Meeting With DO instead of Shadowing

[docaddictedtotravel1992]

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So I finally was able to get in touch with a DO at a hospital that I work at and he suggested that I just meet with him instead of shadowing and that it would be more beneficial to me. This might be just a way for him not to have me shadow which would be more time-consuming for him, however, it actually works much better for me with my work schedule. I do need a DO letter for a majority of the schools I am applying to now but what would you guys recommend me do regarding the letter? I feel kindof awkward asking him for a letter after just meeting with him but I'm assuming he is expecting it. I know some schools accept just a form that states that you met with one in lieu of the letter so I was thinking about doing that as well. Also, any questions that you would recommend me ask? Thanks!

 

[AlteredScale]

So I finally was able to get in touch with a DO at a hospital that I work at and he suggested that I just meet with him instead of shadowing and that it would be more beneficial to me. This might be just a way for him not to have me shadow which would be more time-consuming for him, however, it actually works much better for me with my work schedule. I do need a DO letter for a majority of the schools I am applying to now but what would you guys recommend me do regarding the letter? I feel kindof awkward asking him for a letter after just meeting with him but I'm assuming he is expecting it. I know some schools accept just a form that states that you met with one in lieu of the letter so I was thinking about doing that as well. Also, any questions that you would recommend me ask? Thanks!

Meeting with him gives you personal one on one time for you to know him and vise versa. What specialty does he work in? If it's surgical, internal medicine, or even a predominantly "MD" run hospital then you really wont see much of a difference between his style of care and the MD docs.

Ask him why he chose the DO profession, what did it do to help him become who is now? Does he asses patients in a different manner because of his medical training? How has he grown from graduating school through residency.

Share why you want to pursue osteopathic medicine with him. That's really where the meat of your letter will be. So have a genuine answer. If you say that you like treating the patient holistically without backing it up somehow then that doesn't give him much to write with.

Then at the end of your meeting ask him if he can write you a letter!

 

[JeBrAs]

I was only able to meet with a DO but not shadow him. It was great, I spent 1 hour of one on one time with him, and learned a lot about his journey in medicine and why he chose DO and family practice. We were able to have a very good back and forth discussion of medicine and he got to know a little about me in the process. To my luck, he offered to write me a letter before I even had the chance to ask him. He also hooked me up with some good books to read which have helped my understanding of Osteopathic Medicine and its history. If I were you bring a resume and your personal statement (if you have one ready), do a little research before hand on Osteopathic Medicine. Also it doesn't hurt to ask "dumb" questions like "how is Osteopathic Medicine different"? or "what is and how do you feel about OMM"? What you are really looking for is his/her interpretation of it all. Try to relate some of your experiences to why you think being a DO would suit you best.

 

[docaddictedtotravel1992]

Thanks for all the great input! He is actually a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist (also referred to as a physiatrist) at a Rehabilitation Hospital so I think he actual does differ a lot in traditional MD's since he most likely utilizes OMM techniques. I lucked out because he is actually also the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital (it's the #1 Rehab Hospital in the US) so I'm a little nervous! Those were great suggestions for the questions!