No Shadowing Experience

[LittleRocker]

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I was wondering how detrimental my not having any shadowing will be. I would like to have some but I simply do not have any room in my schedule. I have a pretty heavy course load. When I'm not in class I'm working in a lab. I have an mcat course all day Saturdays through April. I volunteer every Sunday morning at a hospital. On top of that I am studying for the mcat. So basically I am busy with something every day of the week. I'm also going to be doing a full-time research program this summer for 10 weeks.I'm applying this upcoming cycle and I don't see how I can fit in any shadowing by then. I could possibly try to shadow in August after my research program but I will have already submitted my amcas by then. Will my hospital volunteering be enough? I've been doing it since last summer (I only decided to go premed within the last year and a half). I also was a Pharmacy Tech for 9 months if that counts as medical experience.

 

[Cegar]

Shadowing is not essential.

Especially if you have clinical experience through volunteering/work.

I would not worry about it.

 

[LittleRocker]

sweet, thanks. that's a big relief.

 

[Cegar]

It really varies from program to program though.

Some schools almost always want to see some shadowing experience. Some want to see general hospital experience. Some don't care. Some want a heap of research.

Most will let things slide if you have a 3.9/40.

 

[175961]

I think that shadowing just gives you the opportunity to see what a doctor does day in and day out. In a full staffed doctors office you'll probably just be nothing more than a fly on the wall following the doctor. So if you don't have any shadowing experience I would let adcoms know that you want to be a doctor and you didn't need any shadowing to help you make that decision.

Having done both sides of it, shadowing and volunteering at a free health clinic, I can tell you that the latter is not only more beneficial but more fun as well. The clinic where I volunteer at just opened so they only have 1 doctor and 1 nurse right now. So I get to help check in patients, take vitals, help with the lab work and I also translate for the doctor since there are tons of Hispanic people around where I live. So I guess I get to shadow there too at the same time, but it sure beats just tagging along behind the doctor.

 

[LittleRocker]

Yes, I am definitely getting a lot of patient interaction through my volunteering. I don't really get much medical experience (ie checking vitals) but I get a lot of one on one time with patients. I volunteer at a Children's hospital and visit with the kids and play games and stuff.

 

[Cegar]

You would be surprised at how relevant game playing is to medicine.

 

[LittleRocker]

You would be surprised at how relevant game playing is to medicine.

ha. I'd say it just gives me a chance to really be in touch with the patients and sympathize with their needs.

 

[CubaLibre]

you should do some shadowing. you dont want something so small hold you back. even if you it's only a few days for a few hours. clinical experience is important in helping you realize you want to pursue a career in medicine, but when you shadow you get to see what your place in the medical world will be in the future and see if it's what you want to do.

 

[crazy4clana]

Shadowing gives you more of an indepth look at medicine and patient care than volunteering which IMO, is more scutwork like doing arrands. And a LOR from a doctor that you've shadowed has a lot of weight too.

 

[135892]

I would try to get some (10-20 hrs) somehow, someway

 

[LittleRocker]

Well will it be too late if i do it in August when I get back from my research program? It might be too late to get it on some applications but I would at least be able to talk about it in interviews right? August is really the only time I could feasibly squeeze it in.

 

[135892]

Well will it be too late if i do it in August when I get back from my research program? It might be too late to get it on some applications but I would at least be able to talk about it in interviews right? August is really the only time I could feasibly squeeze it in.

Yeah, if thats the only time, then do it then. And your're right, it is something that could be useful to bring up in interviews

 

[thetubes]

Yes, I am definitely getting a lot of patient interaction through my volunteering. I don't really get much medical experience (ie checking vitals) but I get a lot of one on one time with patients. I volunteer at a Children's hospital and visit with the kids and play games and stuff.

I'd say anecdotally your experience is typical.

 

[CubaLibre]

take a day off one day and go shadow all day. you dont have to shadow for 100 hours, just enough to get a feel and say you did.

 

[135892]

take a day off one day and go shadow all day. you dont have to shadow for 100 hours, just enough to get a feel and say you did.

Seriously, just skip class a few days or something

 

[LittleRocker]

Seriously, just skip class a few days or something

That's not a bad idea. For some reason I was under the impression that shadowing had to be a regular thing over a couple of weeks, but I guess not. There's an otolaryngology clinic nearby that I would like to shadow at. That's a field I'm interested in right now. Would it be ok to call them blindly?

 

[175961]

That's not a bad idea. For some reason I was under the impression that shadowing had to be a regular thing over a couple of weeks, but I guess not. There's an otolaryngology clinic nearby that I would like to shadow at. That's a field I'm interested in right now. Would it be ok to call them blindly?

