like this has greater utility than traditional shadowing, or if it is identical to the formerly mentioned, just fluffed up for consumption? I'd be especially interested to see what the adcoms, etc. think of this , in comparison to what they see/went through.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[QofQuimica]

This question is like asking if an SMP or formal post bac is better than a DIY post bac. It's definitely helpful in that it gets you guaranteed exposure to medicine and physicians, and it may help you access other useful premed opportunities or resources as well. But is a formal shadowing program like this necessary, or even "better," than traditional DIY shadowing/clinical volunteering? No. It's not like I'd vote to accept one applicant over another just because one was in this formal shadowing program while the other contacted his own PCP to shadow and set up his own volunteering gig.

 

[Apollo1]

This question is like asking if an SMP or formal post bac is better than a DIY post bac.

Yeah, now that I look at it again, I should have reworded some things. I got the impression that the article was strategically positioning certain phrases (ex. "work on her suturing skills") to insinuate that the participants were gaining something beyond what typical shadowing provides.

 

[QofQuimica]

Yeah, now that I look at it again, I should have reworded some things. I got the impression that the article was strategically positioning certain phrases (ex. "work on her suturing skills") to insinuate that the participants were gaining something beyond what typical shadowing provides.

Learning to suture isn't that big of a deal, and it certainly doesn't give a premed a huge leg up on the med school admissions process. If you want, you can buy a kit online with video instructions for <$20. But unless you practice your suturing skills consistently, you aren't going to get really good at it anyway. I don't think learning to suture is worth the time and effort at your stage unless you have a job that requires you to suture.

Focusing on procedures is the wrong emphasis for premed shadowing experiences anyway. You should be looking for quality experiences that give you access to seeing clinician-patient relationships, and ideally, you want to build a mentoring relationship with one or more physicians. As a premed shadowing, it's these intangible aspects of what physicians do that you're trying to vicariously experience here. Think of it like field work in biology. Unlike suturing, the physician-patient relationship is not something you can learn about from a video or practice on your own at home; you have to physically go and observe the physician and patient in their "natural habitat."

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

What Q said... She's always right...

That said, I don't see anything wrong with the above program if it does what Q outlined. You need a relationship to get LORs, you need experiences to put in your PS/secondaries...