How did you get your shadowing experiences?

[kypdurron5]

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So a big part of the pre-med resume is shadowing opportunities. Thus far I have not managed to do any true "shadowing" in the typical sense of the word, thus I'm looking to find out how you guys found your shadowing positions. So far I've tried making connections, cold-calling, friends of the family, etc. all to no avail. Responses are appreciated!

 

[inside_edition]

So a big part of the pre-med resume is shadowing opportunities. Thus far I have not managed to do any true "shadowing" in the typical sense of the word, thus I'm looking to find out how you guys found your shadowing positions. So far I've tried making connections, cold-calling, friends of the family, etc. all to no avail. Responses are appreciated!

it's hard if you've never been insured and even harder if you haven't been to a doctor past the age of 10 or 11.

 

[kypdurron5]

it's hard if you've never been insured and even harder if you haven't been to a doctor past the age of 10 or 11.

True, but in my case I've only had one family doctor for the last 6 years or so...but I haven't asked him because I think it would be totally awkward because he IS my doctor. Plus, he's known I'm going for medicine for the last 2 years and hasn't once volunteered to help. I volunteered at a hospital one day before a doctor found out I was a pre-med student and said "well, you should come observe a surgery some time." That was my best chance, but it didn't work out because when I went to take him up on the offer he was relocating his practice to a different city and not seeing anymore patients. I guess during my next interview I can say "No, no shadowing experience, but I did come close to observing a surgery once.... Not to mention staying at a Holiday Inn Express last night..." Maybe I'm not as type-A motivated as I should be, but it seems like it should be easier than this....

 

[Dr Durden]

Mine was through a formal summer research experience.

https://medschool.mc.vanderbilt.edu/summer_academy/undergrad_medicine.php

 

[Robizzle]

internet + email = clutch.

 

[mmmkay121]

pre-med offices are best. they know which physicians are happy to take students.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Agree with all of the other suggestions made. I got lucky. I volunteer at a small ED with really nice doctors, and they will let me watch anything (and pull me into things they think are interesting.) So long as you have other QUALITY clinical experience, I, personally, don't think shadowing is that useful, both in-and-of-itself and in the way it is regarded by ADCOMs. Only at one interview at one school was I even asked if I shadowed a doctor, and my interviewer wasn't even happy with the fact that I have been shadowing EM doctors. They were really hung up on primary care, and not shadowing a PCP = not shadowing at all.

Personally, I think getting quality patient exposure is far more important, both in-and-of-itself, and to ADCOMs, but who knows...

My advice: Ask other premeds in your area about their volunteer experiences and volunteer at the places that have the nicest doctors and the opportunities to get to see the most stuff. Bigger isn't always better. In my city, the big level 1 trauma center is probably the worst place to volunteer. You aren't the only person in your school to have this problem, so find out what others are doing.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I haven't done any shadowing because I don't feel I will get anything worthwhile out of it, given my background.

 

[Rafa]

I didn't. 😎

 

[maestro1625]

yay for being a physician's kid. You get connections, and you get to be a legacy applicant.

/not about to complain about others getting affirmative action

// oh ****, started a flamewar. my bad.

 

[Wackie]

I had to select three of the choices.
-My brother's highschool biology teacher went to med school and became a surgeon. So, I shadowed him through that connection.
-One of the ER docs where I volunteered let me see some stuff, even let me cut a cast off of one guy, so I got to see some that way (I was there almost a year before this happened and I never asked. Just worked hard and he started chatting with me and asking me if I wanted to see this, do that, etc).
-EMT cert let me get in up to my elbows with actually taking care of people, getting puked on, and appreciating the neatly packaged patient that pre-hospital techs bring from utter chaos.
-Through the ER doc mentioned above, I just landed an incredibly awesome job. I work in an ER and scribe for the physicians. I'm assigned a physician per shift. I'm with the physician every time they see a patient. Usually see 20-30 patients a shift. I do the charting for them, pull labs and x-rays, and keep the physician organized and efficient. They buy us lunch, let us ask anything they want, sometimes let us assist in procedures, provide application advice, mock interviews, and spectacular LOR's (if you're a good worker). 😀

 

[SensAsian]

I went to

http://www.osteopathic.org/YOM/Mentor_exchange.htm

and found a mentor in their exchange program. After speaking with him, he invited me into the hospital to observe all of the ED doctors, which was a good mix of MDs and DOs. I've been going there every weekend since June.

