How Important Is Shadowing?

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How much importance does it play in your AMCAS? Or is it a major topic that is discussed at the interview?
Thankyou

 

[sweettpea23]

How much importance does it play in your AMCAS? Or is it a major topic that is discussed at the interview?
Thankyou

VITAL. Best thing I have done by far. Makes up for a lower GPA and then some. Without it, the interviewers will say why not reserach and you have not true experience with medicine to argue with them. Don't just shadow though...take advantage of the opportunity to learn medicine, show motivation and desire to be a physician.

 

[sunUCB]

i think it's a good idea to shadow....if for nothing else, to confirm your desire to become a physician. i personally didn't shadow, but i did a bunch of volunteer work at hospitals and at free clinics. and yes, you could mention it in your interviews, it would definitely help.

How much importance does it play in your AMCAS? Or is it a major topic that is discussed at the interview?
Thankyou

 

[DrThom]

I disagree. You don't need to shadow, per say, and I haven't done very much but still am doing alright in the admissions process. What you do need is healthcare experience, which I get through my job working in the OR.

 

[CaMD]

I agree with DrThom. You don't need to shadow, but you do need exposure to healthcare, be it through volunteering or working etc.

 

[tik-tik-clock]

I have 100 hrs of volunteering 45 in surgical care unit and rest in cardiac care unit, is that good enough? 😳

 

[Febrifuge]

I have 100 hrs of volunteering 45 in surgical care unit and rest in cardiac care unit, is that good enough? 😳

Only an admissions committee can say for sure, and you won't find that here.

As long as you can answer the relevant questions -- "how did you come to your decision? Why go into medicine, and not nursing, or PA, or another helping career?" -- and you can make it clear you understand what you're getting into, I don't think there is one right way to do it.

Bottom line, if you're doing it for real, and not just for show, then no experience is too little to help you, and no experience is too much to be valuable. If you're looking to do the minimum possible to meet some threshhold of "a good app," then you are bound for a world of complication and hurt.

(Not that I think you're being cynical; it seems like you're honestly looking to know. But sometimes people do that other thing, and it's grating.)

 

[watsupdoc15]

what job did you have in the OR?, i'm looking myself for something like that

 

[insistence]

what job did you have in the OR?, i'm looking myself for something like that

I'm curious myself because I took some time off between undergrad and my post-bac program to work in the OR (2 years). I don't hear about many people with similar experiences. I was fortunate to work as a surgical tech in a community hospital with NO residents. I was able to work opposite the surgeon during some amazing procedures 🙂 It was fantastic...

 

[Spankete87]

I think it depends on the individual school. I have tons of ER volunteering experience and have shadowed my current bosses in the NICU, VA, PCC, etc. However, when I interviewed at ECU the guy was like that's nice - have you done any private clinic shadowing? And of course I haven't done any private clinic shadowing because my bosses have all worked in hospitals and I liked volunteering in the hospital, so that's all I've ever done. Plus with all the new HIPAA regulations it's nearly impossible to shadow anyway. But when I told him that I didn't have any experience in a private clinic, he just said mmhhmm and wrote that down in his little notebook. So since the interview I have started shadowing my old pediatrician to see what its like in a private clinic. I don't think any other school I applied to would've cared about private clinic experience because most of the other schools aren't particularly primary care based, but ECU seemed to certainly care.

 

[PostalWookie]

Shadowing will tell you if you have a bright future following other people around and watching them do stuff.

I'm kidding about that, but seriously, shadowing is good to some extent. It's fun to do for a few days or weeks to get an idea, but beyond that, you're wasting your time. Try something more active, like working at a clininc or the EMT thing.

 

[Sigma]

Shadowing will tell you if you have a bright future following other people around and watching them do stuff.

I'm kidding about that, but seriously, shadowing is good to some extent. It's fun to do for a few days or weeks to get an idea, but beyond that, you're wasting your time. Try something more active, like working at a clininc or the EMT thing.

This is really good advice. I disagree with your time frame, but I think this advice is solid. I've shadowed a neurologist for a year.

I've already seen a few hundred doctor-patient interactions. Because of this, I'm sure my first "real" interaction where I'm the doc will be better because of what I've seen. What do you do when a patient cries? How about when you don't have an answer? How about when you tell a patient "No." What about when a patient is pretending to be more crippled than they really are to keep getting sympathy from others?

I've been able to see how somebody seasoned handles these and other situations I've never thought about. Yes, you'll get some of this in med school, but it just seems to me the more the better.

From a selfish point of view, it has helped me immensely in interviews. Theoretical questions will come up. "How would you handle...". Not only am I able to describe what I would do, but I have real, tangible examples of doc-pat discussions to back up why I have the opinions I do.

So, when other applicants have to do some hand waving, I have actual cases to point to.

I also really, really, like the EMT suggestion. I don't know what other experience you could get at the pre-med stage (other than being a nurse) that shows more committment and knowledge of what you're life could be like. I also had a couple admin members tell me they thought this was the best clinical experience you could get for yourself. 2 caveats:
1) You'll need to spend 6-9 months getting certified. (Hence, the committment part.)
2) If you're in a highly populated urban setting, as the most junior member, you'll be relegated to nursing home runs, taking patients from nursing homes to the hospital in the middle of the night. I'm not saying this isn't important, but just be prepared for the fact that there is scut work as an EMT, not just as an MD. And, as low member on the totem pole, your job will be to say "Thank you, sir. May I have another?"