Physician asked how long I wanted to shadow?

[TooMuchPressure]

Never shadowed anyone before I don't know what to say. Do I outright say how many hours or do I say a couple of days or couple times a week? I'm available all day on Tuesdays so do I say once a week for a couple of weeks?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GCS-15]

How long are you free until? If you were to do once a week, I think you should at least do that for at least 2 months. Just tell him something like "I'm not sure about my upcoming schedule, but it would be great if I could shadow you for the next 2 months, and I'll update you on my schedule/availability in a few weeks"

 

[GCS-15]

Obviously, the longer you can shadow, the better of a connection you can make with the physician (for that possible LOR), and the more things you can learn/see.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

You literally answer the question: how long do you want to shadow? It's up to you to figure out your own time slots and scheduling.

Never shadowed anyone before I don't know what to say. Do I outright say how many hours or do I say a couple of days or couple times a week? I'm available all day on Tuesdays so do I say once a week for a couple of weeks?

 

[TooMuchPressure]

You literally answer the question: how long do you want to shadow? It's up to you to figure out your own time slots and scheduling.

Yes but I am asking how to word it

 

[TooMuchPressure]

How long are you free until? If you were to do once a week, I think you should at least do that for at least 2 months. Just tell him something like "I'm not sure about my upcoming schedule, but it would be great if I could shadow you for the next 2 months, and I'll update you on my schedule/availability in a few weeks"

How long do people usually shadow throughout a day? Do they shadow all day or couple hours a day?

 

[virchow?]

How long do people usually shadow throughout a day? Do they shadow all day or couple hours a day?

Being able to rack up 32 hours in one month with 4 8-hour days sounds pretty appealing, but if the physician is willing to let you shadow more long-term in shorter periods (maybe half days), I think it would be more rewarding/exciting. Plus then your entire day isn't eaten by shadowing, just half of it. 🙂 Just an opinion though. You'll probably not know what you prefer until you do it personally.

 

[Im76at711]

OP I feel your pain. When I shadowed my doctor kept hinting at me finding a concrete "last time" lol

 

[GCS-15]

I shadowed surgery and found that the best time was 6am til 2ish. That way, I can see the team rounding/talking about the cases, and also see the surgeries. It really depends on speciality/physician - ask him when he thinks the best time is/ when you could see the most. Some doctors do a ton of paper work in the morning, and then see patients in the afternoon. Some don't see patients after 3. But you should have at least a 4-6 hour block of time set for that day.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Yes but I am asking how to word it

Say this:

I am free on X days for X hours. Would it be okay to shadow you on days where I have extended hours available? So that way you can shadow like 8 hours if he's able to or whatnot.

 

[Tenk]

Start slow. Don't commit to anything large. You might find you don't really mesh well with the doc or the environment and find yourself bored to death. I've had students I love having around and others I even forget they are there. It's a personality thing really. If you end up having a good time and they enjoy your company can always do more.

 

[starspells]

I think they consider pre-meds a burden.

 

[GCS-15]

I think they consider pre-meds a burden.

Definitely not. The surgeons I worked with were extremely welcoming and happy the us pre-meds were getting more exposure to the field. If a doctor or medical team considers you a burden, you should not be shadowing them. As long as you're respectful and don't talk a lot/ask questions at bad times, then they should have no reason to consider you a burden.

 

[starspells]

Definitely not. The surgeons I worked with were extremely welcoming and happy the us pre-meds were getting more exposure to the field. If a doctor or medical team considers you a burden, you should not be shadowing them. As long as you're respectful and don't talk a lot/ask questions at bad times, then they should have no reason to consider you a burden.

I was semi-joking. I agree most are welcoming. Most of my shadowing experiences were possible because of my friends whose parents are doctors so I got pretty lucky.