I ended up getting a letter of rec from both my mentor (DO) for osteopathic schools and the resident director (MD) for allopathic schools.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[PreMedMommy]

On my campus, there is an organization that exists solely for the purpose of setting up shadowing experiences for ALL pre-health career students who are interested. Social work, medicine (all specialties), dental, if you can name it, they can set you up. It's federally funded, so there are minimum requirements that you must fulfill. But the advisor does all the hard work for you. It's great.

 

[Dr.Detroit]

I haven't asked him because I think it would be totally awkward because he IS my doctor.

Understandable, but how about asking your doc if he knows any other docs who are open to letting students shadow them in their practices? Also, if you have an s.o., mom, dad, grandparent, coach (i.e. whomever) who has an upcoming doctor's appointment have them ask their doctor for you (this is what I did; I got 4/5 successful leads within a two month period).

I agree with J_J, that shadowing isn't the most fulfilling undertaking--volunteering at a low budget, short-staffed free clinic is much better for your community and, often, you personally--but it's still an opportunity to gain exposure to the profession.

Good Luck!

 

[gujuDoc]

I voted for 3 of the above.

Initially I got most of shadowing experiences through getting inside connections through old volunteer coordinators at the James a Haley VA. But recently I started emailing doctors affiliated with USF COM to get contacts. They are really nice about it. If you are near a teaching hospital, I suggest trying there first because those in the teaching profession tend to be nicer about doing those sort of things.

 

[Pemberley]

If you are near a teaching hospital, I suggest trying there first because those in the teaching profession tend to be nicer about doing those sort of things.

That was exactly my experience.

I went to their webpage, found a doctor from the specialty I wanted to shadow, sent one cold e-mail, and ended up with the nicest shadowing experience you can possibly imagine.

 

[alwaysaangel]

I lucked out because the doctors at the free clinic I work at are great. Especially the doctor who used to run it - I was ALWAYS his MA and he would drag me into cool stuff like whooshing heart murmurs, perforated ear drums, etc. He would also discuss diagnoses with me when he/I had time.

So I guess that would be my 'shadowing' experience although I didn't list it separately like that.

 

[gujuDoc]

That was exactly my experience.

I went to their webpage, found a doctor from the specialty I wanted to shadow, sent one cold e-mail, and ended up with the nicest shadowing experience you can possibly imagine.

Yeah I feel the same way about my shadowing experiences. I have also set friends up with various specialties by emailing around USF COM members. The surgeons who I thought would be least receptive were among some of the most receptive and let students scrub in and actually get a little involved by learning to suture patients.

It was cool to hear those kind of stories. I never did anything procedure based because I don't think I'm cut out for surgery kind of stuff.

 

[GujuMD]

I called a teaching hospital near me and found out if they would be willing to help me out. the coordinator called me back and scheduled shadowing time with three different doctors. i got a nice experience but did not get it with one person so getting a LOR from the doctors was not possible.
then in another semester, i called/emailed some small private clinics and luckily found a place to shadow and I get an LOR from the doctor too.

 

[jbrice1639]

So a big part of the pre-med resume is shadowing opportunities.

eh...not really.

i never did. no one ever asked why i never did.

it's not that big a deal.

 

[kypdurron5]

That was exactly my experience.

I went to their webpage, found a doctor from the specialty I wanted to shadow, sent one cold e-mail, and ended up with the nicest shadowing experience you can possibly imagine.

I can't believe it. Being an Internet geek emailing was my first option. I sent out around 15 emails and was told no by every single one! One over here cited privacy concerns, one over there complained about just getting the practice up and running, etc., etc. I guess some people have all the luck >).

 

[xcgirl]

I randomly went to a dr's lecture sponsored by our pre-med society, fell in love with the research project she presented, asked if I could help out with the project. My reward for a semester and a half of data entry... shadowing in Hopkins Psychiatry [my specialty of choice], meeting med students, residents, members of AdComs, residency directors!! I sat in on patient interviews, saw ECT, went to social work groups, therapy sessions, family meetings, etc. Pretty much the best thing ever.
Find someone whose work you're interested in and try to help. Then they can reward you with shadowing experience 😛.