Anyone feel "wrong" about shadowing?

[RawkusMD]

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I got to do some shadowing and I have mixed feelings about it. While it provided great insight into what it is really like to be a physician, I felt like I was violating the privacy of patients. I got to see patients in private situations and discuss some private issues with them while they were under the impression I was a medical student. Anyone else have these feelings while shadowing? Or is it worth it because it looks good for medical schools?

 

[zimmie256]

I had a few really uncomfortable situations with this. The primary care doc I was shadowing would say to the patient "We have a medical student with us today, do you mind if she observes?" They almost always said no problem, but often would then ask me where I was going to school and how I liked it there... Since I won't start med school until next year, I was honest with the patient and told them where I was applying, but I felt like I'd created a conflict with what the physician said. The whole thing just made me very uncomfortable...

 

[ADeadLois]

I got to do some shadowing and I have mixed feelings about it. While it provided great insight into what it is really like to be a physician, I felt like I was violating the privacy of patients. I got to see patients in private situations and discuss some private issues with them while they were under the impression I was a medical student. Anyone else have these feelings while shadowing? Or is it worth it because it looks good for medical schools?

When shadowing a physician, it's a good idea to make sure the doctor you're with identifies you and asks if the patient feels comfortable . If he/she doesn't say it, don't be afraid to do so yourself if it makes YOU feel more comfortable. You should NEVER be with a patient on your own while shadowing unless the physician tells you to do so and it's ok with the patient. Most hospitals/practices have strict rules about this.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I got to do some shadowing and I have mixed feelings about it. While it provided great insight into what it is really like to be a physician, I felt like I was violating the privacy of patients. I got to see patients in private situations and discuss some private issues with them while they were under the impression I was a medical student. Anyone else have these feelings while shadowing? Or is it worth it because it looks good for medical schools?

 

[DrBowtie]

Some places make you go through HIPAA training so that you understand the privacy issues.

 

[PermanentWaves]

Yeah, this is actually a huge issue over here, and one of the reasons why I was rejected by so many physicians when asking about shadowing. They all said that they did not want to compromise the privacy and confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship. One went so far as to show me a memo from the Canadian Medical Association stating that only registered medical students were allowed to be in the room with physicians during treatment/diagnosis. This probably stems from a lot of such issues and concerns. In fact, I knew one girl from my undergrad who was removed from her volunteer position at a local hospital because she was giving "medical advice" to patients. Not very bright, obviously, but it is actions like these which have ruined the possibilities for future students.

 

[drpatelplasticsurgery]

I got to do some shadowing and I have mixed feelings about it. While it provided great insight into what it is really like to be a physician, I felt like I was violating the privacy of patients. I got to see patients in private situations and discuss some private issues with them while they were under the impression I was a medical student. Anyone else have these feelings while shadowing? Or is it worth it because it looks good for medical schools?

i always internally grimace when the ER attending i shadow continues to introduce me as "Doctor." he's done this even more casually since he learned i had been accepted to medical school. it's deceiving to the patient, and if patients really understood HIPAA they would realize that the healthcare provider(s) involved just broke the law (since you are now privy to information while not directly involved w/ the patient as a treating physician or as a consult), but...

it's also the only reasonable way to gain clinical exposure if you're not a healthcare provider yourself (i.e., not a EMT-B, EMT-P, nurse, hospital tech, etc.). collectively everyone, including the treating physician, yourself, support staff, hospital administration, and very often the patient, has decided to look the other way.

in my case, i could call him on it and correct him, but i respect his judgment as a clinician, as an attending, and as a teacher. he arranged to have the department head allow me to shadow, and doing the "right" thing by ensuring that i'm at least introduced as a "(future) medical student" would probably result in a loss of his trust. he lets me asks questions during the patient's history taking, for instance, and i don't think i would be nearly as involved if we had to get a patient's consent each and every time - it's awkward and takes time, and i'm often shadowing him during busy shifts in the ER. i'm sure that over 99% of patients, at least at this hospital, would not mind at all had they known, but as an ER doc i can only guess that he skips asking for permission b/c he has enough hassles to deal with daily to bother.

