How to find surgery shadowing?

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wlee43

wlee43

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So I tried finding primary docs but they either say no or don't call back. How do I go about doing this. I do volunteer at a university hospital so should I start there?
 
Bump into docs while volunteering, cold call/email, check with your premed office to see if they know docs receptive to shadowing, family connections, basically anything. Also once you get in good with one doc you can say that you're interested in x specialty and ask if they know any ody whom you should contact. Provided your not an ahole to be around they'll usually help you out.
 
Ride Big Sky said:
Bump into docs while volunteering, cold call/email, check with your premed office to see if they know docs receptive to shadowing, family connections, basically anything. Also once you get in good with one doc you can say that you're interested in x specialty and ask if they know any ody whom you should contact. Provided your not an ahole to be around they'll usually help you out.
Click to expand...

This, this, 100 times this.

Don't go cold call the cocky spinal surgeon and expect a response. Instead call a lowly pediatrician or family doc. Get in good with him. Then use the connections to get an IM specialist. Then use those connections to get a surgeon. Boom.
 
flatearth22 said:
This, this, 100 times this.

Don't go cold call the cocky spinal surgeon and expect a response. Instead call a lowly pediatrician or family doc. Get in good with him. Then use the connections to get an IM specialist. Then use those connections to get a surgeon. Boom.
Click to expand...

Rude.

Pediatricians rule.
 
flatearth22 said:
This, this, 100 times this.

Don't go cold call the cocky spinal surgeon and expect a response. Instead call a lowly pediatrician or family doc. Get in good with him. Then use the connections to get an IM specialist. Then use those connections to get a surgeon. Boom.
Click to expand...

That's not cool, bra

OP, your university hospital is a great place to start!
 
Just keep working to shadow any type of physician you are interested in becoming, and then professionally ask for their help to work your way towards shadowing a surgeon. This and cold calling are what gave me the opportunity to actually watch a surgery in the OR, personally I believe you just have to find the right surgeon willing to take you in. Once you get that shot, though, make sure to stay out of the way as much as possible and not to faint. Search up other discussions on what (not) to do while observing a live surgery.
 
Yo SDN users I got a question but I felt like it wasn't important enough to make a thread about it I don't like cluttering stuff up.
My college offers a "Student Clinical Exploration Program" which is basically shadowing being offered through the school. I get to shadow around 4 hours/week for 4-6 weeks. Is that good? Or should I add some city hospital and/or clinical shadowing not related to the college?
 
JohnnyRomanes said:
Yo SDN users I got a question but I felt like it wasn't important enough to make a thread about it I don't like cluttering stuff up.
My college offers a "Student Clinical Exploration Program" which is basically shadowing being offered through the school. I get to shadow around 4 hours/week for 4-6 weeks. Is that good? Or should I add some city hospital and/or clinical shadowing not related to the college?
Click to expand...

Why do you feel that's necessary? 😕 Shadowing is shadowing is shadowing.
 
JohnnyRomanes said:
Yo SDN users I got a question but I felt like it wasn't important enough to make a thread about it I don't like cluttering stuff up.
My college offers a "Student Clinical Exploration Program" which is basically shadowing being offered through the school. I get to shadow around 4 hours/week for 4-6 weeks. Is that good? Or should I add some city hospital and/or clinical shadowing not related to the college?
Click to expand...

Program seems fine but if they don't cover a specialty you're really interested in then maybe look elsewhere to supplement the program.
 
I was thinking so, they only do Osteo, Rads, and IM. I was looking into shadowing Neuros, Peds, Neonats, and Anethes. Also, at a hospital I am volunteering, is it frowned upon to get shadowing hours from a Doctor you are volunteering with/around or that's fair game?
 
JohnnyRomanes said:
I was thinking so, they only do Osteo, Rads, and IM. I was looking into shadowing Neuros, Peds, Neonats, and Anethes. Also, at a hospital I am volunteering, is it frowned upon to get shadowing hours from a Doctor you are volunteering with/around or that's fair game?
Click to expand...
That varies from hospital to hospital. I'd start out asking your volunteer coordinator. I can pretty much guarantee you aren't the first med student volunteer who's had that question.
 
wlee43 said:
So I tried finding primary docs but they either say no or don't call back. How do I go about doing this. I do volunteer at a university hospital so should I start there?
Click to expand...

I woke up at 2 AM with intense pain in the lower right quadrant of my abdomen. I went to the ER, where I had blood drawn, urine sample, and a CT with contrast. After 6 hours in the ER, the surgeon came to me.

Later, when in the preop room, the surgeon made small talk and learned that I was premed. At my 2 week follow-up appointment, I asked the surgeon if I could shadow him.

Hopefully you have insurance, since the bills added up to 14k. But I got to shadow a surgeon.

YMMV
 
You could just do what I did--require surgery, then at your follow-up, ask your surgeon if it would be okay to come in for a few days. Got me three whole weeks in the OR 😀.
 
Find a medical student. They likely have connections to surgeons you can shadow. All you need is to be introduced.
 
Learn how to network now and it'll help you for the rest of your life.
 
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