Does this count as primary care shadowing?

[uaena123]

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I am a volunteer scribe at a non-profit clinic for retired physicians serving as primary care physicians. While my official position is a scribe, the notes themselves take very little time to complete and I spend the vast majority of the time (90%) closely observing the doctors perform procedures and see patients while they explains their thought process and discusses other relevant topics. Can I use this as primary care shadowing or should I still "officially" shadow a primary care physician?

 

[PuzzlesMD]

a dermatologist is not a primary care physician, no?

 

[uaena123]

Sorry I mispoke. The clinic generally recruits volunteer doctors who retired from their primary practice and now serve as primary care physicians at the clinic. Some may have had other specialties before retiring.

 

[LizzyM]

If the physicians are unpaid volunteers, it is a bit of a different environment than one that involves physicians who are working either as small business owners (exceedingly rare these days) or as employees of a organization (non-profit entity, governmental, or for-profit).

I'd suggest shadowing a physician who is actually working for a living so that you can see the time that goes into engagement with third party payers and all the other stuff that happens beyond seeing patients in the type of practice you are likely to be engaged in as a physician. (You won't be a volunteer in a free clinic when you finally finish your training, so why not shadow in the type of environment you expect to practice in 10 years from now, eh?).

 

[uaena123]

Thank you all for your replies!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I am a volunteer scribe at a non-profit clinic for retired physicians serving as primary care physicians. While my official position is a scribe, the notes themselves take very little time to complete and I spend the vast majority of the time (90%) closely observing the doctors perform procedures and see patients while they explains their thought process and discusses other relevant topics. Can I use this as primary care shadowing or should I still "officially" shadow a primary care physician?

Scribing is like shadowing but with a pen. Or a tablet. Or a computer. It doesn't really matter, but you are still scribing if that was your role.