No specialty shadowing

[lexswift]

I shadowed a family medicine doctor sometime when I was a junior in college for 25 hours. I have called so many doctor's offices but they have all said no. I contacted the the family medicine doctor again and he is so nice and said I could come shadow again. I am going to try my best to keep looking but I am worried how this will be perceived if I don't shadow any specialists?

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[Crayola227]

you don't need to shadow specialists

it's nice if you can shadow in the outpt and inpt environment

but if you do enough primary care shadowing and speak of a love of family practice it will not hurt you

 

[Catalystik]

I shadowed a family medicine doctor sometime when I was a junior in college for 25 hours. I have called so many doctor's offices but they have all said no. I contacted the the family medicine doctor again and he is so nice and said I could come shadow again. I am going to try my best to keep looking but I am worried how this will be perceived if I don't shadow any specialists?

I agree with @Crayola227 that primary care shadowing in and of itself is sufficient, especially if it includes a view of office-based longitudinal care. Family medicine is ideal since it includes all age groups.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

I shadowed a family medicine doctor sometime when I was a junior in college for 25 hours. I have called so many doctor's offices but they have all said no. I contacted the the family medicine doctor again and he is so nice and said I could come shadow again. I am going to try my best to keep looking but I am worried how this will be perceived if I don't shadow any specialists?

AdComs want to see that you've had patient exposure and understand the dynamics of the medical workplace. Most hospitals (esp teaching hospitals) have volunteer programs you can sign up for. Usually they are 4 hours/week for a year. Try to find something like that.

 

[lexswift]

you don't need to shadow specialists

it's nice if you can shadow in the outpt and inpt environment

but if you do enough primary care shadowing and speak of a love of family practice it will not hurt you

I agree with @Crayola227 that primary care shadowing in and of itself is sufficient, especially if it includes a view of office-based longitudinal care. Family medicine is ideal since it includes all age groups.

I have a prelim list of schools (no MCAT yet so list may significantly change after the MCAT...but hopefully it does not!) and while there are a few schools that have a primary care focus the majority of the schools I am interested in do not. Do you think lack of specialty shadowing would hurt for those schools? I don't know if I am looking at this wrong.

 

[lexswift]

I have loads of clinical volunteering. I was under the assumption this is grouped separately from shadowing?

 

[Catalystik]

Do you think lack of specialty shadowing would hurt for those schools?

No.

 

[Catalystik]

I have loads of clinical volunteering. I was under the assumption this is grouped separately from shadowing?

Yes, it is. They will each be listed under their own category.