Help! Trouble finding a DO to shadow

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spaceman

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I've been trying to find a DO to shadow for several weeks now and I have not gotten back any replies and just getting the run around which upsets me a lot. I received a list of all the DOs in my county from AOA and don't know where else to go. I tried that mentor service and still got no luck. I want to gain a better understanding of the profession and I know that adcoms really would like a letter from one to show that. I even ran into a DO student who recommended me to a doctor he interned with and still nothing. I understand many doctors are busy but I don't know what to do at this point because I really am interested in osetopathic medicine. I'm jsut frustrated. I don't know how other people found shadowing opportunities. If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it very much.

Thanks
 
I live in Nassau County in NY. I was planning on submitting my AACOMAS application next week.
 
So you live about 15 seconds away from NYCOM? Have you called them up?

Do you have any clinical experience as a volunteer or anything? Is there a big hospital with an ER where you could volunteer/work?

I got killer letters of recommendation from one of our nurses, and one of our DO's, when I was just a volunteer. Probably my two best letters (based on length, and the fact that these two people probably knew me better than any other letter-writers... I never actually read them). Its a little late in the game for you to be thinking about this.
 
Yeah I called NYCOM back in June, and they said that they don't give info about doctors. The woman I spoke with referred me to AOA to get info. As for experience, I volunteered at my local hospital during high school. I worked as an EMT for a year then quit to do a post-bac at Stony Brook. And while taking courses at Stony Brook, I helped out an MD with research at the medical center who did write a letter for me. I know its late but considering a 2.9 science gpa because of a really bad start when I first started college, I figured I could use a letter from a DO to help improve my application.
 
Are you getting a letter from the MD? That might be good enough at a lot of places.
 
spaceman said:
I live in Nassau County in NY. I was planning on submitting my AACOMAS application next week.
Click to expand...

Hey I'm in suffolk county. I've had no luck finding a DO to shadow either. I've left messages with tons of them whose names I got off the AOA website without success. Let me know if you have any better luck.

I could definitely used a good DO LOR too. Oh well.
 
Yeah the MD wrote me a letter. I guess it could do
 
Sure no problem. I'll let you know if I hear anything from someone.
 
TexasTriathlete said:
Are you getting a letter from the MD? That might be good enough at a lot of places.
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I am having hard time finding a DO too, but I got an MD to shadow now. Do you think they will accept MD LOR for DO schools?
 
hey i live around that area.

What you can do is try to volunteer at a NYCOM affiliated hospital (LIJ Manhasset, many others go to wikipedia or their website). This would help, talk to a DO there (maybe even ask the volunteer coordinator that you would like to volunteer with a DO because you are interested in becoming an osteopathic physician), work with him/her. He/she will probably write you one.

Another thing you can do is look for any private practice DO. And go to their office and ask them you want to shadow them. Don't ask them on the phone. No one is going to turn down free labor and a person who can answer calls/ get them their lunch for free... Maybe even walk their dog 😛

I chose option one, but both would work
 
Last edited:
a817 said:
No one is going to turn down free labor and a person who can answer calls/ get them their lunch for free... Maybe even walk their dog 😛
Click to expand...

Dear Admissions Committee:

John will be an asset to your school and to the profession. He gets my sandwich and coffee right nearly every time, and boy does he know his way around a pooper scooper.
 
if those other options don't wory for you, I would recommend making an appointment with a DO. If you're a female, maybe make a gyn appointment with a DO, or whatever else, and while you're in there talk to them about how you're applying etc. Ask if they would be willing to let you shadow. Also, go to the nycom website and look up their faculty that teach in the department of family medicine. Email/call/show up at their offices. Many of them are in private practice on the side, and they LOVE having people shadow. That's what I did here at PCOM.
 
Chocolate Bear said:
Dear Admissions Committee:

John will be an asset to your school and to the profession. He gets my sandwich and coffee right nearly every time, and boy does he know his way around a pooper scooper.
Click to expand...

haha, hey some people had to get them their lunch!!! i never had to walk their dog thank god lol
 
I don't know what I could be doing wrong. I simply call the office, state that I am a pre-med student who is interested in becoming a DO and would like a shadowing opportunity. In response they say they will take my message and pass it to the doctor. After a day or two I follow up and say the doctor is busy and will get back to you and again get no phone call. I even ran into a DO who recommended me to a doctor he knew and told him that he referred me and still no phone call. So I just emailed the osteopathic.org site for help and I think I will just visit the office to speak to them directly. It's frustrating but I appreciate all your help guys. Thanks
 
I called a lot of DOs and they got back to me, but if calling doesn't work sometimes going to their office helps. Some doctors have a harder time saying no to someone when the person is actually waiting in their office.
 
spaceman said:
I don't know what I could be doing wrong. I simply call the office, state that I am a pre-med student who is interested in becoming a DO and would like a shadowing opportunity. In response they say they will take my message and pass it to the doctor. After a day or two I follow up and say the doctor is busy and will get back to you and again get no phone call. I even ran into a DO who recommended me to a doctor he knew and told him that he referred me and still no phone call.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY the same thing that keeps happening to me. Maybe we're calling the same doctors.
 