Thats what I did at the doctors office I am at right now. Just said I'm a student looking to shadow and was wondering if that would be possible to do. He was really friendly about it and it worked out great

 

[Drogba]

Shadowing gives you more of an indepth look at medicine and patient care than volunteering which IMO, is more scutwork like doing arrands. And a LOR from a doctor that you've shadowed has a lot of weight too.

According to our resident adcom thats innacurate:

LizzyM, how do adcoms view LORs from physicians you've shadowed?

Generally not impressive, generally uninformative. They usually read like the Boy Scout Oath: "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly...."

YMMV, my school prefers LORs from faculty and makes that clear in the application materials.

 

[135892]

That's not a bad idea. For some reason I was under the impression that shadowing had to be a regular thing over a couple of weeks, but I guess not. There's an otolaryngology clinic nearby that I would like to shadow at. That's a field I'm interested in right now. Would it be ok to call them blindly?

Yeah, call, e-mail, asking docs where you volunteer, family friends, etc...

 

[midn]

I never really shadowed a doctor, and although it didn't cause me to be instantly rejected from any schools, it really hurt me in my interviews. Compared to many pre-meds, I'm kind of clueless as to the daily life of doctors. Nobody in my family or extended family is a doctor so I didn't really get a hook up for shadowing.

I would really shadow if you can at least for the sake of talking about something in your interviews. If you can't shadow, it's not the end of the world. I still got an acceptance to one of my top choice schools.

 

[twick121]

i would NOT shadow for your application purpose. you are completely missing the point of shadowing if that is why you do it. The point of shadowing is to see the daily life of a doctor. How do you know that being a doctor is something you want to do if you haven't been exposed to it? If you haven't seen what doctors actually do? I do not think volunteering gets you this. I don't think it's a coincidence that the people we've lost in our class so far are people that didn't shadow and didn't know what they weren't getting themselves into. My advice is to do it so you make sure you want to do this for more reasons than "you like science and want to help people."

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

According to our resident adcom thats innacurate:

Yes I agree that LizzyM says that her school isn't a big fan but when I talked with the admissions director at MCG she said they wanted a physicians letter and it was one of the most important ones you could get. Something along the lines of "if our colleague believes you will be good we trust them more than a faculty member, remember someday we will let you treat us or our parents"

So I think a lot of it depends on the school and the physician. The hospital I shadowed at won't let its physicians write letters but my GP that I shadowed will happily write a letter, and she is an ADCOM (or at least was 2 years ago) and she has been my general for 6 years so she knows me pretty well- sadly I have a chronic condition and see her every few months for blood work and stuff.

 

[CubaLibre]

i would NOT shadow for your application purpose. you are completely missing the point of shadowing if that is why you do it. The point of shadowing is to see the daily life of a doctor. "

you're right, but regardless of your motivations for shadowing, it will still be a worthwhile experience and you will see what a doctor's daily life is like. And that is what shadowing is about. it's not about following someone around for X amount of hours.

 

[CubaLibre]

Yes I agree that LizzyM says that her school isn't a big fan but when I talked with the admissions director at MCG she said they wanted a physicians letter and it was one of the most important ones you could get.

yea, it seems to vary by school. I tend to side with LizzyM though. These letters are meaningless unless you worked with the individual.

 

[decafplease]

i would NOT shadow for your application purpose. you are completely missing the point of shadowing if that is why you do it. The point of shadowing is to see the daily life of a doctor. How do you know that being a doctor is something you want to do if you haven't been exposed to it? If you haven't seen what doctors actually do? I do not think volunteering gets you this. I don't think it's a coincidence that the people we've lost in our class so far are people that didn't shadow and didn't know what they weren't getting themselves into. My advice is to do it so you make sure you want to do this for more reasons than "you like science and want to help people."

👍👍

 

[IrishCol5]

If you have time, I would strongly suggest shadowing. I was WL at Creighton this year, and when I inquired as to why the Admissions Director cited explicitly my lack of shadowing. Take note, I did have clinical experience in other avenues (i.e. volunteering at a Children's Hospital) so it is not that he thought I had a lack of clinical experience, rather specifically not shadowing.

Granted, there may have been other factors that contributed to my WL, but that was all the AD mentioned in the email.

 

[crazy4clana]

According to our resident adcom thats innacurate:

So that's one's school's perspective.

I know for a fact that my brothers LOR from the doctor he shadowed landed him 2 spots in med school after he took one year off. You also need more clinical experience than just volunteering.

