Cramming shadowing hours for DO school

[3.1415927]

I don't have that many shadowing hours, and I know that many DO schools require/recommend LORs from DO physicians whom you shadow, and my pre-health advisor told me that I should shoot for about 100 hours. As of now, it doesn't seem like shadowing is allowed due to the virus, but if it is allowed during the summer, would it look bad to DO schools if I cram 100ish hours of shadowing in one month so that I can apply early? I know it is generally better to apply early (I'm hoping to get to shadow during May and have a LOR ready and apply by June, or shadow during June and apply by July if I can't shadowing during May), and I am really hoping to apply this cycle since it seems like shadowing is my only weakness for DO schools, so as long as I get my hours I should be ready to apply.

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[choks]

Here's something AACOM sent out yesterday about this upcoming cycle:

Congruent with our philosophy, AACOMAS participating schools intend to adapt their application review process to the following to mitigate the many obstacles you may face:

• Accept all pass/fail/satisfactory/unsatisfactory coursework, regardless of whether your school required this, including pre-requisite coursework in the context of your entire academic history
• Accept all online coursework, including laboratory credits
• Review your application without all required laboratory coursework, if you can demonstrate that your institution was unable to provide these courses due to COVID-19; proof of completion may later be required
• Review your application and extend interview invitations prior to receiving your MCAT score, by evaluating experiences, academic metrics, and attributes that you have demonstrated in your application. In some instances, our colleges will accept you without MCAT scores, but many will await required MCAT scores before extending an offer to join a class
• Consider reducing the required number of health care experience hours and other extracurricular experiences you planned to complete
• Most of our schools will continue to require a letter of recommendation from a physician (DO or MD)

I think if you have some shadowing, you will be OK this cycle. Just be sure to emphasize what you know about the profession as well as what you're getting yourself into.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Almost 3 years ago, I literally shadowed and got a letter from my only DO physician a week before submitting my application mid September.

 

[enchantments]

Very few DO schools require DO shadowing in particular. I had 50 hours MD shadowing and an MD letter with no DO exposure whatsoever. I was invited to >90% of DO schools I applied to and accepted to all interviews I attended.

If you have any primary care exposure at all, that will be helpful to talk about, however.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Very few DO schools require DO shadowing in particular. I had 50 hours MD shadowing and an MD letter with no DO exposure whatsoever. I was invited to >90% of DO schools I applied to and accepted to all interviews I attended.

If you have any primary care exposure at all, that will be helpful to talk about, however.

They may not require DO shadowing, but it does help for the secondaries and interviews to show that you understand the nuance between a DO and an MD, and that you have had experience with osteopathic medicine. Plus most DO schools either require a DO letter or a Physician letter (DO preferred usually), and to get that, a DO physician will need you to shadow unless you're already close to someone who is a DO.

 

[zNoodlez]

I don't have that many shadowing hours, and I know that many DO schools require/recommend LORs from DO physicians whom you shadow, and my pre-health advisor told me that I should shoot for about 100 hours. As of now, it doesn't seem like shadowing is allowed due to the virus, but if it is allowed during the summer, would it look bad to DO schools if I cram 100ish hours of shadowing in one month so that I can apply early? I know it is generally better to apply early (I'm hoping to get to shadow during May and have a LOR ready and apply by June, or shadow during June and apply by July if I can't shadowing during May), and I am really hoping to apply this cycle since it seems like shadowing is my only weakness for DO schools, so as long as I get my hours I should be ready to apply.

I feel like you can get away with anything timing-related using the COVID card 🙂

 

[DO_or_Die]

I shadowed an EM DO 40 hours in one week and it was absolutely fine. Just be able to speak of the experience, that's what counts.

 

[DO2015CA]

Maybe it’s because I recently graduated and I remember how awful getting my DO letter was being from the west coast, but I’d be willing to write a premed student a DO LOR after 4 hours of shadowing and a short interview barring no red flags arise. I’m not a cult of still so I don’t think the LOR from a DO means much more than MD other than that student put in the extra effort to seek one out. A physician is a physician. Maybe you will find a reasonable DO to write your letter that won’t want you shadowing in their office all summer just to obtain a letter

 

[The Mighty Stewbacca]

Because of everything going on with the COVID stuff, my shadowing experience with a DO was cut short. The doctor totally understood and offered to write the letter after only 12 hours of shadowing. Also the COVID limited how many patients we got to see, So I got to ask her a ton of questions, which in some ways was better because we got to know each other better.. I think ADCOMS are going to give more leeway this time around. Just my two cents.