Is Shadowing Essential?

[Archdelux]

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Hi,

I was wondering if shadowing a physician while in college was essential.. I have shadowed physicians in high school and worked in the ER. I am currently an EMT and take shifts weekly with the campus EMS agency, and get plenty of clinical experience that way (during training, I also worked in the ER as a tech)..I really dont need to shadow anyone at this point in order to know what I want to do.. will med schools care?

 

[Revenant]

I was always told clinical experience (which you have) was essential but I'm not certain about specifically shadowing...

 

[167649]

Adcoms really just care if you have had a lot of relevant clinical experience, which you have. It certainly doesn't hurt to have shadowing but it isn't a necessity as long as you have clinical exp of some kind..

 

[Phoenix.]

Adcoms really just care if you have had a lot of relevant clinical experience, which you have. It certainly doesn't hurt to have shadowing but it isn't a necessity as long as you have clinical exp of some kind..

Yup. I don't have any shadowing on my app, and I've received a bunch of interviews. However, I definitely have some good clinical experience. I believe that the "requirement" is clinical experience, which could be satisfied in a number of ways, one of which is shadowing.

 

[Concordia]

As long as you have some clinical experience you are fine. I had an interviewer ask about shadowing (which I did not do) but in the end it did not matter. If they ask, explain why you didn't do it.

 

[LittleMama]

Okay, then what is meant by "clinical experience"? Does this include volunteering in a clinical setting as a non-medical volunteer (where you're not doing actual patient treatment)? Or does it mean you have to actually touch or poke the patient?

 

[Kingfish]

Shadowing is probably the easiest extra-curricular you can have. As long as you have 24-36 hours you are set. You can knock that out in a month if you have the time. I couldn't recommend it more highly. Clinical experience WILL come up in your interview.

 

[Kingfish]

Okay, then what is meant by "clinical experience"? Does this include volunteering in a clinical setting as a non-medical volunteer (where you're not doing actual patient treatment)? Or does it mean you have to actually touch or poke the patient?

I think the definition around here is "As long as you were close enough to smell a patient it counts" or something like that.

 

[gotmeds?]

If you have a good amount of clinical experience, I wouldn't stress out about shadowing. I did zero shadowing but I was a paramedic for several years. Nobody asked me why I didn't shadow and I ended up getting into a bunch of schools, including my top choice. Which reminds me, I really should get back to studying if I want to remain at that school.😱

 

[BrokenGlass]

Hi,

I was wondering if shadowing a physician while in college was essential.. I have shadowed physicians in high school and worked in the ER. I am currently an EMT and take shifts weekly with the campus EMS agency, and get plenty of clinical experience that way (during training, I also worked in the ER as a tech)..I really dont need to shadow anyone at this point in order to know what I want to do.. will med schools care?

Some schools let you substitute shadow boxing for shadowing.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Although I did a little shadowing, I did not put it on my app, nor did it ever come up during interviews. I think the key is being able to demonstrate your interest and knowledge regarding what being a physician entails, which would be very difficult to do without some sort of clinical exposure.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

You need SOME clinical experience so you know medicine isn't House or Gray's Anatomy. Shadowing is the easiest way.

 

[TheRealMD]

For application reasons? Not specifically.

For practicality reasons? I'd be nice to know what you might be spending the rest of your life doing before you put in 7+ years of school and $100k+ of debt.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

shadowing is more or less pretty essential, even if you have other clinical experiences (like EMT). When you shadow a doctor (MD OR DO, not other health care professionals), you get not only first hand clinical experience, but you get to experience the whole culture behind being a doctor. you get a better idea of how a doctor thinks/behaves when the doctor is with patients. also, many of the doctors went through the same process you will be embarking on (applications) and they might give you some tips. lastly, you can get a pretty strong lor from the physician, and these can make a huge impression. I mean, i think they should make a physician's letter mandatory at all schools (like the ones you need from your professors), because if a doctor can say that he/she can see you functioning as a peer, it means a lot.

 

[Writer1985]

shadowing is more or less pretty essential, even if you have other clinical experiences (like EMT). When you shadow a doctor (MD OR DO, not other health care professionals), you get not only first hand clinical experience, but you get to experience the whole culture behind being a doctor. you get a better idea of how a doctor thinks/behaves when the doctor is with patients. also, many of the doctors went through the same process you will be embarking on (applications) and they might give you some tips. lastly, you can get a pretty strong lor from the physician, and these can make a huge impression. I mean, i think they should make a physician's letter mandatory at all schools (like the ones you need from your professors), because if a doctor can say that he/she can see you functioning as a peer, it means a lot.

Actually, it can be really hard these days to be able to shadow a physician. HIPAA and all that. I don't think a physician's letter should be required -- after all, your interviewers are already judging whether you'd be their peer.

If you know a physician and are able to shadow them, it can be a really great way to confirm your career choice. It's one of those things that are recommended for personal understanding but certainly not required for the application.