i've also shadowed in the OR and on the surgical floors at other hospitals. it's a similar deal - the treating physician doesn't want to deal with the extra hassle. normally the department head ok's your shadowing, and that's the end of your worries. just don't step on anyone's feet, stay out of people's way, be attentive, and ask questions when you can. the upshot is that some of the cooler docs will get you involved when they can get away with it. "wrong?" yes. "good for medicine in the long-run?" i would argue yes for that, too. and yes, it's good to do shadowing when it becomes time to apply to medical schools. but that's not what shadowing's about. it's more for YOU to determine whether medicine, and particularly the area of medicine in which you are shadowing, is something YOU want to do with your career, admissions completely aside.

there are tons of medical ethics books out there that address the similar issue of the attending physician introducing the 3rd-year or 4th-year medical student as "Doctor." in Atul Gawande's book "Complications," he addresses whether he would have a resident treat his own child, having gone through surgery residency himself, with all the concomitant mistakes that inexperienced residents make. (his answer was no, yet he went on to defend the reasoning behind deceiving the patient.)

if you're able to keep all the PHI (protected health information) you came across to yourself, i don't think you're doing any harm. and i've heard all the slippery slope arguments studying health law in law school, but i don't buy it. i've met transplant surgery and AIDS patients during my shadowing experiences - i think the negative of violating privacy laws is outweighed by the positive of premedical students really knowing what they're getting into, and gaining that maturity one needs before matriculating to a medical school.

 

[Chuckwalla]

I had a few really uncomfortable situations with this. The primary care doc I was shadowing would say to the patient "We have a medical student with us today, do you mind if she observes?" They almost always said no problem, but often would then ask me where I was going to school and how I liked it there... Since I won't start med school until next year, I was honest with the patient and told them where I was applying, but I felt like I'd created a conflict with what the physician said. The whole thing just made me very uncomfortable...

The doctor twisted the truth so you could shadow him and I'm sorry to say that you blew it. He said that you were a medical student and you made him look like a liar. You got to learn to play along.

 

[8744]

Oh man. You know what really sucks? Shadowing as a resident. Sure enough, every now and you may have rotation where you have to shadow an attending at his private practice. I had a two-week ortho rotation this year like that.

If you think you feel awkward as a booger-eating, know-nothing, sniveling, not-even-worth-insulting pre-med wait until you are a PGY-2. There you are, a functioning physician with thousands of patients under your belt and you have to follow the attending into the room and feign interest in whatever bread-and-butter problem he is addressing.

Education blah blah blah. I get it. I just don't like it.

The only thing worse as a resident is doing a clinic rotation where the attending goes back into the room with you after you present, asks the same questions (elliciting the usual historicus alternans), does the same physical exam, and tells the patient essentially the same thing you did, making you look, in the eyes of the patient, like either the most redundant guy in the hospital or like a pretend-doctor who has to have dad check him on everything.

Enjoy your shadowing now. Nothing is expected of you. You have no responsibility to go with the voyeuristic thrill, and you can go home at the end of the day and forget about it. Don't worry if you are introduced as a medical student. You are, philosophically if not actually, a medical student, aren't you?

 

[Haemulon]

The doctor twisted the truth so you could shadow him and I'm sorry to say that you blew it. He said that you were a medical student and you made him look like a liar. You got to learn to play along.

It is a difficult situation. While I technically agree with you, I think Zimmie made the best decision she could in the moment and it is not really right or wrong. When I shadowed, the physician told me up front that they would be introducing me as a medical student for XYZ reasons. Our first patient turned out to be a retired physician and he started asking me all about how I like med school and what year I was in and so forth. SO I maintained the role in which I was introduced and said that I was a first year and that I like the early exposure to patient care and so forth. He gave me some advice and the 3 of us talked a bit about medicine and then things went back to the exam. So it went smoothly, even though I was somewhat uncomfortable with it.

