Can't find a doctor to shadow

[whoopaggie]

Now, I wasn't born in the United States and I moved here when I was twelve with my mother and siblings. I have no relatives in the United States and absolutely have no one in my family who knows someone working in the United States. Now, I know that many of my pre-medical friends find shadowing positions through their close friends and families who are or know health professionals in the United States. I've asked some people about how to get shadowing positions, but they have all kind of bypassed my question and did not answer. I tried emailing many doctors about shadowing them through their contact numbers I found on their profiles but have not received any response so far, and I really need help with how to find a doctor to shadow. I have looked up internships that allow some kind of shadowing experiences, but many of them are costly programs.

Every time I hear people talk about their shadowing experiences and how they got to observe surgical procedures, I die a little inside from envy. How do you find doctors to shadow?

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[Ismet]

You might send 50 emails and get a "yes" from 1. Or call the office number, phone usually works better than email. Check if your local hospitals have shadowing programs, the one in my hometown did. Start clinical volunteering in the hospital and if you work around physicians (like in the ED or something) you may be able to ask them if you can shadow them.

 

[Tintinnabula]

Every time I hear people talk about their shadowing experiences and how they got to observe surgical procedures, I die a little inside from envy. How do you find doctors to shadow?

What worked for me (rural area, few doctors, very few knew me) was to volunteer at my local little county hospital. Prior to that I got nothing and called everybody within a large radius. I did make sure that folks around me knew that I was a pre-med without being obnoxious about it. When I made friends amongst the volunteers, one introduced me to a friendly doctor as a pre-med. I made a point of getting to know and asking reasonable questions and after a while, I asked that doc if he would mind if I shadowed him for a while over a winter holiday break. I'd just completed my first semester back with a tidy 4.0 by then and still wanted to do medicine, so he agreed. That week was awesome and went well, and on Friday he said that we could set up a weekly daytime shadowing if it fit in my school schedule. I was attending uni a county away but you bet I made that work! That led to following another doctor. I've racked up >150/250 shadowing hours in a hospital, clinical setting and met a good chunk of the local docs, at least in passing. I have a line on a couple more shadowing opportunities that way too.

If you have a preprofessional program at your school, drop by their office and talk to them about that. They may have a relationship with a local hospital and be able to get you in shadowing with some of those doctors. At the very least, they should have some starting point for you, even it it's one you've tried.

If your school has a pre-med club, go to it after meetings start. Part of what those groups can do is arrange for volunteer opportunities and for shadowing opportunities, and sometimes groups of useful study partners - and it represents your first opportunity to start your career networking. Then, too, you just might find yourselves with brand new friends with similar interests and outlooks. Who knows?

 

[Zebra Hunter]

You might send 50 emails and get a "yes" from 1. Or call the office number, phone usually works better than email. Check if your local hospitals have shadowing programs, the one in my hometown did. Start clinical volunteering in the hospital and if you work around physicians (like in the ED or something) you may be able to ask them if you can shadow them.

This. I too went to Texas A&M and this is what I did, got a whole lot of no's but just be persistent.

Also, Gig'em!

 

[Long Way to Go]

The first physician I shadowed was my old pediatrician. It was a private practice, and he was a partner, so we even got to avoid any official paperwork. I just asked him when I came in for an appointment one day.

 

[Spinach Dip]

The first physician I shadowed was my old pediatrician. It was a private practice, and he was a partner, so we even got to avoid any official paperwork. I just asked him when I came in for an appointment one day.

Lucky.

 

[tweety14]

If you do not have friends or family that know physicians I would contact the hospitals or clinics directly. I had some luck arranging shadowing this way. I called clinics I found interesting and asked them if their policies allowed student job shadowing and then if they knew if any of the physicians were open to this.
It's also a good strategy because that way you may be able to arrange shadowing with several physicians in different specialties through one person. However, be warned it is a time consuming process and you will hear no more often than you hear yes
Good luck!

 

[chewy2008]

I encountered the same problem until one month before submitting my AMCAS application. I emailed many doctor's offices where I live and the doctors at the hospital I volunteer. I provided my CV and indicated my interest in learning about that medical specialty they were in. Soon enough I was able to shadow a couple of doctors, and after shadowing them a couple of times, I asked if they knew any other doctors who wouldn't mind a shadower. It's all about connections! I don't have any doctors in my family, and my parents are pretty isolated from their social world (unfortunately), so I had to take initiative. Remember you are doing this to learn more about medicine and to get into medical school, which will all be worth it when you get that acceptance.

 

[HCMVresearcher]

We have a pre-med club at my school that sets up shadowing opportunities, but I found it was easier to just email physicians directly. I emailed about 10 at a time when looking for a new preceptor and I've only gotten a handful of no's over the past few years.

 

[DezziJo]

In the hospital I work in, the emergency department directing physician has his business cards all across the ED. I work in the hospital, so one day when I was down there I picked one up and emailed him asking if I could shadow him or anyone else he knows. That's how I got to shadow three different doctors.

 

[Long Way to Go]

Lucky.

Yep, it was. But even if it only works for 10% of premeds, still worth giving it a shot.