What exactly do the Doc's let you do when you shadow? I would imagine that you can't go into patient rooms because of privacy issues. Or does the doc ask the pt if it is alright if you come in the room?
I'm two days late, but I hope no one minds me bumping this to reply.
In my experience, the doctors don't let you "do" anything, technically speaking. In fact, one doc I shadowed (just this Tuesday) specifically said to "be a fly on the wall." Now, this is a bit of an exaggeration, because he talked to me while examining patients, told me to note some interesting details, and didn't mind my asking questions or chatting with patients. But for the most part, "a fly on the wall" is what you'll be.
I've read on this site that some pre-meds were lucky enough to perform some simple procedures on the patients they were observing, but this seems like a huge liability for the doctor, and unless you shadow the doc for a really long time (unlike me), you probably won't be allowed to "do" anything.
Of course, you will be allowed to see some patients. Usually the nurse/medical assistant asks permission from the patient, and then writes "OK" on the corner of the patient's file. The doctor will probably talk to you about how doctors think, and may even quiz you! But in my experience, all quizzing has been low pressure and the doctors were always impressed (or pretended to be impressed
) with what I knew (even if I thought it was pretty basic knowledge).
Finally, I'll give out some gratuitous advice on finding doctors you don't know to shadow, in hopes that one of you will benefit:
(1) Cold calling works.
(2) Try your local medical school; academic physicians seem to be very willing to take on a student, and their e-mail addresses are usually readily available. You can also look for the specialties that really interest you, or people who perform the "cool" procedures.
(3) Be persistent, but in my case it was not difficult at all to find willing doctors (I found 3 on my first try).