 

[Wackie]

I got to do some shadowing and I have mixed feelings about it. While it provided great insight into what it is really like to be a physician, I felt like I was violating the privacy of patients. I got to see patients in private situations and discuss some private issues with them while they were under the impression I was a medical student. Anyone else have these feelings while shadowing? Or is it worth it because it looks good for medical schools?

To those who are saying to do whatever makes the OP feel better are forgetting something.

The OP is not the one on the exam table naked except for maybe a paper gown (or wondering if the paper gown is coming) talking about personal issues. So now, by the OP saying "I'm not a medical student yet" the patient feels their doctor is a liar and wonders what lies the doctor will tell them AS WELL AS now beginning to wonder how the OP will react to their strange problem.

Many patients take comfort in the fact they believe healthcare providers have seen it all or have seen enough that they won't be looked at as a freak. Think about how often one person says to another, "Oh, they've seen things like that before. Nobody will think you're weird."


If the doctor presents you as a medical student, just shut up and go with it. Don't create uncomfortable air in the exam room. If it bothers you that much, after you leave the exam room,tell them you'd rather not be introduced as a medical student. They might give you a good reason as to why they do, or they might agree to your request.

 

[silverlining1]

When I shadowed in clinic, my doctor always asked the patients first if they minded my being there. The doctor even asked some patients if they would allow me to see their diseased tissue/grafts. While it is possible that the patients were slightly confused and said "okay" because they trusted the doctor, I don't think much harm came out of it. I was professional about what I saw and heard, and I hope my presence did not cause any silent embarassment.

I've felt sliiightly weird about scrubbing into the OR. I shadowed a thoracic surgeon, and after she made the initial incision in the side, she allowed me to slide my hand in and feel the ribs (you count the ribs to figure out where to enter the thoracic cavity). I have also been allowed to feel a tumor in a lung (it was coming out anyways) and to tie sutures (the resident did the actual needle work and first knot, but I got to tie the remainder. I do have experience with sutures on rats.). I always wondered if the patients knew that an undergrad was touching their body; when I came in, I was scrubbed in, and the patients were usually anesthetized already anyways. I don't know if they signed some sort of form earlier. At any rate, I never asked because I trusted the physician's decisions; if she told me it was okay to touch the lungs, I touched the lungs. And for the record, the experience was wonderful.

 

[8744]

To those who are saying to do whatever makes the OP feel better are forgetting something.

The OP is not the one on the exam table naked except for maybe a paper gown (or wondering if the paper gown is coming) talking about personal issues. So now, by the OP saying "I'm not a medical student yet" the patient feels their doctor is a liar and wonders what lies the doctor will tell them AS WELL AS now beginning to wonder how the OP will react to their strange problem.

Many patients take comfort in the fact they believe healthcare providers have seen it all or have seen enough that they won't be looked at as a freak. Think about how often one person says to another, "Oh, they've seen things like that before. Nobody will think you're weird."


If the doctor presents you as a medical student, just shut up and go with it. Don't create uncomfortable air in the exam room. If it bothers you that much, after you leave the exam room,tell them you'd rather not be introduced as a medical student. They might give you a good reason as to why they do, or they might agree to your request.

Besides, I've seen a lot of you shadowing (and I was shadowed by a pre-med once) and believe me, the patients know you are not a doctor. Maybe it's the dew behind your ears. Maybe it's the earthy smell of the cabbage patch which still clings to you. But they know that you are a nobdy...and most of them don't care because most patient like having an audience, love talking about their health problems with anybody who will listen, and (like my in-laws) will prattle away about "their" strokes, knee surgeries, diabetes, back pain, and general malaise until the cows come strolling home and the sea shall give up its dead.

Good Lord. If I had shadowed I might have decided against applying to medical school.

 

[Drexel2011]

i never really felt like I was violating the patient's rights, because they were always asked ahead of time whether it would be ok or not to have me sit in, but i did feel kind of "in the way" of everyone else...

 

[45408]

Don't worry if you are introduced as a medical student. You are, philosophically if not actually, a medical student, aren't you?

