Best Way to Find DO's to shadow...?

[tapps314]

Hello all, I'm new here, so bare with me if this question has been asked a lot before. But, I was wondering about the experiences you guys have had shadowing DOs. What was the best way to contact them for you? I have heard that a personal letter or e-mail to the doctor could be considered more formal/serious and appropriate than just calling up the office and talking to someone at the front desk. Yet, at the same time, it seems to me like a guaranteed response would be less likely, which is understandable with how busy they are. The only doctors I have shadowed in the past were MDs, surgeons, but now I am very seriously considering attending a DO school, and I'm looking to shadow at different practice than surgery as well.

Thanks
Grant

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[Boner]

You really need to get some face time with a DO to really get anywhere based on my experience. Letters don't make it past reception, nor do phone calls. E-mails could work if you have an address that goes directly to the physician, but that is often difficult to obtain. Making an appointment thorugh the front desk just to talk to a physician is often difficult because a physician's time is money. My suggestion is to ask those MDs you've shadowed to maybe hook you up. Also, maybe volunteering at a hospital or clinic could open up some doors. Bottom line, face time is the best route in my opinion.

 

[shttthttle]

For me, the most effective way was cold calls. I went to my local hospitals webpage and looked up all the doctors that worked there. Then I checked which ones were DO's, checked the schools they went to, and called the ones that were alums of the school that I wanted to get in. I called their clinics and asked if I could go to the voicemail of the physician. Then I left a message stating that I was interested in osteopathic medicine, specifically the school they attended, and asked them if they could give me a call back when they had a couple minutes. I got calls back from all the DO's and most called me once they got home from work. I feel like it really gave me an oppurtunity to express myself and was more personal then an email or letter.

 

[HunterGatherer]

volunteering in a hospital where there are Osteopathic residencies and where Osteopathic students do their 3rd/4th year rotations made it easy for me. You will already have cleared the HIPAA hurdle and you are already part of the hospital team when you meet the DOs there. Makes face-to-face first contact easier and eliminates the need for emails, phone calls, secretaries, etc.

 

[NewNick]

I was lucky. I found a DO in an ad. I called his office but he wasn't there, so the nurse paged him with a short message to call me back. He called me, and I asked him directly on the phone.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Hello all, I'm new here, so bare with me if this question has been asked a lot before. But, I was wondering about the experiences you guys have had shadowing DOs. What was the best way to contact them for you? I have heard that a personal letter or e-mail to the doctor could be considered more formal/serious and appropriate than just calling up the office and talking to someone at the front desk. Yet, at the same time, it seems to me like a guaranteed response would be less likely, which is understandable with how busy they are. The only doctors I have shadowed in the past were MDs, surgeons, but now I am very seriously considering attending a DO school, and I'm looking to shadow at different practice than surgery as well.

Thanks
Grant

Contact your state osteopathic association and/or nearest osteopathic medical school for a list of physicians that would be interested.

 

[Kuba]

I've found RN mothers are a good source