I’m a premed student who is looking for a doctor I can volunteer. The proble is that I don’t know any doctor, not even a family doctor. I live in Fichmond, Indiana, which is a very poor city. Is there any way where I can find shadowing, or should I just give up on it and focus on volunteer and research?
Thanks in advance!
Here’s how to shadow a doctor.
Step One: Getting on the Doctor’s Back
Possibly the most dangerous part of shadowing a doctor is getting on its back. Never attempt to jump a doctor from the side or from the front. Doing so is the easiest way to get bit. You want to approach the doctor from behind. If possible, have someone distract the doctor so it doesn’t turn to keep an eye on you.
However, if that’s not possible, take off your shirt and use it as a blindfold (or use a towel). Throw your shirt on the top of the doctor’s head, making sure to cover its eyes. Without sight, the doctor is much slower to react.
Draw a straight line down the doctor’s head and back, and tail if possible. Get a running start down that line and, staying low, leap onto the doctor with hands extended forward. You want your hands to land at the doctor’s neck, between the back of its jaws and the front legs. When you land on the doctor, push down with all your might on the neck to force the head to the ground.
Doctors open their mouths the same way humans do. That means the bottom jaw moves—the top doesn’t. By pinning the head to the ground, you’re preventing the jaws from opening.
You should be high on the doctor’s back, near the front shoulders. Your knees should touch the ground but squeeze the doctor’s flanks. The lower part of your legs should be pinning the hind legs while keeping the feet from touching the ground.
Keeping the rear legs from the ground helps prevent the doctor from “death rolling” (spinning around violently). When a doctor does this, you’ve lost control of the doctor.
Step Two: Getting Control of the Mouth
Once on the doctor, it’s important to gain control of the mouth. Both hands should still be firmly on the doctor’s neck, pressing down hard with your full body weight.
Rule of thumb: you’re not going to hurt the doctor, but it can certainly hurt you. Always use all your strength. But remember, technique is more important than brute force.
Rotate the dominate hand (right or left) forward. Remain in contact with the doctor and keep pressing down as you slide the hand forward down the middle of the doctor’s head. You want to cover both eyes with your hand. Doctors retract their eyes into the skull, so just coming into contact with them should be enough. Again, you’re blinding the doctor to give yourself the advantage.
Now, press down on the eyes with all your weight. Again, pin the head to the ground to prevent its jaws from opening. Slide your other hand forward and down and run it along the bottom jaw line. Put your fingers under the doctor’s jaw and you’ll feel soft skin around bone. With fingers under the jaw and palm and thumb on top, grip firmly.
All of an doctor’s jaw power is on the down stroke. They have almost no muscle power when it comes to opening their jaws. What that means is that you can hold the doctor’s mouth shut with one hand. It doesn’t mean you shouldhold it closed with one hand, though.
Still keeping the head pinned to the ground, slide the hand covering the eyes down until it too can hook the lower jaw.
Both hands should now be holding the mouth shut.
Step Three: Submission
Lift the doctor’s head off the ground and toward your chest. Once the head is at close to a ninety degree angle, the doctor can no longer fight back.
Congratulations, you’ve just shadowed a doctor.