Exactly. You're a student of medicine even if you're still working on your bachelor's degree. The doctor didn't say you were in medical school, did he? Don't worry about it.

 

[thedelicatessen]

The patient always has the option of asking the shadower to leave, so I don't think it's that big a deal. People trust that doctors know what they're doing when handling students.

When I shadowed a doc one time, he always introduced me as a student, and I was invited to see every case. The only time when the doc wouldn't let me go was when the patient was there for an STD rash. Oh my.

 

[ComicBookDude]

The patient always has the option of asking the shadower to leave, so I don't think it's that big a deal. People trust that doctors know what they're doing when handling students.

When I shadowed a doc one time, he always introduced me as a student, and I was invited to see every case. The only time when the doc wouldn't let me go was when the patient was there for an STD rash. Oh my.

I got to shadow as well. When I shadowed an internist, he asked every patient if they were comfortable having me. Most patients had relatively non-sensitive issues: high blood pressure, a fever, ringworm, sinus pain etc. I would presume that shadowing certain docs, such as an OB/GYN or a Urologist might pose a some problems.

 

[CCLCMer]

Besides, I've seen a lot of you shadowing (and I was shadowed by a pre-med once) and believe me, the patients know you are not a doctor. Maybe it's the dew behind your ears. Maybe it's the earthy smell of the cabbage patch which still clings to you. But they know that you are a nobdy...and most of them don't care because most patient like having an audience, love talking about their health problems with anybody who will listen, and (like my in-laws) will prattle away about "their" strokes, knee surgeries, diabetes, back pain, and general malaise until the cows come strolling home and the sea shall give up its dead.

This is SO true. I've only been seeing patients for four months as a medical student, and seriously, they love talking to students because no one else has time to hear their stories. They even for the most part seem perfectly fine that I'm performing extra physical exams on them that they don't need. It's kind of crazy. Like, they come in for a followup of their high blood pressure, and after I get their history I tell them, "Oh, and before I get the doctor, would you mind if I look at your tonsils and test your hearing? We're practicing the ear, nose and throat exam this week." I used to be worried that the patients wouldn't want to let me do whatever exam I was supposed to do on them at first, but I was worried for nothing, because almost all of them agree to it.

 

[ssquared]

To avoid really uncomfortable situations, shadowing in pediatrics is a good way to go. I've been shadowing in a speciality clinic and I've been able to follow a nephrologist, neurologist, geneticist, and was able to observe a clinic for patients with spina bifida. The parents never care if I'm there (especially if the child is really young) and the center doesn't see run-of-the-mill patients (they're all referred from other physicians). The doctor has always introduced me as a student, and sometimes has clarified that I'm in college. The parents have not had problems with that, in fact, they usually smile and ask where I want to go to medical school.

I am lucky, though, that such a center exists nearby. Most people probably don't have major children's hospitals near them. I certainly don't feel guilty from the experience, if anything, it's helping me create a more realistic picture in my mind what life as a doctor is like....like the fact that I took French and Italian will do me no good later on in life (why oh why didn't I take Spanish?)

 

[Toohotinvegas33]

Many times while I was shadowing an Internist he gave the men their prostate check up with out asking if it was ok for me to be in the room......in all honesty....i didnt want to be in the room......I feel bad for old guys

 

[KeyzerSoze]

Panda and Prowler hit the nail on the head. You are a medical student, in the sense that your studies are directed towards medicine, even if you haven't been admitted to a formal medical school. It is a slight omission, but it doesn't seem to me that it should affect your feelings regarding the patients' privacy.

 

[munnabhai]

I had a few really uncomfortable situations with this. The primary care doc I was shadowing would say to the patient "We have a medical student with us today, do you mind if she observes?" They almost always said no problem, but often would then ask me where I was going to school and how I liked it there... Since I won't start med school until next year, I was honest with the patient and told them where I was applying, but I felt like I'd created a conflict with what the physician said. The whole thing just made me very uncomfortable...

The doc i shadow says "I have a student with me today, do you mind if he observes?" As with your situation they almost never say no, but just the other day someone asked me "MD or DO?" I was like... er.. I'm pre-med right now. I'll be applying to medical schools soon. Then they are just like o ok.

