Shadowing oto at a major medical center as a premed... useful?

[DOCTAfoHIRE]

I have recently obtained a pharmacy position at a major metropolitan medical center associated with a medical school (I am a pharmacy student looking to go to medical school after i finish - hence the pharmacy position). A few days ago I walked into the otolaryngology department on my lunch break and asked for a quick meeting without of the head and neck attendings. Eventually I was able to exchange a few words with an incredibly friendly doctor (who totally made me understand why Ive read that oto's are some of the nicest doctors) who told me that they have a lot of med students rotate through the department but they would be able to arrange some operating room shadowing for me.

My question is: how much time should I put in? He initially asked if I was looking for a week of shadowing (which obviously makes me think that a week would definitely be possible). However, how worth it is it to put in time with a surgeon as a premed? Im assuming I wont get to know him well enough in a week to write a letter of rec for me. And the experience seems like it would be a distant memory if I do get into med school and do decide to apply oto in five years from now.

I dont want it to seem like I expect him to help me get into the associated med school, but would a rather generic letter from a well respected surgeon have any effect on the application process? I would like to just not hesistate and go for it, however I dont live that close to the medical center and would pay a decent price (prolly around 100 dollars) to travel back and forth for a week. I understand that as a med student this may be an incredible opportunity, but is it worth it as a premed?

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[OtoHNS]

Go for it if you are interested- you'll probably see some cool stuff if he's a busy H+N cancer surgeon.

If you really hit it off with him, you could consider asking for a LOR. Just make sure he knows you well enough to write a good one.

 

[nordr]

I would definitely do it. You may not get a letter but may be able to write about the experience later in a personal statement or talk about it in an interview. Also it's always good to expose yourself to new things. I did quite a bit of ENT shadowing as an undergrad and that's what carried my passion for the specialty all the way through med school and now beyond. I'm sure you'll get a 100 dollars worth.

 

[JieLi]

Shadowing opportunities aren't hard to come by once you get to medical school. There are tons of surgeons who have had students shadow them in clinic and the OR and are for the most part glad to have new students.

But if its not gonna be too hard on your schedule, I think its worth it to follow through with this opportunity because its just another experience for you to gain exposure to a field. Getting a letter from a practicing physician is useful for medical school no matter who the physician is (for residency though, you ultimately want someone with a big name who is known in the field). Even if you don't get a letter out of this, you will get an important experience that tells you more about your own interests.

If $100 isn't gonna break the bank, I'd go for it.