what to wear for shadowing?

Started by capn jazz
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capn jazz

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I'm shadowing an OBGYN in clinic tomorrow - would a polo and nice capris and shoes be okay, or should I wear long pants or a non-polo shirt? I'm a girl.

edit - for you newcomers to the thread - look at the date this was posted. august 2008. there's no worry about capris versus pants anymore 😉
 
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I would wear a polo and khakis there, but they might have you throw on some scrubs when you get there (that's what happened for me, but it only happened for 3 out of 4 doctors that I shadowed so who knows).
 
Business casual would be best: A pair of slacks and button down shirt. Capris and a nice blouse would be ok too, IMHO.
 
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I can't think of any specifics but just try to ask a lot of questions for your sake and for the sake of the doc you're going around with. They don't want to have some uninterested kid following them around all day; it would probably be annoying and you'll learn much more that way anyway.
 
depends. I was shadowing an internist (who my family has known for years), and she was fine with me in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops, but shadowed another doctor in a more academic/hospital related setting, I had to be in slacks and white coat. Just ask the person you're shadowing maybe how they expect you to dress?
 
I think polo shirt is fine, but I would recommend against capris. Go with long pants. It's simply more professional.

In terms of questions to ask, I would perhaps ask why they chose this specialty, what are the best things and most difficult things about it, what sort of skills or personality attributes s/he thinks an OBGYN should have, can s/he describe an average day or week in their practice, what other specialties they seriously considered, etc.
 
sunny1 said:
I think polo shirt is fine, but I would recommend against capris. Go with long pants. It's simply more professional.

In terms of questions to ask, I would perhaps ask why they chose this specialty, what are the best things and most difficult things about it, what sort of skills or personality attributes s/he thinks an OBGYN should have, can s/he describe an average day or week in their practice, what other specialties they seriously considered, etc.
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I figured about the capris, which is unfortunate because it's so hot out...

Those are all really good question ideas! I usually just clam up and can't think of anything remotely eloquent or interesting to ask.
 
Also, I've only shadowed in a teaching hospital, so there's always an entire huge team there as well, which makes it even more awkward for me to ask simple questions without wasting their time while they're rounding.
 
capn jazz said:
Also, I've only shadowed in a teaching hospital, so there's always an entire huge team there as well, which makes it even more awkward for me to ask simple questions without wasting their time while they're rounding.
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I did some in an enormous hospital. It was an ER though so there was no rounding, but the residents had to tell the attending about every patient so it was kind of perpetual rounding as people were coming and going. The residents there were really good about talking to me as well as him. they'd tell him everything he needed to know and then explain what was going on a bit to me and eventually I'd make my way to the room with the attending. I think they may have been so nice because i was shadowing the director of their program though :laugh:.

Unless you check this this morning I'll be to late to give advice on questions, but as a general rule ask about things you want to know. Ask them about school, and the application process, what sucked what didn't. What are the plus's and minus's of the specialty. Why and when they chose it. If you are comfortable with the setting you can ask about other things like the uninsured and such. There was a DO there once when I was shadowing and he seemed nice enough so I asked him about that and got his perspective. (The answers from docs tend to be better than the ones from Pre-Allo [no offense everyone]). Have a good time.
 
luckily, it was just me and the Dr. so I got to ask lots of questions... I might even be observing a delivery in a week or two!
 
If you happen to know how the doctor dresses, I would suggest doing the same. Granted I'm a guy but when I shadowed I dressed similar to the doc and there was no issue. He wore slacks, shirt and tie so I wore slacks shirt and tie.
 
Hijack: What would you wear to shadow at a derm private practice (in this case, the owner)? Would a sportcoat be too much?
 
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ceasefire said:
Hijack: What would you wear to shadow at a derm private practice (in this case, the owner)? Would a sportcoat be too much?
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Slacks and a button down shirt have never failed me, and in fact I've been used as an example for khaki wearing premeds (awkward!). A vest or sweater over your shirt is good if it's cooler weather. Picture a JCrew catalog.