But as far as privacy issues go, I felt really odd at first. Sinc ethe doc I am shadowing is a ped urologist, I felt wierd being in the room when she checked "down there." But I realized that I needed to prepare myself for such odd situations. But once you start thinking about the medical aspects the wierdness goes away. Its alright with kids but I try to sit the teenager incontinence ones out (since it is embarrasing for the patient).

 

[Tired]

Never feel guilty about shadowing, even if the patient seems uncomfortable. They have every opportunity to decline your presence when the physician asks them if it is okay.

I have found nurses particularly contemptuous of student shadowing. Many of them have a habit of making students feel guilty for "invading the privacy" of "their" patients. Ignore them. They went through the same process we do, albeit in far more abbreviated fashion.

Physicians do not spring from the ground fully-formed. It is a long process of education and supervised clinical encounters. Shadowing is key to the process of medical education, and if every patient declined having students in the room while they were examined, medical education would grind to a standstill. A select few patients may get offended at having to deal with students and residents, but most recognize that if there were no students, there would be no doctors to care for them when they need it.

 

[bwonger06]

The doc i shadow says "I have a student with me today, do you mind if he observes?" As with your situation they almost never say no, but just the other day someone asked me "MD or DO?" I was like... er.. I'm pre-med right now. I'll be applying to medical schools soon. Then they are just like o ok.

But as far as privacy issues go, I felt really odd at first. Sinc ethe doc I am shadowing is a ped urologist, I felt wierd being in the room when she checked "down there." But I realized that I needed to prepare myself for such odd situations. But once you start thinking about the medical aspects the wierdness goes away. Its alright with kids but I try to sit the teenager incontinence ones out (since it is embarrasing for the patient).

i feel really weird when the patients in the or are out of it and the techs pull up the gown and the patient is lying almost completely naked in front of you waiting to have the urinary catheder inserted.

and yeah i know what youre talking about with examining down their. the anesthesiologist i was shadowing had a penis implant case. hellz no, not for me.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Some places make you go through HIPAA training so that you understand the privacy issues.

Any place that doesn't is breaking the law. Many offices have banned shadowing to avoid this sort of liability.

The doctor didn't say you were in medical school, did he? Don't worry about it.

I may agree to not worry, but the doctor could talk for an hour without the average patient actually understanding the difference between pre-med, M1, M2, M3, M4, PGY, fellow, etc. All are still students to some degree. Pt's don't seem to care as long as they're not there for a fairly private reason.

I would presume that shadowing certain docs, such as an OB/GYN or a Urologist might pose a some problems.

Yeah even male M1's at my house can't do community rotations in OB/GYN.

Never feel guilty about shadowing, even if the patient seems uncomfortable. They have every opportunity to decline your presence when the physician asks them if it is okay.

Yeah but the patient is still in a coercible mindstate in a doctor's office. Whether it is reasonable, legal, appropriate, etc. is debatable, but in my own experience as a pt, I've been a lot more agreeable to a white coat in a clinic than I would be in the parking lot. There's just something about the environment because the pt feels a little bit helpless. I'm not going to argue that this is a reasonable defense or that it should happen, but I do believe that there is such a thing as clinic-induced anxiety. If you actually do feel like a patient is just agreeing because the person asking if it's okay is a doc, then I think you do have a responsibility to excuse yourself.

I have found nurses particularly contemptuous of student shadowing. Many of them have a habit of making students feel guilty for "invading the privacy" of "their" patients. Ignore them. They went through the same process we do, albeit in far more abbreviated fashion.

Okay now, be careful how you sling that "we." This thread is in the context of someone who is NOT yet in medical school and really is only there out of courtesy on the doc's behalf. A non-medical student really has no more right to be there than an interested engineering student. Don't teach these people to start disrespecting nurses before they're even in medical school yet. At least wait until M3 before you start bashing other members of the healthcare team. A nurse has in fact been through much more of this "process" as any non-nurse/PA med student, and they are actually bound by federal laws just like the doc when privacy is concerned. Shadowing as a pre-med is a privelege, not a right.