 

[TheRealMD]

Shadowing implies you've taken it upon yourself to see what doctors actually do day in and day out. It brings a sort of insight into how things actually work that I really believe you don't get as a volunteer.

But will it work against your favor for not having any shadowing? I'll say this to you: "We don't really consider people very competent if they go away signing legal documents when they make no attempt to read the fine print".

 

[MossPoh]

I'm hesitant to say any of the stuff is "required", but I think it is critical in your own decision. Patient contact is nice and all, but I think it is really necessary to get a solid understand about the job you are interviewing for. What you see on tv and what you read are a small fraction of the reality that is medicine. I had one doc tell me that some PA schools require several hundred hours of shadowing. That is for a gig that robs you much less of your life. This isn't an issue about getting in. It is an issue about understanding what you are getting into. If you don't have family members in the profession and have no real idea of the daily physician life...you NEED to do it. Make a little time. Volunteer a little less, or drop it for some time. Most docs would be happy to have you follow them around for a couple hours a week or month.

I know it seems unfathomable, but a huge percentage of premeds sign up for medschool without knowing what they are really getting into. They always think they are the exception and since it is what they have wanted for their entire life, they will instantly fall in love. That really is not the case. Medical students and doctors have a very high suicide rate relative to the normal population. It seems every doctor I meet knows at least one person that has committed suicide during the long long process that is medical education. For YOUR sake you should shadow, not for admission's sake.

 

[LittleRocker]

Ha I like how this thread went from it being not that big a deal to being the most important thing ever. But you guys make some really good points and I'm definitely gonna try to cut class some day and get some shadowing. I really do need to get a feel for what a doctor actually goes through on a typical day cause I haven't really gotten to experience that yet.

 

[g3pro]

Shadowing is probably the most important thing you can do for your own personal development. Without it, you won't know if you hate medicine yet, and with it, you more likely than not will indeed hate medicine and forgo attending medical school.

THAT is why it's important, and schools are looking for applicants who, despite knowing the terrible state medicine is in these days, want to go into it nonetheless. No shadowing (or relevant clinical experience) points to immaturity in the candidate.

 

[notdeadyet]

Folks seem to really misunderstand what shadowing is all about.

No one cares if you shadow, per se. Not any school. But almost every school will want to see that you have an very good understanding of what a doctor does, day in and day out.

Do you need to get this from shadowing? Absolutely not. But you need to get it.

If your only exposure to doctors is passing them in the halls as you transfer patients on gurneys and wipe down countertops in the ER, you're in trouble. But if you have meaningful clinical volunteering which puts you working closely with doctors for a good period of time, shadowing is redundant.

And the issue of a LOR from shadowing? Well, that's mixed bag. If you shadow a doctor for five shifts, your LOR isn't going to mean anything. Adcoms aren't dumb. How much weight do you think med schools will give a letter from someone who you watched work for 40 hours? Not much. But if you shadowed a doctor every week for a semester and actually did some work in addition to volunteering? This would carry weight.

Shadowing isn't necessary. But some of the lessons you can get from it are. Get it from shadowing or get 'em elsewhere.

 

[darkelven29]

Hospital volunteering trumphs shadowing experience

9 interview invites with no shadowing

 

[Kaustikos]

Hospital volunteering trumphs shadowing experience

9 interview invites with no shadowing

So we should base everything on your outcomes? That's completely opinioned and situational. It's the same iwth any experience; it's about the quality.

 

[TheRealMD]

Hospital volunteering trumphs shadowing experience

9 interview invites with no shadowing

Shadowing is not required, however, for the cookie-cutter pre-meds that see their applications with little check boxes, it coves more than one. The idea of knowing what a doctor does day in and day out must be gained from somewhere.

 

[lilsweet321]

You should try to get 10-20 hours of shadowing in somehow. It won't really help you in the admissions process per se, but it will give you a perspective on the everyday jugglings of a physician.

You should try to get in volunteering AND shadowing if at all possible, but if it comes down to choosing between a long-term volunteering experience and a couple-week shadowing experience, I would say choose the volunteering. It may require that you do some menial tasks; however, it shows that you are dedicated. Medicine really does require a lot of dedication and commitment, so it's not necessarily what you 'accomplished' as a volunteer but rather your demonstration of dedication that will be conveyed to the admissions committee.

best of luck to you!

 

[sciencebird]

I shadowed after my MCAT and coursework were over, about 4 hours/week, sometimes 8. And I did it once by taking a day off work. I asked my primary care physician.

So I took the MCAT in July, applied in October, and shadowed from Aug-Jan.

It gave me enough experience to talk and write about, and helped me validate my decision for myself.

