Making the Most of Shadowing (First Time)

[Force Healer]

I will be shadowing for the first time at the end of this month. I am incredibly excited but was wondering if anyone had any tips for making my experience as memorable and as rewarding as possible! Should I be taking notes; if so, what on? Are there any good questions to ask beyond the generic shadowing question list (i.e. "What's your typical day like?", etc.)? I just want to make sure I'm learning the most I can!

I will be shadowing in a neurosurgical OR and clinic for one week / 40 hours, if that is helpful to know.

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[OrthoTraumaMD]

Don't ask anything you can look up easily. Try to talk at least 50% less than you normally would, and listen 50% more.

 

[glycoprotein1]

IMO, shadowing should be used to learn what being a doctor is like. You shouldn't have to take notes - you'll learn how to be a doctor in medical school, and to be honest, if I were a patient, I wouldn't want some student writing down anything I said. You might ask about work/life balance, what a typical week is like, how they chose their field, and upsides/downsides of their chosen specialty, or see if they have any tips to become a successful physician. Most importantly, enjoy the experience!!! Shadowing was by far my favorite activity of all the premedical requirements!

 

[longhaul3]

If you know the nature of the case the night before you're in the OR, look up the basics of the procedure so you're familiar with the terminology when the surgeon is talking. Not that your goal should be to learn anything about neurosurgery, but just so that you can be more engaged and maybe appreciate the thinking process and planning that goes into a doctor approaching a case.

I also think it is appropriate, when you're in the office, to offer a simple "thank you for having me sit in" to the patient on your way out of the room, after his/her business with the doctor is finished, unless the patient has just received some really bad news or wasn't happy about you being there to begin with.