summer clinical experience/networking tips?

[Lady Netter]

I would like to put together some clinical experiences this summer, but I'm not sure what would be the best thing to do, and I would appreciate a student's perspective. I'm hopefully doing research this summer, but my PI is allowing one day a week to do something clinically related. I want to get exposed to different parts of medicine and just see what it's like and what they do, but is there a way to efficiently structure shadowing and make it more than just following around? How can I make the most out of this summer? What are some things that you have done that you liked? The program is 10 weeks, so I probably have 10 days to do stuff.

I have read about the importance of a mentor, and I have a school-assigned mentor, but I was hoping to maybe find another one that I feel more comfortable with and one I feel like I can ask the questions I might not want to ask to a mentor who might be writing LORs later. Any advice on this? How do people find mentors?

Thanks!

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[VivaLaVida]

Ask around and see who will actually let you do things instead of shadowing. I did a clinical experience for five weeks straight over the summer and generally, if I was following someone for one day I was basically shadowing. If I followed someone for a couple of days, by day two, they were like, "Uh...you are supposed to see this patient alone first. What more information do you need from me? Come find me after you've done the history and brief physical." Basically, I think you would get more out of picking one or two specialities and forming more of a relationship with the doctors so they know you and trust you.