Do I still need to have some job shadowing experience?

[Nahla]

---

Members don't see this ad.

To make the story short, I am a nurse, I work in a prison and part of my job is sometimes I work side by side with a doctor doing PE, I&D, codes etc and part of my job sometimes is to train new doctors at the facility how to use our computer system when it comes to patient assessment etc. These things combined with my nursing experience, I feel is enough to determined whether or not I want to be a physician. I've worked with doctors from various specialties and with other providers in mental health too.

What do you suggest?

 

[Slickyfats]

I would say so. You would know better how the field is than any poor schlub shadowing a physician.

More importantly, you have a HEAP of clinical experience.

 

[Nahla]

I have 5 years of nursing and mental health experience. I work in a prison, I've dealt with A LOT and seen many different pathologies. I work side by side with so many physicians and other health care providers. I do have about 24 hrs of surgeon shadowing, but I honestly feel like this is more than enough to prove that I understand the job description of a doctor.

 

[chillaxbro]

I'm just a lowly pre-med but unless you plan on working as a prison doctor, you probably won't get the same type of experience as in an actual hospital or clinic

I could be wrong tho

 

[Nahla]

I'm just a lowly pre-med but unless you plan on working as a prison doctor, you probably won't get the same type of experience as in an actual hospital or clinic

I could be wrong tho

No, you're not completely wrong. You are right that it's not the same and we don't have all the equipments like a hospital, most of the time we improvise and the population that we see and treat come in right off the streets. I can honestly say to you I've probably seen more suicides attempts both complete and incomplete more than some practicing physicians today. But that's because of the branch I am in. Correction is considered a specialty of it's own in some states. I have no problem finding more shadowing time, I feel as though those time can be spent doing something else much more productive. But again, I don't wanna shot myself in the foot and loose out acceptance because I didn't have say, 200 hrs of shadowing experience.

 

[Xenops]

With your medical experience, I would put shadowing as the least of your worries.👍

 

[LizzyM]

Don't worry about clinical experience or job shadowing. However, you should think about non-clinical volunteering and research as two other types of experience that the vast majority of successful applicants have.

 

[Nahla]

Don't worry about clinical experience or job shadowing. However, you should think about non-clinical volunteering and research as two other types of experience that the vast majority of successful applicants have.

Thanks LizzyM. My plan was definitely to focus more on the research and non-clinical experience.

So far this is all I have:
5 years of experience as a nurse.
1 year of volunteer in psych unit
1 year of Bio, Chem and Physics tutoring
1 year Youth leader for local non profit organization
1 year as high school student mentor

Research:
1 year of research in physics lab involving biophotonic