how to contact a do to shadow

[futuredoc4432]

so i found a website with all of the d.o.'s in my area and it lists phone numbers but no e-mail addresses. is it okay to call them to set up a shadowing appointment having never met them or is that awkward? let me know how you guys found do's to shadow. thanks

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[ILikeFood]

so i found a website with all of the d.o.'s in my area and it lists phone numbers but no e-mail addresses. is it okay to call them to set up a shadowing appointment having never met them or is that awkward? let me know how you guys found do's to shadow. thanks

Yes, call them. You need the letter.

 

[ModernChemistry]

Just start calling and do not be upset if most physicians are not interested. It took me a couple days of calling to find a DO to shadow.

Just state that you want to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine and that you would like to shadow him/her to gain more experience. It may seem strange to cold call like this, but I think most offices understand your situation.

 

[DrMidlife]

I got one with a cold letter, and one through the mentoring program on do-online.org. The mentor program contact was MUCH better.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

I got one with a cold letter, and one through the mentoring program on do-online.org. The mentor program contact was MUCH better.

I agree about the mentoring program.

 

[rugger14]

it wouldn't hurt to shadow several obviosuly. The experience can be very eye-opening of course..as for the letter, I was in a situation where someone said they would write me a letter but never did, so another person I shadowed wrote it. It put a delay in my app. Good luck!

 

[futuredoc4432]

roughly how many hours would you guys suggest to shadow a do. Also how well should i know them before i ask for a lor? should i try to shadow multiple do's, one do, a do and an md? sorry for being naive ive just recently decided that i definately want to go to med school and am definately behind on all of the extracurricular things.

 

[RySerr21]

roughly how many hours would you guys suggest to shadow a do. Also how well should i know them before i ask for a lor? should i try to shadow multiple do's, one do, a do and an md? sorry for being naive ive just recently decided that i definately want to go to med school and am definately behind on all of the extracurricular things.

I'd say between 20-50 hours. There definitely aren't any set rules. If you love the experience you may end up going a few times a week for a few months, in which case youll have hundreds of hours! So its really all up to you and the doctor and how much he/she is willing to have you around.

As far as the LOR, all doctors are different. One of the DOs i shadowed told me the first day he doesnt write LORs until he feels he konws the candidate well after a few months of shadowing. On the contrary, I met a DO at a dinner that I wasnt even shadowing, and he offered to write me a LOR if I needed one b/c he said he knew how much a pain it could be to find a DO to shadow. So, youve just gotta mention to the DO that you are in need of a letter for med school, and I'm sure he/she will tell you the expectations.

 

[AMEHigh]

roughly how many hours would you guys suggest to shadow a do. Also how well should i know them before i ask for a lor? should i try to shadow multiple do's, one do, a do and an md? sorry for being naive ive just recently decided that i definately want to go to med school and am definately behind on all of the extracurricular things.

I emailed all of the DOs that work at a major university hospital near my job. I heard back from 2. I ended up shadowing one of them and she was great. Due to my work schedule I was only able to shadow 4 hours each time for about 6 weeks. It was a great experience. I don't think there are any set rules on how long you should shadow. After my last meeting with her I asked her to write me a letter.

Of course the more clinical experiences you have, the better it looks to adcom. I have a decent amount of clinical and extracurricular things, however I only shadowed 1 DO and I have 1 acceptance so far.

 

[123880]

I had absolutely amazing results from the Mentor program at the AOA. Within minutes of sending my request, I had 4 or 5 responses. It was quite humbling, considered I'd done my own share of grumbling after cold calling, without results.

Try it. It works!

 

[NurWollen]

I just had my first shadowing experience today. He was a DO and an ENT that I saw a while back for an ear problem. I guess some people have a hard time finding a DO to shadow. i guess I just lucked out. I saw him as a patient, and after he examined me I asked if I could shaow him, so I talked to the receptionist and she scheduled me. That simple. Again, I think I just lucked out. Also, this is a small town with a large college, so maybe the docs here are more used to it.

 

[futuredoc4432]

thanks alot everyone ill work on that this weekend and let you all know how it turns out

 

[Sandlot13]

cold call baby! email and text messaging has ruined most of us to the point where we feel awkward "talking" to another human over the phone...... It took me a lot of cold calling, but finally found a DO who would allow me to shadow. It's not easy, but then again, if it was easy everyone would do it and there would be so many doctors there wouldnt be enough people to run McDonalds..... =D

good luck!

 

[futuredoc4432]

so i called a do and set up some shadowing... thanks for the advice everyone.