How bout napalm? I've heard that has a welcoming smell, particularly in the morning hours.
OP: I want to first start off by giving the advice that I've given to all the new pre-meds that I talk to in person. Only do something if you are going to get something out of it, not just shadow to shadow. Thus, and this is only my opinion, I would try to vary your shadowing experiences as much as possible. Don't follow around one GP for 200+ hours, there's only so much you can learn at your level, before it becomes a bit redundant. Medical schools want to know you are dedicated to becoming a physician and the more it seems that you're actively trying to learn about medicine, the better it looks on one's resume. Plus, the more you are exposed to, the better idea of what you'd like to do.
It seems as though most applicants' first shadowing experience was with a family physician or doctor that they were close to, and I was no different. I shadowed my Mother's Orthopedic surgeon a couple times: Khakis, button down, belt, nice shoes, just make sure you're presentable. He was an awesome guy, would have let me shadow him any day I wanted, but it was important that I only shadowed him as much as would be beneficial to me: no sense just standing around doing the same thing day after day. I was able to see a couple days of surgery and a couple days when he was in his office doing followups (something that I didn't realize until then, how much office work and followups that Surgeons do post-surgery). If I had any questions I would wait till there was a free moment to ask, never interrupt, although he would have been cool with it regardless. Some of the docs may talk through the procedures a bit more for your benefit, which will often times give the patient the impression that you are a medical student or resident (this happens very often). **Any doctor who asks a teenage pre-me some obscure question and expects an accurate answer, is just being a dick, don't forget that. Also, don't be afraid to say I don't know, but I definitely would like to find out. I could look it up when I go home. Even make a joke; well shoot, it looks like I'm gonna have a long list of things to google when I go home. If that doesn't make the doctor chuckle or stroke his ego a bit on how much he knows, then he or she is just a dick
Anyways, I could have shadowed him more, but I chose to search out an additional physician so that I could see a different aspect of medicine. One of the summer's I had off, I sent out a lot of personal letters and emails asking physicians if they would grant me the opportunity to shadow them. I started off with one's that I knew and the ones that I didn't, I told them something along the lines of how well they were respected in the community etc. etc. Worse that could happen? They say no or don't respond and you lose a few minutes of your time and some postage. I ended up shadowing an ER physician, Pulmonary doc, Pediatrician, Cardiologist, neuro-surgeon and a couple GPs. Between that summer and the next, I might not have had as many cumulative hours shadowing as some others, but I felt my hours were better spent. Hope this all helps and good like my man.
