Appropriate to shadow now?

[clonoGnic]

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I start med school in a few months and am free until then (not in school). Could I ask to shadow physicians (in as many specialties as I can) at my future med school in the meantime? Would it be alright since I'm just a random guy at this point (not affiliated with any school/institution)? Or should I wait for MS1 and more structured opportunities?

 

[Winged Scapula]

What's the point? Relax and enjoy your last few months of freedom.

 

[ChEMD]

What's the point? Relax and enjoy your last few months of freedom.

The point is to explore different specialties while you have some free time to do so. I honestly wish I would have considered doing this. Yeah, you do have some free time during the preclinical years of med school, and you could spend some of that time shadowing, but honestly sometimes you just want a break from medicine all together. Now I find myself in a position with very little free time and I still haven't explored specialties that I may be interested in, a few of which I won't get to see during 3rd year rotations.

I wouldn't spend a lot of my time shadowing during this break you have before med school starts, but I see nothing wrong with doing a little bit, especially if you know you won't get to see that specialty during your 3rd year rotations. You may have to wait until you get some sort of med student ID though, as some hospitals really don't like you following around a doctor without one.

 

[Low Flow]

I start med school in a few months and am free until then (not in school). Could I ask to shadow physicians (in as many specialties as I can) at my future med school in the meantime? Would it be alright since I'm just a random guy at this point (not affiliated with any school/institution)? Or should I wait for MS1 and more structured opportunities?

I was thinking of doing this as well. I really want to take a look at ophthalmology or maybe some others I wouldn't otherwise see unless I did an away rotation.

 

[pathologyDO]

I second to stop worrying about it. You're going to get to see a wide variety of specialties during 3rd and 4th year, and you can schedule 1 month electives in basically any specialty you want. Before having been through the first 2 years you will not really have any idea how to understand a specialty or have an appreciation for the work they do.

 

[ChEMD]

I second to stop worrying about it. You're going to get to see a wide variety of specialties during 3rd and 4th year, and you can schedule 1 month electives in basically any specialty you want. Before having been through the first 2 years you will not really have any idea how to understand a specialty or have an appreciation for the work they do.

Some schools don't have elective time 3rd year, so if you're interested in any specialties that essentially require away rotations, you'll have to schedule them without even rotating in them first. In that scenario, it would be a good idea to at least get some experience in the field through shadowing.

 

[pathologyDO]

Some schools don't have elective time 3rd year, so if you're interested in any specialties that essentially require away rotations, you'll have to schedule them without even rotating in them first. In that scenario, it would be a good idea to at least get some experience in the field through shadowing.

Like, which schools? Never heard of this.

 

[W19]

My school does not have 3rd year electives, but you can schedule a few in 4th year....

 

[pathologyDO]

Wow I'm sorry! Why do they do that?

 

[W19]

I thought that was the norm anyway.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I think it would like fine. Just explain yourself and see what can be done. You can try e-mailing the medical student coordinator for the department and see if they can help you or put you into contact with a resident. You'll have time to shadow as an MS1 so don't worry too much about shadowing before starting.

 

[MedSchoolSurvivor]

I'm always of the opinion that you should enjoy your summer before medical school as much as possible with the goal of being mentally rested and ready to go by the time classes start. At the same time, if you are genuinely interested in a specialty and want to get a better idea of what it's like, then it may not be a bad idea to do some early shadowing. A few days spent shadowing may be all you need to eliminate a certain specialty you were thinking about. While there is time during the first couple years to shadow, you likely won't want to do it as you will be busy studying. But above all, don't feel that you should shadow because "it's a good thing to do", shadow because you are genuinely curious about a specific specialty.

 

[operaman]

I would definitely do it, but only if it's something you want to do. There's definitely no "need" to do it and will do nothing for you other than expose you to some additional fields (which is the point, after all).

I would maybe focus my time on fields you don't rotate through anyhow during the 3rd year. You'll see plenty of IM and Surg and OBGYN, but you may not get to spend time in the ED (some schools require it), or dermatology, or ENT, or rad-onc, or a number of others.

Definitely weight your time toward relaxing and having fun, but I think you can do a little shadowing without compromising your fun time.

 

[PL198]

The entire landscape of specialty can change in 4 years. Not to mention you don't even know what you're looking for. So hell no. Just enjoy your free time

 

[Donald Juan]

You should enjoy your time, but if you're such a workaholic freak that you can't, then sure, go shadow. I don't think it's a bad idea, especially if you're interested in one competitive field or something, but you could wait until med schools starts. Yes, you'll want breaks from school in your first 2 years, but shadowing in the clinic will probably feel like a break from staring at powerpoints and watching 2x speed lectures all day. Also, if you're like me, it's a good reminder of why you wanted to go to med school in the first place--hopefully not to sit on your ass 10 hours a day in the library staring at a computer screen...which you'll do a lot of in the first two years.

 

[235009]

Wait until you start med school. Attendings will be more receptive and you will have a little bit more context. I definitely encourage exploring various fields during your preclinical years and had regretted not doing so myself but there's no point in starting when you're still a premed.

 

[notbobtrustme]

plenty of time to shadow in 3rd year