HIPAA and shadowing

[wendywellesley]

has anyone run into problems shadowing docs due to HIPAA regulations? I probably won't be doing any shadowing because of it.

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[DrMom]

Offer to sign the same HIPAA form that the Dr's employees sign. That may make some of them feel more comfortable.

 

[2112_rush]

Before I started school I had some problems shadowing docs because of HIPAA. This past summer I tried to shadow a friend who's an EM resident at the hospital my school is a part of and it wound up taking an act of congress. Once I matriculated the atitude was more like "just show up any time you feel like hanging out in the ER." What I've been told is that there is a clause in HIPAA that allows some disclosure for educational purposes. I'm not sure if it's only for med students though or if pre-med students are covered too.

 

[OSUdoc08]

has anyone run into problems shadowing docs due to HIPAA regulations? I probably won't be doing any shadowing because of it.

watch the hipaa video at the office and fill out the form

there is no reason not to do it because of this

you're going to have to shadow at some point for a recommendation

 

[OSUdoc08]

Before I started school I had some problems shadowing docs because of HIPAA. This past summer I tried to shadow a friend who's an EM resident at the hospital my school is a part of and it wound up taking an act of congress. Once I matriculated the atitude was more like "just show up any time you feel like hanging out in the ER." What I've been told is that there is a clause in HIPAA that allows some disclosure for educational purposes. I'm not sure if it's only for med students though or if pre-med students are covered too.

i used to just show up as a pre-med student as well----it never was a big deal

 

[virilep]

has anyone run into problems shadowing docs due to HIPAA regulations? I probably won't be doing any shadowing because of it.

i just walked in, and the doc said yes. but u have to let them know about any illness or any health issues you might have. and for safety's sake, maybe get a TB skin test. they're not too $$$. gluck! and u should shadow, it's an amazing experience.

 

[MechE]

When I did my shadowing, all I had to do was read a form and sign it.

 

[premedgeek]

****!!! I wrote "HPIAA instead of HIPAA" in one of my secondaries

 

[stoic]

though hipaa is a pain in the ass, i've found that if a doc is like "uhhh, you can't shadow what with the new hipaa regs and all..." they'd just rather not have a shadow and are using hipaa as an excuse.

just keep asking until you find someone willing to let you shadow. like the other have said just watch the video and sign the form and you should be good to go.

peace,
s

 

[Wiggy73]

Oh boy. I had planned to shadow a doc (a friend of a doctor friend) the summer before last, when the HIPAA regs were new. I never actually met the doc. His nurse kept giving me hell and told me it would have to be cleared through the top administrators. They took HIPAA WAAAY too seriously and weren't going to let me shadow. Then my doctor friend worked things out with the admin and I was back on. Unfortunately, when I called the nurse to tell her she played busy and told me she would call me back in five. The phone never rang. So I called the next day and was brushed off again. Immediately, I found out later, the nurse called my doctor friend, who was nothing but nice to me, and griped HIM out because this annoying Wiggy person kept calling and pestering her. I felt terrible. Of course, if she had bothered to talk to me she would have known that all the problems had been fixed! By the time, weeks later, the whole mess was straightened out and the poor doctor I was supposed to shadow figured out what was going on, I had to leave for a summer class. So a combination of overzealous HIPAA enforcement and the Nurse from the Black Lagoon totally wrecked my shadowing plans.

 

[45408]

Only once have I ever signed a form before observing surgery, and only then was because the charge nurse snagged me while I was standing around, and I've shadowed five doctors on at least 10 different occasions.

 

[Pyroclast]

I shadowed an IM doc and he didn't say boo about HIPAA. He just introduced me to his patients as "a student" and never got a complaint. Also, I've been volunteering at an ER for about six months, and our entire HIPAA training consisted of being told not to talk about anyone's medical condition to anyone outside of the hospital. We didn't even have to sign anything.

 

[Ross434]

I shadowed an IM doc and he didn't say boo about HIPAA. He just introduced me to his patients as "a student" and never got a complaint. Also, I've been volunteering at an ER for about six months, and our entire HIPAA training consisted of being told not to talk about anyone's medical condition to anyone outside of the hospital. We didn't even have to sign anything.

Hah! that's great. My mom's in lab science and she had to watch a 3 hour video at *home* and do a whole bunch of different paperwork.

 

[DrCarebear]

By all means, shadow a physician if you get the opportunity. It exposes you to the details of being a doctor better than any other experience. However, be sure to find a doctor who both wants to be shadowed and enjoys teaching. You want to be able to ask questions and offer ideas, not just follow someone around. Also, shadow because you want to do it, not because you think you should.
As for the HIPAA issue, an exception is made for teaching purposes. Most teaching hospitals are very comfortable with the HIPAA regulations with regard to shadowing (as are the patients) and welcome pre-meds. Thus, if you're really serious about shadowing, my recommendation would be to seek out a physician who works in a teaching hospital. Good luck!​