got an appt with DO...what questions should i ask

[dr.kicia]

Hey everybody,
Finally I got into contact with a DO!!! after months of trying, being ignored by the AOA Dept. In Chicago...yeah i contacted them, the lady seemed very nice, asked me to tell her my location and write something about myself. Then she emailed me back saying that very soon some DO's(they foreward the request to everybody in their database who would not mind hosting a student for couple of days) should be contacting me regarding my request for shadowing. This was in January 😡 ...though i emailed her asking what's up with all this she never emailed me back 😕 ....so i decided to start researching for a doctor on my own.
And finally i got hold of a graduate of my top school (CCOM), who to my happiness has a prety impressive profile. Anyways, i am supposed to meet him. I am not sure if he will be willing to let me shadow him (he works in one of the best hospitals in Chicago).
I just wanted to get some advice from those of you who have shadowed a DO, what is the best approach to ask. Also what kinds of questions should i ask him about the practice (he is a cardiologist), the osteopathic medicine, OMT, OMM etc. etc.
Any volunteers? 😳

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[Hoberto]

Why don't you just ask him about whatever you are most curious about? Are you scheduled for some one-on-one interview time or are you going to be shadowing? Don't just assume you are doing one or the other. If you are scheduled to shadow try to arrange 10 minutes where you can sit down and ask questions or get an email contact for any questions you may have after a day of shadowing. When you are shadowing the doc may be real busy showing you the ropes and explaining what you are observing. This might leave you with unanswered questions about schooling.

If you are going to be going in for a short meeting/interview type thing I would just ask about what you most want to know. If you are interested in OMM you could ask for a short consult or ask if he knows an OMM specialist you could shadow. If you are worried about the whole DO/MD thing you could ask if he's noticed any animosity toward him or his DO colleagues. If you are deciding between doctoring and something else you could ask about his opinion about the positives and negatives of his field.

Ultimately you have to decide why you are visiting him and what you want out of it.

 

[CatsandCradles]

Hey everybody,
Finally I got into contact with a DO!!! after months of trying, being ignored by the AOA Dept. In Chicago...yeah i contacted them, the lady seemed very nice, asked me to tell her my location and write something about myself. Then she emailed me back saying that very soon some DO's(they foreward the request to everybody in their database who would not mind hosting a student for couple of days) should be contacting me regarding my request for shadowing. This was in January 😡 ...though i emailed her asking what's up with all this she never emailed me back 😕 ....so i decided to start researching for a doctor on my own.
And finally i got hold of a graduate of my top school (CCOM), who to my happiness has a prety impressive profile. Anyways, i am supposed to meet him. I am not sure if he will be willing to let me shadow him (he works in one of the best hospitals in Chicago).
I just wanted to get some advice from those of you who have shadowed a DO, what is the best approach to ask. Also what kinds of questions should i ask him about the practice (he is a cardiologist), the osteopathic medicine, OMT, OMM etc. etc.
Any volunteers? 😳

Congratulations on finding a DO to shadow. I had some difficulty finding one myself, but I did.

I guess my advice is to just strike up a good conversation. It doesn't have to be medically related, just present yourself to be someone who has an interesting character.

Best of wishes and congrats! 😍

 

[HunterGatherer]

set a deadline for when you need your LOR.

 

[LovelyRita]

Congratulations on jumping that first hurdle. Now that you have a DO to talk to/write you a letter, just try and relax. There are no magic "DO" questions you need to ask outside of his experience with or thoughts about OMT. He may have no experience, or he may be an OMT guru. Either way, just be pleasant, and if you shadow, don't be lazy or late and try to dress nice. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Like Hoberto said, ask what you want. If you shadow and you're seeing patients with him, don't ask questions in front of the patient, make a mental note of what you want to ask and ask later in his office or in the hall, etc.

And, to make it easier for this DO to get to know you, maybe write up a little "personal statement" as to what interests you about the field. Talk about any experience you may have, etc. List your full name, your place of birth, maybe some family info (any doctors?) Any awards, etc. Kind of like a little CV. This way, when he's writing you that all-important LOR, he can easily refer to your statement and feature some things about you that he might otherwise forget as you make idle chitchat. Maybe put it in a folder or something with your name on it so he doesn't lose it. You want to make the most of this experience.

