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It sounds like she thinks that you are a medical student doing your 3rd or 4th year clinical rotations. Maybe clear up that it is just shadowing (as a pre-med), but then still give the times and dates that would work for you. Thats what I would do.
 
Hi guys,

I've been trying to find a doctor to shadow in the past month and never got any luck finding one who open to shadowing.
Eventually I gave up until I my pre-med advisor gave me this DO's email and said she is open to become a mentor. So I sent her an email asking for her to be my mentor and two days later I got a letter saying that she wants "to know what dates are in question for this rotation."
Could you please explain this to me. What does rotation mean? Like shadowing or something? Please help because I really don't want to mess this up lol.

Thank you


A rotation is usually a term used for 3rd and 4th year medical students. This doctor may be under the assumption that you are a medical student, not an undergraduate looking for shadowing experience. This doc may also simply be used to using the term rotation as she may be used to working with medical students.

Respond by reinforcing that you are a UG and not a medical student and hope that you can still take time to shadow. Also include in the email dates of which you are free and ready to shadow.
 
the above posters are correct...restate that you're a premed interested in applying for med school since some docs are ok with med students in their office (but do not want premeds in there).

it also sounds like she may be using the term rotation loosely. (i.e. I had a DO that I shadowed last year say that I could rotate through his office as much as I needed to..but i clearly wasnt a med student at that point.)


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I did say that I was an undergraduate and told her my major and minor and that I have recently became interested in going into medical school in my email so I don't think she misunderstood :/

I have had this happen before.

I explained to the physician that I was only looking to shadow since I'm a pre-med. She kept thinking shadowing=rotation. "How can you shadow me if you haven't even taken cranial yet? You won't understand what's going on."

That's when I realized some rotations are so horrible that the preceptor thinks rotations are when the med student stands in the corner and just watches.
 
As above posters said, I would relay again that you are a pre-med student in your reponse.
However, her reply came across to me as though she was simply asking you the dates you wanted to shadow her as she did her rounds.
 
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