A suit jacket or sportcoat is always too much in my experience (unless you're interviewing), especially in AZ this time of year. If you're uncomfortable leaving it at home, take it with you. I did this the first time I shadowed, but I ended up leaving it draped over my chair in the physician workroom.
 
When I shadowed a family friend, he didn't care what I wore[I wore a black tshirt and jeans], but when my sister saw she yelled at me and told me to wear some dress clothes.

Next week, I wore a button up shirt and some dress pants I got from express, no tie and when I came into work to shadow, the nurse practitioner was telling me I look very professional now and that it doesn't matter what I wore, but this look made me look mature and more presentable to the patients.
 
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I second the dressing at the same formal-ness as the doctor you are shadowing idea. It's probably a little rude to consistently be overdressed compared to the doctor you are shadowing.
 
Doctor didn't specify: Button up, tie, oxfords, khakis or slacks.
Doctor specified: Whatever they want.

Every doc which I shadowed wanted Business casual, even if I was changing into scrubs ~5 minutes after getting there.

EDIT: The doctor wont care about you overdressing him... Lol He may however dislike that a person he's doing a favor for is dressing unprofessional like.
 
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+1 on the slacks and button down shirt (both male and female). Pretend you are going to an office job. Also good Qs include residency/attending hours, quality of life, consults vs procedure ration, why OB/GYNs perpetually score the lowest on the physician "happiness" scale (well ok maybe not the last one although its true).
 
I wouldn't wear the capris. Go business casual unless the doc tells you otherwise. One of the specialists I work with has said that he has sent residents/med students home because they were not dressed professional while working in his office.

You can always ask the doctor what he/she requires as a dress code once you get there, but don't show up there looking too casual especially on the first day.
 
I wore a shirt and tie, and the doctor requested I wear a white coat. He wore a polo shirt and jeans in the hospital, so I'm not sure if there is a uniform etiquette. Just don't look like a schlub, don't wear a tuxedo or wedding dress, shave, look nice, and feel confident.
 
I always wore shirt/tie, khaki"s, brown shoes. I was usually given scrubs or a medical student coat the wear 😀.
 
I'm shadowing a doctor tomorrow and I'm planning to go business casual, although I do have a pair of scrubs from working as an MA. In my experience, business casual has always been my default dress for work and interviews, unless I'm told otherwise. I used to be a teacher so many of the clothes I had for that job work well for interviews and shadow experiences.
 
capn jazz said:
Sounds good. Any ideas on things I should ask an ob/gyn about?
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When shadowing, the most important thing is to understand what is going on right now. Why are you doing X? Why wouldn't you do Y? How will you do Z? Pay attention and actively make up questions, and they'll appreciate it.
 
marlostanfield said:
When shadowing, the most important thing is to understand what is going on right now. Why are you doing X? Why wouldn't you do Y? How will you do Z? Pay attention and actively make up questions, and they'll appreciate it.
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If you're shadowing as a pre-med, you're not there to learn medicine but to see what the profession is like. Asking so many questions would require the doctor to provide rather lengthy explanations. Remember that the visit is for the patient. If you're talking a lot or the doctor has to talk to you a lot, it might take time away from the patient.

However, having a few, sporadic, and short questions, might be a good to show that you're interested in what is happening. I would generally save the questions for the time in between patient visits.
 
PlasticBag said:
If you're shadowing as a pre-med, you're not there to learn medicine but to see what the profession is like. Asking so many questions would require the doctor to provide rather lengthy explanations. Remember that the visit is for the patient. If you're talking a lot or the doctor has to talk to you a lot, it might take time away from the patient.

However, having a few, sporadic, and short questions, might be a good to show that you're interested in what is happening. I would generally save the questions for the time in between patient visits.
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I agree. Asking too many questions will take away from the duties the Dr has to do during the appointment and in-between appointments. It's best to observe and maybe ask a question or two when the Dr isn't busy.
 
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