How important is job shadowing and how many hours are necessary? I have like 40 hours shadowing a surgeon and more with hospital volunteering. Should I get more shadowing experience?
How Important is Job Shadowing?
- Thread starter kts
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It's only important if you actually plan on being accepted to med school. (In short, you are pretty much guaranteed to be passed over if you haven't done any shadowing-adcoms want to make sure you have at least SOME exposure to what medicine is really like before you commit 4 years and ~$150K to more schooling). You probably have somewhere around the minimum amount required covered (depends on how much hospital time and what you were doing there). I would *personally* want to shadow a couple more specialties, especially a PCP, but that's just to make sure you have a more rounded view.
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I'd say it's important to get a feel. So you can actually see how boring certain parts of the profession are...
Like the paperwork... the paperwork.... and oh did I mention the paperwork of medicine.
Like the paperwork... the paperwork.... and oh did I mention the paperwork of medicine.
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So it's not enough to just get a lot of clinical volunteering/work hours? You're getting a lot of hospital feel through that...
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Depends on the school. The safest bet is to just do about 50 hours shadowing anyway, despite great exposure in volunteering.
You have a different perspective when you're a volunteer or have a job in the field as a premed. The point of shadowing is to show you the perspective and routine of the doctor.
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It's important for admission, unfortunately it is also worthless. I think most people can figure out if they like working with people through volunteering, and can probably figure out how much they may like studying human physiology/pathology in undergrad.
I think the real kicker is whether they can tolerate all of that after working 90+ hours per week and taking call, or whether they can tolerate the obscene amounts of paperwork required.
And of course, you don't get a taste for that until medical school (and really, until residency).
It's not much more than a token gesture, yet somehow med schools require it.
I think the real kicker is whether they can tolerate all of that after working 90+ hours per week and taking call, or whether they can tolerate the obscene amounts of paperwork required.
And of course, you don't get a taste for that until medical school (and really, until residency).
It's not much more than a token gesture, yet somehow med schools require it.
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If you can find the right doc it doesn't seem like work at all. I've actually continued to shadow even after I've been accepted because I've found it to be such an awesome experience.
To answer your question though, I think the other responses here are correct. You really ought to get some shadowing alongside a physician, because the perspective everywhere else just isn't the same. You really need to get at least a passing glance at what you're getting yourself into.
To answer your question though, I think the other responses here are correct. You really ought to get some shadowing alongside a physician, because the perspective everywhere else just isn't the same. You really need to get at least a passing glance at what you're getting yourself into.
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Is it best to try for 20-40 hours with one or two doctors, or to shadow several doctors for less time, so you see a greater variety? Or does it not really matter as long as you're getting a meaningful experience?
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I agree that it doesn't matter, but try to include a PCP
Actually, now the comments have made me concerned. I didn't explicitly put down "shadowing experience" on my amcas application. I volunteered in the ED at a hospital, where I pretty much got to witness everything (surgeries, traumas, psych ward interviews, counseling). But I lumped it under clinical experience, not shadowing experience. Hmm...
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Well, it doesn't sound like you had any formal shadowing experience.
There's nothing you can do about it now. Some schools, like U Washington, state on their website that you want at least 40 hours formal shadowing. They state if you're too busy to do both clinical volunteering and shadowing, that you should do the shadowing. Utah requires 20 hours of formal shadowing. It is quite possible that you will be fine at schools you applied to. Several medical students have said that they didn't shadow at all.
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Super important, agree with ^. I think its too valuable to not do.
I'm not an experienced member here, but from what I have read, it's all about commitment. For LOR purposes and general, I would do the 20-40 with one or two doctors. Shotgun approaches may be cool, esp since you get to see a broad scope, but I would think that the schools like focused shadowing.
Of course, if you can spare the hours get as much from anyone as you can. I defer to sector9's superior knowlege👍!
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deleted357625
50-70 total, that would def be too much for each, but some people do it and its unnecessary.