A select few patients may get offended at having to deal with students and residents, but most recognize that if there were no students, there would be no doctors to care for them when they need it.

I don't agree with some of the restrictions that has imposed as it has affected my career, but in fairness to the pt's, their privacy is valued. The main point of HIPAA is that PHI is limited to people who need to know to do their job. When working as an agent of a medical school, the school is giving that license of "need to know" for educational reasons. In the case of a private citizen walking into the clinic with no accredited medical school affiliation, there is a legal risk.

I don't think that shadowing should be banned, but I never got that much out of it myself because I did plenty as a nursing student before I started med school. If it works for you as a pre-med, then great. I preferred doing something that allowed me to get my hands dirty.

If you walk in and see someone you know, you need to consider excusing yourself immediately. It really doesn't matter whether they agree or not. I have to do this somewhat regularly in my own work because even if the current visit isn't private, I can't risk their privacy by putting their chart's PMH in my hands. Not cool.

If you do shadow, DO get some HIPAA training and talk with your preceptor first about how you will be addressed and whether or not something makes either of you uncomfortable. Also try not to get into detailed convo's with pt's. The clinic usually needs the space.

 

[rcd]

I got to do some shadowing and I have mixed feelings about it. While it provided great insight into what it is really like to be a physician, I felt like I was violating the privacy of patients. I got to see patients in private situations and discuss some private issues with them while they were under the impression I was a medical student. Anyone else have these feelings while shadowing? Or is it worth it because it looks good for medical schools?

Realistically, you're going to have to violate more important patient rights then privacy to gain experience in medicine. You just have to accept that what you're doing is ultimately for the best and let it go. I mean, so long as you're not wantonly violating patients' rights...

I just read Complications by Atul Gawande. He talks about how physicians starting out _have_ to practice on patients, and that this causes statistically worse outcomes on several specific procedures then otherwise ex) putting in a central line for the first time (everybody has a first time) where even a supervising doctor can't prevent your mistakes. There's probably 50 rights violations there.

 

[Tired]

Okay now, be careful how you sling that "we." This thread is in the context of someone who is NOT yet in medical school and really is only there out of courtesy on the doc's behalf. A non-medical student really has no more right to be there than an interested engineering student. Don't teach these people to start disrespecting nurses before they're even in medical school yet. At least wait until M3 before you start bashing other members of the healthcare team. A nurse has in fact been through much more of this "process" as any non-nurse/PA med student, and they are actually bound by federal laws just like the doc when privacy is concerned. Shadowing as a pre-med is a privelege, not a right.

I see your point, and I appologize if I was disrespecting the nursing profession. I didn't mean to; my wife is a nurse, so I generally try to avoid bashing them, despite the years of abuse they have heaped on me (both in the hospitals and at home). 😀

I was only trying to prepare them for what I experienced as a med student. I wasn't trying to make any sweeping statements about RNs, as most of the ones I have worked with were singularly excellent. There are those, however, who will drag you down, and I wish someone would have told me that before I started.

Personally, I never shadowed as a pre-med. I do think, though, that if the physician is okay with having the pre-med present, then there is no real reason to treat them differently than any med student or resident. The Attending assumes liability and responsibility for teaching HIPPA principles.

I don't think that the student should make the judgement of whether or not the patient is "uncomfortable" despite their assent. That should be in the hands of the more experienced physician. Students have no responsibility except to learn and keep their mouths shut. It's on the Staff doc to make judgements about what is appropriate and what is not.

If you do shadow, DO get some HIPAA training and talk with your preceptor first about how you will be addressed and whether or not something makes either of you uncomfortable. Also try not to get into detailed convo's with pt's. The clinic usually needs the space.

This is excellent advice and I couldn't agree more. A running dialogue is crucial to both the learning process, and understanding what is appropriate in a clinical context. Don't be the wallflower, ask questions (at the appropriate time, of course) and you will get the most out of your experiences.

