One time shadowing gig

[frodo25]

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I have shadowed an ER physician for about 20 hours now and would like to see other specialties too. Is it ok to shadow someone just for a day or does it have to be long term to matter much?

 

[caffeinemia]

Depends. Are you doing it for interest, a letter, or a line in your cv/amcas

 

[frodo25]

It's for interest, but I would like to put it in my amcas if it matters. I don't know if 20 hours is enough to apply with since I will be applying this cycle.

 

[Bovary]

It's for interest, but I would like to put it in my amcas if it matters. I don't know if 20 hours is enough to apply with since I will be applying this cycle.

I'd recommend getting more time with different specialties. When you list your activities on your AMCAS, a single activity entry should be used where you list all your shadowing.

 

[tpha5256]

I have shadowed an ER physician for about 20 hours now and would like to see other specialties too. Is it ok to shadow someone just for a day or does it have to be long term to matter much?

Personally, I try to shadow each physician for 2 full days because that's about enough time to get a thorough picture of what they do. For example, surgeons usually have entire days dedicated to clinic or OR, so you'll want to be there for both. Additionally, being in the OR can rack up a serious amount of shadowing hours.

 

[allantois]

We are getting into the same line of thinking here again: shadowing to check a box.

You can shadow however many doctors you want and for whatever amount of time. The goal is for you to see something and say, "I like what this doctor is doing and I can see myself doing it one day too".

 

[Doctor Dream]

We are getting into the same line of thinking here again: shadowing to check a box.

You can shadow however many doctors you want and for whatever amount of time. The goal is for you to see something and say, "I like what this doctor is doing and I can see myself doing it one day too".

This is a great point. The whole purpose of shadowing is to know what you're getting in to, and if it's something you want to dedicate a career doing. You don't need long term shadowing experiences to realize it.