Questions during shadowing

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TheCzechShrek

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So I've shadowed my current podiatrist twice and am currently setting up shadowing with a new podiatrist as well. I've seen some great things from both the first two experiences I have with my first Doctor and definitely picked up quite a bit, but at the same time I feel like I was rather quiet the whole time (he even cracked a joke that I was basically acting like a fly on the wall I was so quite after one patient joked that I hadn't said anything, in good spirit though).

The doctor I shadowed was pretty busy each time (45 patients first time, and i believe 50ish the second both between 9am-4pm, excluding lunch) so I felt like if I asked a bunch of questions it would have knocked him off his concentration, but at the end of the day the second time he mentioned at the end something along the lines of "hey don't worry about throwing out questions in-between patients if you come back again", so I kinda feel like I'm losing an opportunity to really pick his brain.

At the same time though, I'm having some trouble coming up with good questions, so I wanted to see what all everyone here has focused on or made sure to bring up during their shadowing, or wish they could have asked?

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Questions that I've asked, from what I can remember ( I asked way more than this lol):

Podiatry
  • why podiatry?
  • if you had to chance to go back in time, would you still choose podiatry? why or why not?
  • With your experience in the field, do you believe podiatry will have a bright and prosperous future?
  • In society, there is a negative outlook on podiatrists as being "not real doctors", due to the lower requirements, etc. Have you ever faced peers/patients who looked down at your profession?
  • What do you love about podiatry? what do you hate about it?
Education
  • Why did you go to [enter pod school name]?
  • do you feel like you learned enough at your school?
  • was there something you didn't like about it? What did you like about it?
  • Have you heard about the residency shortage? do you think it will eventually get better in the next couple of years?
Finance
  • Do you make enough money to live comfortably?
  • Was it difficult when you first started out?
  • how did you end up with the clinic you have today?
  • Podiatry is a very diverse profession - he/she could work in hospitals, have a private practice or join a group practice. if he/she has gone through different job environments, which one does he/she prefer?
Practice - this is more of a case by case basis
  • Have you ever been sued? if yes- how did you deal with it?
  • Do you prefer to work at the clinic or perform surgery? if you had the option, would you pick one over the other?
  • ask what kind of surgeries he/she has performed over the years
    • were there any peculiar/interesting cases that you remember?
  • How do you deal with impatient/rude patients?
  • have you ever had any drug-seeking patients?
  • if the podiatrist shows you a pre- and post- X-rays:
    • How long was the surgery?
    • ask them to explain the process
    • are there any complications? have you dealt with complications before? if so, how did you manage to fix it?
    • ask about the healing process
      • has there been times where the patient could not heal properly? if so, what did you do next to help the patient out?
  • if you see something interesting on the patient's feet, such as infections, then after you leave the room, ask him/her questions about it
    • How bad was the infection?
    • what could they have done to prevent it?
    • what would be the next step?

I don't really like asking questions when the patient is in the room as well. I just don't want to put him in a situation where he doesn't feel comfortable talking about it in front of the patient. Fortunately, my podiatrist was not scared to talk to me about the patient's condition and the treatments he used to fix it while the patient was in the room.

Do not be afraid to ask questions. It may not look like it, but they expect you to ask . It makes it look like you have the passion, aggressiveness, and desire to learn all about podiatry.
 
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In between patients I would stick to questions about the patients you have seen, like asking if they can explain a little about what is causing the patient to have pain, swelling, etc. If it blends in nicely to the conversation, then ask about more general topics such as the ones skim25 listed above. Keeping the discussion focused on the patients could help prevent the doctor from being distracted, if you're concerned about that. If the doctor you are shadowing is very busy and is constantly either in with patients or writing/dictating, it would probably be worthwhile to ask them straight up if they mind if you ask questions in between patients. Some doctors may not like taking the time to answer questions between patients and would prefer to wait until the end of the day.
 
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