 

[Nasrudin]

Besides, I've seen a lot of you shadowing (and I was shadowed by a pre-med once) and believe me, the patients know you are not a doctor. Maybe it's the dew behind your ears. Maybe it's the earthy smell of the cabbage patch which still clings to you. But they know that you are a nobdy...and most of them don't care because most patient like having an audience, love talking about their health problems with anybody who will listen, and (like my in-laws) will prattle away about "their" strokes, knee surgeries, diabetes, back pain, and general malaise until the cows come strolling home and the sea shall give up its dead.

Good Lord. If I had shadowed I might have decided against applying to medical school.

I don't know. I've seen alot of doctors on TV and done some mock episodes of House in the mirror. I think I could pull of pretty good air of feigned seriousness and recognition of the intelectual complexities of something about which I know nothing. My wife would agree. I give convincing answers about all manner of things about which I know nothing.

 

[Tired]

I don't know. I've seen alot of doctors on TV and done some mock episodes of House in the mirror. I think I could pull of pretty good air of feigned seriousness and recognition of the intelectual complexities of something about which I know nothing. My wife would agree. I give convincing answers about all manner of things about which I know nothing.

No way. As your clinical experience grows, you start hearing the same damn stories over and over again. The key to clinical confidence is that bored look you get when you hear "Well, it started off with some vomiting, then I had diarrhea the next day, and after that . . ." for the 76th time. Bonus points if you cut them off and finish their sentences for them.

"Seriousness" and "recognition of the intellectual complexities" are traits of the student. Boredom is the mark of a real doctor. 🙂

 

[Rocket3004]

That's why its best to shadow at a teaching hospital. Tons of fellows, residents, med students, already running around in there!

 

[zimmie256]

The doctor twisted the truth so you could shadow him and I'm sorry to say that you blew it. He said that you were a medical student and you made him look like a liar. You got to learn to play along.

Well I wish the doctor had given me a heads up that he would be introducing me as a medical student. That way I could have asked him why he thought that was necessary or thought about whether or not I was comfortable with it.

As it went down, I had no warning, and the patient's parent (it was peds) asked where I went and how I liked it. I was afraid all the follow up questions, "oh my nephew goes there you must know so and so" or "how do you like the area (where I've never really lived)" would make the whole lying situation more apparent.

The way I handled it, by explaining that I was applying, the patient's parents responded by saying things like "good for you" "good luck" "you're lucky to have Dr. X to learn from" etc. and Dr. X and I are still on very good terms. So I don't think I actually blew anything... It was just an awkward situation for me...

 

[Funky]

I was pimped by the patient this one time by being asked what hyperglycemic meant when I was shadowing. Right now I know vaguely what it means but at the time I had no idea because it was so unexpected. I would much rather want questions on where I go to school and things like that.

 

[RawkusMD]

I got to shadow as well. When I shadowed an internist, he asked every patient if they were comfortable having me. Most patients had relatively non-sensitive issues: high blood pressure, a fever, ringworm, sinus pain etc. I would presume that shadowing certain docs, such as an OB/GYN or a Urologist might pose a some problems.

This is exactly who I shadowed...which made it even more uncomfortable. The OR isn't as bad because most people are out of it when they get wheeled in anyway...although sometimes they give you this look like "who the he** are you?" I was fortunate enough to have a doctor that allowed me to take histories while in the clinic, and since I do research in the same area I was able to answer many of their questions (never gave out any medical advice though). The hardest part though was trying to maintain the guise of a medical student while getting grilled by the patients.

 

[Nasrudin]

No way. As your clinical experience grows, you start hearing the same damn stories over and over again. The key to clinical confidence is that bored look you get when you hear "Well, it started off with some vomiting, then I had diarrhea the next day, and after that . . ." for the 76th time. Bonus points if you cut them off and finish their sentences for them.

"Seriousness" and "recognition of the intellectual complexities" are traits of the student. Boredom is the mark of a real doctor. 🙂

Crap!....(goes to the mirror to practice the I'm-bored-cause-I've-seen-this-all-before look)