spaceman said:
I don't know what I could be doing wrong. I simply call the office, state that I am a pre-med student who is interested in becoming a DO and would like a shadowing opportunity. In response they say they will take my message and pass it to the doctor. After a day or two I follow up and say the doctor is busy and will get back to you and again get no phone call. I even ran into a DO who recommended me to a doctor he knew and told him that he referred me and still no phone call. So I just emailed the osteopathic.org site for help and I think I will just visit the office to speak to them directly. It's frustrating but I appreciate all your help guys. Thanks
Click to expand...


Right there with you Spaceman..also from nassau county, and i tried calling every DO on AOA and i called NYCOM to see if they get direct me to a recent graduate. I had no luck, im applying without a letter, ive heard of people getting in without one before.
 
Stversko said:
Right there with you Spaceman..also from nassau county, and i tried calling every DO on AOA and i called NYCOM to see if they get direct me to a recent graduate. I had no luck, im applying without a letter, ive heard of people getting in without one before.
Click to expand...

The CIB is scary because from what I see, all the schools I want to apply to with the exception of PCOM, UMDNJ, NYCOM and UNECOM say they require one, and NYCOM and UNECOM say "strongly recommended" which really means required.

**** what a stupid requirement. I understand them wanting students to meet with DOs but requiring a LOR from someone who really doesn't know you and really will have no idea if you have what it takes to succeed is just stupid.

How much time do you have to spend with a DO before you can ask for a LOR?
 
spaceman said:
I've been trying to find a DO to shadow for several weeks now and I have not gotten back any replies and just getting the run around which upsets me a lot. I received a list of all the DOs in my county from AOA and don't know where else to go. I tried that mentor service and still got no luck. I want to gain a better understanding of the profession and I know that adcoms really would like a letter from one to show that. I even ran into a DO student who recommended me to a doctor he interned with and still nothing. I understand many doctors are busy but I don't know what to do at this point because I really am interested in osetopathic medicine. I'm jsut frustrated. I don't know how other people found shadowing opportunities. If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it very much.

Thanks
Click to expand...
There are tons of DOs in the city. Or you could call Tuoro-NY, the director is helpful in recommending a doctor to shadow in your vicinity.
 
You can shadow me in a few years. I'll write you a good LOR.


Honestly though, docs should know how hard it is for us. I hope I'm always one to help out where I can.
 
GAH i'm still having no luck. I e-mailed that address without a response, and even though I was supposed to meet this DO at her practice, I keep getting blown off. Three times now, shes schedualed a time with me, I arrange to be available during those times whether it means taking time off from work or arranging to be near her office, and then an hour before I'm supposed to go meet her I get the call saying that something came up and she can't do it.

Its getting really frustrating that I keep getting blown off because she isn't going to get to bill me for this visit 😡 😡. Don't make an appointment with me that you can't keep 😡😡. I get I'm not a high priority for this woman but come on, give me a little respect here.

Don't even get me started on the radiologist who told me I could shadow but then mysteriously went AWOL on me.


We only need to have DO letters by the time secondaries are being sent in though right? I'm don't see myself having one by the time my school's premed committee submits their packet.
 
Try to find something common between you and a DO. If you are asian, call an asian doctor and identify indirectly with your name, or if you know which college he went to, tell him that you are applying for that school.....
 
SaharaGirl said:
Try to find something common between you and a DO. If you are asian, call an asian doctor and identify indirectly with your name
Click to expand...


"Hey I'm asian and I see you are too. There are only a few billion of us in the world and the two of us must be the only asians on the planet interested in medicine. Thats so cool right? We're both asian so we have so much in common. I know thats how my friend got to shadow a white doctor, because he was white too! They were both so impressed with the whiteness of the other that they went to abercrombie and fitch and bought matching A&F t-shirts!"


By the way I'm white. And most of the time when I call the doctors offices, I don't actually get to speak with the doctors, just the assistants who say no.
 
engineeredout said:
The CIB is scary because from what I see, all the schools I want to apply to with the exception of PCOM, UMDNJ, NYCOM and UNECOM say they require one, and NYCOM and UNECOM say "strongly recommended" which really means required.

**** what a stupid requirement. I understand them wanting students to meet with DOs but requiring a LOR from someone who really doesn't know you and really will have no idea if you have what it takes to succeed is just stupid.

How much time do you have to spend with a DO before you can ask for a LOR?
Click to expand...

I know people who interviewed at NYCOM without a DO rec. It is definitely not the end of the world there. Touro NY, an MD rec is fine. But i would still try to find a DO.

Good luck
 
engineeredout said:
"
By the way I'm white. And most of the time when I call the doctors offices, I don't actually get to speak with the doctors, just the assistants who say no.
Click to expand...