 

[littlealex]

Even if you have a lot of clinical volunteering, I'd still say shadowing would be something interesting to do. As a volunteer, what you observe is often limited by your skill sets. However, you get to shadow any type of medical doctor you want with minimal commitment. Surgeons, psychiatrists, pediatricians, etc. It's a great way to start exploring your career early.

 

[MossPoh]

Ha I like how this thread went from it being not that big a deal to being the most important thing ever. But you guys make some really good points and I'm definitely gonna try to cut class some day and get some shadowing. I really do need to get a feel for what a doctor actually goes through on a typical day cause I haven't really gotten to experience that yet.

I'm not trying to make it seem like it is life and death, but I do feel you owe it yourself to spend a few hours following a doctor around. I don't know about you, but I tend to research and debate before any investment over about 50 dollars excluding gas. $100,000 + and 7+ years of my life can result in some serious buyer's remorse.

 

[daaarn]

Kinda OT, but it relates to something the OP said about doing some research during the summer of application. If you're planning on doing something in summer or are currently just starting something that reaches into/thru summer, how would you put that in your application?

For example, say I'm doing some research during summer, but I want to send in all my apps as soon as possible. Do I even bother mentioning I'm doing research, or do I just roll the dice and say I am, despite either having not started, or technically only having done a week or two of it by the time the apps are sent in?

 

[notdeadyet]

Kinda OT, but it relates to something the OP said about doing some research during the summer of application. If you're planning on doing something in summer or are currently just starting something that reaches into/thru summer, how would you put that in your application?

You can put in activities that you are currently doing in AMCAS. You can not put in future activities that you plan on doing. Easy enough.

 

[daaarn]

You can put in activities that you are currently doing in AMCAS. You can not put in future activities that you plan on doing. Easy enough.

So say you start doing research in mid-May and then send in your apps at the beginning of June. Do you say you did research (for all of like 2 weeks so far) or just leave it off?

 

[notdeadyet]

So say you start doing research in mid-May and then send in your apps at the beginning of June. Do you say you did research (for all of like 2 weeks so far) or just leave it off?

I'd put it in, if you have the room. Then, in the description field, mention that you have just started a one year research position doing bla bla bla....

 

[SketchLazy]

I was wondering how detrimental my not having any shadowing will be. I would like to have some but I simply do not have any room in my schedule. I have a pretty heavy course load. When I'm not in class I'm working in a lab. I have an mcat course all day Saturdays through April. I volunteer every Sunday morning at a hospital. On top of that I am studying for the mcat. So basically I am busy with something every day of the week. I'm also going to be doing a full-time research program this summer for 10 weeks.I'm applying this upcoming cycle and I don't see how I can fit in any shadowing by then. I could possibly try to shadow in August after my research program but I will have already submitted my amcas by then. Will my hospital volunteering be enough? I've been doing it since last summer (I only decided to go premed within the last year and a half). I also was a Pharmacy Tech for 9 months if that counts as medical experience.

I wrote something similar in another thread about this, so I will repeat. I have 0 shadowing experience and am sitting on an acceptance and have a couple more interviews. At one of the schools I interviewed at, it did matter, and they GRILLED me on it. But for the rest, it didn't really seem to matter because I had clinical experience and a lot of access to talking to doctors. Because of that I could confidently articulate my desire to be a doctor and my ideas on what I thought being one would be like. I think that is the most important part about shadowing experience. It was because of that that I got by. You just need to have a concrete idea of what it is like to be a doctor and draw on an experience(s) that made you want to be one. Shadowing helps you do that, so if you have no other clinical experience I would recommend it no matter how inane I personally think it is. Schools want it. Do it. Make the time, especially since it sounds like your clinical experience might not be enough by itself.

 

[deleted158872]

What kind of CLINICAL experience did you have ?? Volunteering doesn't expose you much to the patients....

 

[Drogba]

What kind of CLINICAL experience did you have ?? Volunteering doesn't expose you much to the patients....

Exposing yourself too much to patients could get you arrested and that would pretty much end your medical career before it started.

 

[deleted158872]

No kidding, Drogba.

What is the purpose of volunteering ? besides being there to help with minor jobs , of course

 

[centersharpie]

I'm shadowing this semester, but if I wasn't my premed advisor told me that you should at least say that you plan on doing it in the near future, that you're trying to set something up. I think shadowing is VERY important. I mean what it did for me was give me confromation. I think that shadowing is very important, so even though you can't do it this semester, I would try to line something up before the year you matriculate, and tell the ADCOMS that you do plan on shadowing and then follow up with a LOR from the doctor you do chose to shadow.

Hope that helps

c.s.