0 Shadowing Hours

[Goro]

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What if an app has hospital volunteering (patient escort/transporting), but no in-person shadowing, only virtual?

Virtual shadowing is OK at Some schools, but OK at others.

 

[spottedcory]

For the record, I'm pretty sure during my interview at a T20 they explained they don't require shadowing since it reflects connections an applicant has, and taking away the requirement leveled the playing field, but I don't know if this was like an official policy or if applicants w/ shadowing were still favored. The person was quite adamant about this but they weren't like dean or not sure if they were even on adcom

An adcom at any school will disagree. With 95% of applicants applying with shadowing, your app will quickly be thrown to the side at any decent school.

 

[MoreSleepPlz]

I had 0 shadowing hours, was not a scribe, did not have clinical employment, and was accepted to 4/5 schools I interviewed at (and WL turned A at the other one). I also had very significant, very unique experience in a different way, so that's why my application wasn't trashed at every school, but I'm sure there were a lot of schools where it wasn't given a second glance because of that. I wonder if I would have gotten into my dream school, who values shadowing highly, if I'd had some. If you do not have something EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT to prove that you know you want to be a physician outside of shadowing/scribing/clinical employment, your chances of acceptance are incredibly slim. Not saying you absolutely cannot get in - as many have mentioned here, everyone knows of an outlier or two. Everybody thinks they'll be the exception...but with something as easy as shadowing, that almost all applicants have, you don't want to be the person in the pile that sticks out. I wish I had found SDN earlier and had the guidance to realize how important it is, but my advisor sucked and I trusted that she knew what she was doing. If I'd known before I applied, I absolutely would have taken a gap year to get shadowing. I know it's frustrating, but you all need to set yourselves up for success and make sure you have the strongest app you possibly can, unless you're willing to spend thousands of dollars two years in a row and have the disadvantage of being a reapplicant next year.

Not necessarily saying this directly to you, OP. It sounds like your job may suffice. I'm just saying, as someone who could be the reason that a school has a 99% rate instead of 100%, that I absolutely regret it and strongly advise against it.

 

[DNAJB6]

Cool. I bet it was the shadowing that made up for that.

I’m just reacting to the knee-jerk black and white answers. It’s best to shadow. There are plenty of nuanced answers on this thread

It’s a seller’s market and the odds are not in your favor. Can you get in without shadowing? Sure, but it will be very difficult unless you have significant clinical exposure such as gap year clinical employment. Many here have reported difficulty getting positions during the pandemic. And I have seen a couple of admissions committee members take the position you should still have independent shadowing hours (50 or so) even if you have scribed for instance.

No clinical exposure = rejection odds > 95%.

 

[SpicyPepper187]

Is it bad that I submitted my application with shadowing as projected only. I’m scheduled for shadowing a couple times in the next month. I have other clinical experience (EMT and MA).

 

[LizzyM]

Is it bad that I submitted my application with shadowing as projected only. I’m scheduled for shadowing a couple times in the next month. I have other clinical experience (EMT and MA).

If you otherwise look good on paper, you might be asked to come in for an interview and then asked about your shadowing and what you've taken away from it.

 

[KnightDoc]

If you otherwise look good on paper, you might be asked to come in for an interview and then asked about your shadowing and what you've taken away from it.

THIS^^^^^^. COVID made it more acceptable this year than it would have been in the past. The whole point is to evidence that you've done a little research into exactly what being a practicing physician is all about. Applying before you have done so kind of misses that point, but, with in person shadowing opportunities being basically non-existent for the past 15 months, it seems reasonable that applicants this cycle will be given a pass, assuming they have something to talk about on a interview.