Some how I got the cell number of the DO I am working with. She is very nice, and calls me back when there are changes in schedule, and doesn't mind me calling her back at 10:00pm 🙂
 
I am also having trouble I have called and emailed DO in Alaska and no luck
 
I have the same problem too. I'm thinking of just going to the office personally and ask for the doctor. It's a lot harder to say "no" face-to-face.
 
TriagePreMed said:
I have the same problem too. I'm thinking of just going to the office personally and ask for the doctor. It's a lot harder to say "no" face-to-face.
Click to expand...

They'll treat you like a sales rep if you do that, or likely that's what they'll do. Best of luck, but it's possible the front staff won't even let you speak to them. Do you guys have any friends who are physicians, or friends of friends?? Otherwise, I suggest volunteering at a local hospital and going through the list and start going up in person after your volunteer shift and asking in person if they'll let you shadow them. Alternate to that, ask your own family physician for a recommendation of a person to shadow, or if you can shadow them.

Additionally, hkebbie, I posted a thread a while back that has ALL the DO schools' requirements for LORs. It will be of use: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=798289
 
SBB2016 said:
They'll treat you like a sales rep if you do that, or likely that's what they'll do. Best of luck, but it's possible the front staff won't even let you speak to them. Do you guys have any friends who are physicians, or friends of friends?? Otherwise, I suggest volunteering at a local hospital and going through the list and start going up in person after your volunteer shift and asking in person if they'll let you shadow them. Alternate to that, ask your own family physician for a recommendation of a person to shadow, or if you can shadow them.

Additionally, hkebbie, I posted a thread a while back that has ALL the DO schools' requirements for LORs. It will be of use: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=798289
Click to expand...

Would they really? I thought they'd respect more someone interested enough to go all the way to them to ask for shadowing? I'm doing ED volunteering and I've only seen MD on the roster.
 
spaceman said:
I don't know what I could be doing wrong. I simply call the office, state that I am a pre-med student who is interested in becoming a DO and would like a shadowing opportunity. In response they say they will take my message and pass it to the doctor. After a day or two I follow up and say the doctor is busy and will get back to you and again get no phone call. I even ran into a DO who recommended me to a doctor he knew and told him that he referred me and still no phone call. So I just emailed the osteopathic.org site for help and I think I will just visit the office to speak to them directly. It's frustrating but I appreciate all your help guys. Thanks
Click to expand...

I didn't call them. instead I wrote a short letter explaining that i wanna shadow you, why I need to shadow you ... and put the letter in an envelope and dropped it off at their offices, or mailed them. This way I was sure that the doc would have read my letter.
 
I looked up my local hospital list and saw the D.O.'s that practice there or go there part-time to see their patients from their private practice. Got their numbers and called. Needless to say, it didn't work. So what I did do, was go to their offices, talk to the doctors themselves (not the nurse/secretary) and state the facts -- "Hello Dr. Derp, I'm Herp, looking to get a LOR because I'm applying this D.O. cycle." -- that worked. Being straight forward with them always works.
 
I did a lot of cold calling and that got me no where. I finally decided to write letters and attached my resume. I sent 10 out to various DOs in the area and a day later I already had 2 offices calling me back. It was so fast! I wasted so much time just waiting around for doctors to call me back. I'm pretty sure the receptionists never even passed the message along.

If you walk in to the office you'll probably only see the receptionist and won't be able to see the doctor face to face. You might get lucky and speak with the office manager who might set it up for you. Chances are slim..

When the doctors asked me how I found out about them I told them I got there info from the AOA website and they looked so clueless at me... I guess some doctors don't even know that their info is available out in the open for random students like us to find them.

Good luck!
 
Several people have tried this, and it doesn't always work, and the people aren't always willing to take shadows. Triage, give it a shot, I just hope you can get past the secretary/receptionists, I think the ideas with the letters are good, the doc I shadowed they taped the stuff to his office door, so if they'd be willing to do that maybe the Dr would look at it... Any try is better than none... Best of luck, put on the shiny happy face and sell yourself, hopefully they'll say yes!!!
 
I've used the "find a DO" search engine a few times. I've probably emailed over thirty doctors from that website (I'm from Nassau County, NY), and have had only one doctor reply. He was a total flake... He gave me his number, I called, left three messages and he never called me back.

The best way to shadow any professional, whether it be law, medicine, research etc, is to be up front and just keep going. Took me over 40 emails to find a research position (eventually did, at Vanderbilt). Volunteered in a local ER and after a while I grew the b*lls to ask to shadow one of the attendings (happened to be a DO, turned me onto osteopathic medicine) and then afterwards, for an internship requirement for school I literally googled "doctor" and entered my zipcode on GoogleMaps and called/emailed ever practice I could until someone responded or called me back. All three ended up writing me excellent letters, and they were very supportive (one even let me write my own LOR, which he edited and signed).

It seems like it takes forever, and sometimes it does, but it's worth it and most of the time necessary. Good luck.
 
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