Old Shadowing Experience

[MajorBubblez]

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I'm taking a gap year and am considering whether I need to shadow more. I have somewhere around 150 hours of shadowing (primary care, ER, GI, cardiology, general surgery, oncology, radiology, etc.). However, this is mostly 2-3 years old. Should I look to shadow more so that it's more recent?

Thanks!

 

[Keladry]

Most of my shadowing was a few years old when I applied. If you can get in a few more hours without too much fuss over the course of the year, sure, why not, but I wouldn't fret too much.

 

[MajorBubblez]

Alright thanks! I know the purpose of shadowing is so that we can get an idea of what's involved in practicing medicine, and I'm fairly sure that I've got a decent handle on it. More shadowing would mostly be for my application rather than for me to learn anything.

 

[mimelim]

Alright thanks! I know the purpose of shadowing is so that we can get an idea of what's involved in practicing medicine, and I'm fairly sure that I've got a decent handle on it. More shadowing would mostly be for my application rather than for me to learn anything.

Then in all seriousness, why would you do it?

 

[MajorBubblez]

Then in all seriousness, why would you do it?

It would honestly be just for the application. I hate that way of thinking, of doing things just for the application, but I feel the reality is that sometimes it's a necessity.

 

[mimelim]

It would honestly be just for the application. I hate that way of thinking, of doing things just for the application, but I feel the reality is that sometimes it's a necessity.

Do you think that we are a bunch of idiots that can't tell the difference when we read your application between stuff that people 'do for an application' and actually do because thats just what they do?

People drastically underestimate how transparent this kind of stuff is and it leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. Also, you know what the purpose of shadowing is for pre-meds, so why on earth do you think it would be important to ADCOMs to have 'more recent shadowing'.

 

[MajorBubblez]

Do you think that we are a bunch of idiots that can't tell the difference when we read your application between stuff that people 'do for an application' and actually do because thats just what they do?

People drastically underestimate how transparent this kind of stuff is and it leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. Also, you know what the purpose of shadowing is for pre-meds, so why on earth do you think it would be important to ADCOMs to have 'more recent shadowing'.

Hey now, calm down. I'm sorry I didn't mean for it to come out that way and of course I don't think that!

What I do have is a pre-med's paranoia about their application, and I was curious as to whether it would be important to have more recent exposure. You've made it very clear that it doesn't necessarily matter that it's older, so thank you for that. As I mentioned, I hate the mindset of doing things for the application, and I'm glad that there's a transparency to that mindset. It's not one I've ever tried to follow, but of course it's easy to get sucked in

Thanks for the advice though!