All about timing?

Started by AzithromycinFTW
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AzithromycinFTW

AzithromycinFTW

Oh no, it's the pink pill
10+ Year Member
Hello, I am wondering when the best time to do my physician shadowing is?

I still have a few years of undergrad left, and I'm worried that it would be detrimental to shadow and possibly get a LOR too soon. Is there such a thing as "too soon"?

Thanks! 👍
 
Hi,

No, i don't think there's a such thing as too soon.

from my experience, i think it's important to shadow as soon as you can. i shadowed three doctors, one of which i only spent one hour shadowing before i realized i wasn't going to get much from him. let's face it. your time is precious, but so is the doctor you are shadowing. so, what i'd suggest is finding a doctor and finding out what he/she requires from you to get a LOR. some will say that you shadow for a few weeks. some will say for two whole days. a primary care doctor i shadowed wanted me to learn how to take a history from patients. he was going to write a LOR based on how well i took histories. the prospect of learning to take histories was cool, but i had to study for MCAT at the time. i said to myself, my time is better spent on studying. i also shaodwed an urologist and he wanted me to shadow for two whole days. i made to sure to show i was very engaged and ask good questions.

also, depending on where your live, it can be hard to get a doctor to shadow, so it doesn't hurt to find one as soon as you can. if you stlil have a few years left, i would suggest this. find a doctor and build a long term relationship with him. once it's time to apply to med school, give the doctor two months heads up saying you need a LOR. that way they can schedule it ahead of time. you don't watn to ask last minute. that can be bothersome. the longer you know the doctor, the better letter they can write. good luck!
 
AzithromycinFTW said:
Hello, I am wondering when the best time to do my physician shadowing is?

I still have a few years of undergrad left, and I'm worried that it would be detrimental to shadow and possibly get a LOR too soon. Is there such a thing as "too soon"?

Thanks! 👍
Click to expand...

There is not detriment to getting an LOR early. Many people put off getting their LORs until they approach the application cycle. Some find that getting LORs can take a long time and you have to nag some physicians to get them. This can delay their applications. Getting them early will assist in getting your applications in on day 1.

Another reason to shadow, aside from an LOR, is so you can make an informed decision about medicine. It is ideal to work with physicians early and often to get an idea of what medicine is like. I have met a number of premeds and even medical students who have unrealistic expectations of what their career in medicine will be like. Shadowing is doing your homework so you can make a good decision, and so when you interview you can say from experience why you want to be a physician.
 
If you establish a good rapport with your physician mentor the time shouldn't matter. I shadowed between 1st and 2nd year, but didn't ask for the LOR until much later, 3rd year. Before leaving, ask the physician for contact information so that you can contact him or her in the future.
 
Timing isn't everything, i would say it all depend on how well a relationship you develop with the physician. Hence do it early would be good. You may not be able to connect with one doctor but still have time to look for another one that could provide you with better LoRs.

I personally did not seek shadowing until November of the application cycle, but spent two weeks intensively with a D.O physician. He was able to write a very good LoR for me helping me get into some schools 😉

So yeah, thinking back, that wasn't the brightest idea. If I had not connect well with that physician, I would've been screwed. So, do it early and build good relation :laugh:
 
AzithromycinFTW said:
Hello, I am wondering when the best time to do my physician shadowing is?

I still have a few years of undergrad left, and I'm worried that it would be detrimental to shadow and possibly get a LOR too soon. Is there such a thing as "too soon"?

Thanks! 👍
Click to expand...
Ask the physician not to date the LOR, problem solved.
 
I would like to thank everyone for their replies! You were all very helpful, and I am certainly going to begin my shadowing as soon as possible. 👍

I hope I don't come off as a person who is "jumping the gun," so to speak. To build on what Neurodropout said, I would much rather find out that medicine isn't for me now instead of two or three years down the road.

In your experience, what is the best way to approach a physician about shadowing opportunities?

Once again, I really appreciate the guidance!
 
if you meet with them in person, just ask if they would be able to have you shadow them. if you do it over the phone, you might have to end up playing phone tag with a secretary, but still the same thing. tell them you're interested in shadowing them. emails also work. there is a link floating around somewhere (i'm going to guess it's in chocolate bear's signature) about a mentoring program you can sign up for online and get contacted by doctors who can help you. i did that and got 3 responses within a week (1 of which was the same day)
 
What an excellent resource TPS, thank you! I think it's wonderful that these physicians are willing to give up their own time to help us out.
 
you're very welcome, although chocolate bear is the one to really thank, with his amazing signature and all lol. good luck with getting responses!
 
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