I feel like a total dumb@$$

[DocteurMarion]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Today is my 4th attempt at trying to get in touch with my OBGYN – At my last annual visit he told me that it should be fine for me to come and shadow him.

1st attempt: Called the office manager who was a total b*tch 😡 and told me to check with him directly.

2nd attempt: Left a detailed message to his secretary, asking to return my call

…never heard from him

3rd attempt (2 weeks later): Hand delivered a small letter that I wrote asking him if I could shadow him because I would be able to observe the work of a physician…ya di ya di ya da….

…never heard from him

4th attempt (1 month later): Today I had it! Screw that! I’m gonna call again!So I called his office again and left a detailed message to the secretary who said “Didn’t you call awhile ago?” I was about to say “No **** I even hand delivered a F*cking letter nobody ever got back to me” 😡

I feel like a total dumb@$$ stalking him but seriously I want an ANSWER: yes or no?

When I first told him about shadowing he sounded very enthusiastic about it.

JEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez – Just venting, thanks for listening.

 

[QofQuimica]

Sorry you've had such a frustrating experience. 🙁 Is there another doctor you know whom you could shadow instead?

 

[tara14]

I had a lot of trouble trying to find a physician to shadow or to even volunteer for a long time. I would leave multiple messages on the volunteer cooridinator's phone and they never even got back to me and that's their job! When I stopped in a clinic to ask if it was possible to shadow/volunteer I was actually asked if I was volunteering because I was court ordered to. It's strange ... I never used to have so much trouble before. But I wound up contacting the local health department in my county and I'm volunteering in their clinic, so maybe you could try that. Good luck ... I feel your pain, I really do.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Is there a medicals chool in your area you can possible research to find contacts? Have you tried a local chapter of AHEC? I posted about this organization a few weeks ago. They helped set me up with shadowing and volutenteering information. I'm HIPPA certifed and all

 

[czyja]

I feel like a total dumb@$$ stalking him but seriously I want an ANSWER: yes or no?

When I first told him about shadowing he sounded very enthusiastic about it.

JEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez – Just venting, thanks for listening.

This is an ideal place to vent - that is why we are here.

Quelle horreur! And such poor manners on the part of the office! In my book and hand delivered note definately deserves some sort of response. I suspect that the answer may be "no" - even if only be default. Fear not though! The other posters offer sound advice - call around and find another opportunity. Clearly you are a persistant woman. I suspect you find a great shadowing gig - it may take a while but hang in there.

Are you volunteering at a community clinic? That is a good place to start. I don't know if you are in a city or not but here in San Francisco there are several excellent women's clinics that would be great start for a prospective OBGYN. Find such a place, offer to file charts (and sweep and answer the phone), file really well, do as much as you can for a few months and you'll be shadowing whenever you want for as long as you want PLUS you'll wind up with a kick-... letter of rec.

(That is what I did at a primary care clinic - the key to getting in the door at these places is not to say you are a pre-med who wants to shadow. At most clinics: shadowing premed = prima donna = extra work w/ no benefit to the patients. Tell 'em you want to help in any capacity whatsoever. Which is true given that you plan to go into medicine. I was struck by the story of the doc at the New Orleans airport who told the FEMA yahoos that he wanted to help. They told him he could mop the floors. He did.)

Don't be too disheartened - sounds like shadowing at that clinic would not have been much fun anyway. Good luck

 

[tupac_don]

Today is my 4th attempt at trying to get in touch with my OBGYN – At my last annual visit he told me that it should be fine for me to come and shadow him.

1st attempt: Called the office manager who was a total b*tch 😡 and told me to check with him directly.

2nd attempt: Left a detailed message to his secretary, asking to return my call

…never heard from him

3rd attempt (2 weeks later): Hand delivered a small letter that I wrote asking him if I could shadow him because I would be able to observe the work of a physician…ya di ya di ya da….

…never heard from him

4th attempt (1 month later): Today I had it! Screw that! I’m gonna call again!So I called his office again and left a detailed message to the secretary who said “Didn’t you call awhile ago?” I was about to say “No **** I even hand delivered a F*cking letter nobody ever got back to me” 😡

I feel like a total dumb@$$ stalking him but seriously I want an ANSWER: yes or no?

When I first told him about shadowing he sounded very enthusiastic about it.

JEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez – Just venting, thanks for listening.

Maybe he is trying to give you a hint

 

[DocteurMarion]

4th attempt (1 month later): Today I had it! Screw that! I’m gonna call again!So I called his office again and left a detailed message to the secretary who said “Didn’t you call awhile ago?” I was about to say “No **** I even hand delivered a F*cking letter nobody ever got back to me” 😡

I feel like a total dumb@$$ stalking him but seriously I want an ANSWER: yes or no?

When I first told him about shadowing he sounded very enthusiastic about it.

JEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez – Just venting, thanks for listening.

👍 Never lose HOPE pre-meds 👍

😛 The doc called yesterday

Better late than never 😉

 

[powerbooki]

I in fact expected 'no' from doctors for my shadowing requests. 'no' should be the normal reply, and for any 'yes', I consider it to be a luck case. I asked a surgeon who did a surgery for my wife and I didn't bother to find out if that had been a factor in her agreeing to let me shadow. I got to observe a 3-hour long open colectomy performed by a Mayo-trained surgeon and she indicated it'd be OK if I wanted to observe more! Of course this is the only 'yes' I got out of many requests. I also had cases where even the physician's secretary just seemed not willing to help me and I am not sure if the secretary just buffed me off or she actually did ask the physician. I am still making requests, I think I will end up calling every physician in town if that's what it takes. Good luck.

 

[doctorFred]

i shadowed an ob-gyn during office rounds a few weeks ago, and i'm going back to shadow him during surgery. it's pretty interesting stuff. as you now have your positive response, you can see that it's not always as personal as it seems. many physicians are absolutely swamped, and simply don't have time or forget to reply to queries about shadowing.