 

[dr.kicia]

well a little clarification.
The way in which i contacted him was via email. I wrote a little PS, like the stuff that i am from Poland originally and thta i am fascinated with osteopathic medicine and that i am looking for a DO to talk to/shadow and if he would be willing to host me around the clinic or if not then if he knows any such DO. He replied to me in one sentence saying basicly to contact his assistant and schedule "the time to meet." I did call her and she knew about my email already but she didn't know that i wanted to shadow. So basicly i am not sure if he just wants to meet to talk to me and answear my questions or is he willing to let me shadow him for a while. So i really do not know if it's the former how to aproach him about shadowing. I guess just simply asking would do but i wanted to see opinions from ppl who have walked that road already.

 

[xTinaBna]

well a little clarification.
The way in which i contacted him was via email. I wrote a little PS, like the stuff that i am from Poland originally and thta i am fascinated with osteopathic medicine and that i am looking for a DO to talk to/shadow and if he would be willing to host me around the clinic or if not then if he knows any such DO. He replied to me in one sentence saying basicly to contact his assistant and schedule "the time to meet." I did call her and she knew about my email already but she didn't know that i wanted to shadow. So basicly i am not sure if he just wants to meet to talk to me and answear my questions or is he willing to let me shadow him for a while. So i really do not know if it's the former how to aproach him about shadowing. I guess just simply asking would do but i wanted to see opinions from ppl who have walked that road already.

i think one thing you could ask is how often they incorporate OMM in their daily practice? i shadowed a d.o. hospitalist and he said he rarely ever uses it on his patients. maybe also ask what the lifestyle is like being a cardiologist and how they see the future of osteopathic medicine? ...hope these help! 🙂

 

[dr.kicia]

I thought i will write this for ppl who had similiar dilemas or problems getting a DO to shadow as i did.
If you are one of these ppl do not get discoraged. Be stubborn and it will pay off.
So i went to meet my DO today. He is a cardiologist in one of the biggest hospitals in the area. I got there about 12 for an appointment i had at 12:30. I was a little nervous since i didn't know what to really say and how to go about asking him for shadowing etc.
Around 1 an assistant came to me saying he is tight up with some procedure (it was a heart surgery as i found out later) and that she has no idea how long it will take. Being born patient i was waiting there peacefully. Around 3:30 i started getting a little nervous (it's quite hard to make me mad ) since it was already over 3 hours of waiting. Finally she came back appologizing for my wait and took me out to my DO.
NOw....let me tell you that this guys was soooooo worth wating all these hours😀 .
It turns out he was a great person, very laid back and willing to help. He talked to me over an hour...or acctually interviewd me. I felt really at ease talking to him about my life, what i do etc. I even told him about the whole polish med school situation (if you interested in it more reaserch my posts).

At the end he let me shadow him whenever i will want. I just need to call his assistant to make sure where he wil be and what time and just show up there. Before i even had a chance to mention he said he knows also i will need a LOR so there is no problem there. I told him that i do not want him to just write it of off top of his head without really knowing me and that it is great that there will be so much time till the next appl cycle( i am applying for 2008 marticulation) so he will be able to notice if i am crazy or something like that .
He was soooooo sooo nice and talkative (couse i can really kill with talk 😳 and not everyone wants to listen lol).
So please do not get discouraged. Keep on looking. There are great and really successfull DO's out there who on top of it are student friendly and willing to help you out. After all they once have been in your situation.
Good luck to everyone. And do not give up

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

NOw....let me tell you that this guys was soooooo worth wating all these hours😀 .

I was fortunate to meet up with a great DO in pain management and had almost an identical experience (minus the LOR part). But hopefully that will come in time.

Kudos 👍

 

[dr.kicia]

I was fortunate to meet up with a great DO in pain management and had almost an identical experience (minus the LOR part). But hopefully that will come in time.

Kudos 👍

i am possitive it will all work out. But good luck anyways 🙂
I found my DO to be much more down to earth, relaxed and approachable then an MD i shadowed...but then i guess it's just a personality issue rather then what school they went to.... though he did mention that as a DO he naturally has better skills of creating some sort of relationship to his patients and being their advocate etc. I mean this guy is a pure advertisement for DO schools. He is amazing.Very understanding, a great listner and on top of it quite sensitive to other ppls problems. I felt very much at ease talking to him. I never felt inferior or anything like that. In fact he was quite interested when i was talking about myself etc. I think if CCOM could make such a great doc then i am even more convinced now that this is where i want to go.