Potential serious predicament

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paul2752

paul2752

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So, I have been asking every clinic around my town and all of them refused because of HIPAA.
What else would you recommend, other than contacing school medical center? I want to get it done asap during summer.
 
I assume you mean shadowing. Try contacting a big teaching hospital. They may be more receptive to letting you shadow. You could also try asking your personal doctor.
 
sb247 said:
Get what done?
Click to expand...
My guess is shadowing. I don't think it's as important as some people. It can't hurt to have an idea of what a day in clinic is like, I guess. If it is shadowing, I've seen suggestions to ask your personal physician for their clinic and for references to others.

Edit: Same as above.
 
Maybe you could take a short HIPPA course (which is about $30.00) and show them that you are well informed about the laws.
 
Sorry, I realize I dind't mention shadowing lol...

Problem is, I did contact OHSU in portland downtown and the hR department responded that they do not allow any kind of shadowing. I don't have a personal doctor.

Oh, I just remembered that I did receive HIPAA training when I was an intern at hospital nearby my school(which also doens't allow shadowing). Do youu think I should mention that?
 
do you have any current clinical volunteering? I know where I did mine they helped arrange shadowing for you once you reached 100hrs I think
 
Find hospital directories online and mass-email doctors in the specialty you want to shadow until you get a reply. The response rate is very low, but it eventually works.
 
paul2752 said:
Sorry, I realize I dind't mention shadowing lol...

Problem is, I did contact OHSU in portland downtown and the hR department responded that they do not allow any kind of shadowing. I don't have a personal doctor.

Oh, I just remembered that I did receive HIPAA training when I was an intern at hospital nearby my school(which also doens't allow shadowing). Do youu think I should mention that?
Click to expand...
I think they are using HIPAA as an excuse to say something other than "no, we don't want you to have you shadow" so I doubt it would matter
 
The best and easiest way to find shadowing for me was with outpatient clinics. There is usually less paperwork and credentialing involved. If you know anyone who knows anyone in a doctor's office, use that connection.

I wasn't able to find physicians nearby my university (saturation of premeds all asking to shadow led to very cold responses from physicians), so I actually took a week to travel back home and shadow different physicians.
 
Leverage your contacts. If your family, friends, or friends of friends or family know any doctors in private practice, that might help you. It's usually the huge bureaucracies that require cutting through the HIPAA red tape whereas it's less of a big deal in private practice.
 
Try your school's alumni office. Ask if there are any active alumni who are physicians, then ask if the office can reach out on your behalf. Even if an alumnus lives far away, that person might have friends/contacts close by who would be willing to help you out.
 
I don't have a personal physician. I will try all your suggestions and update. Thank you all!
 
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try scribing through physassist or scribe America. It's basically getting paid to shadow, and the hours can be very flexible depending on the department you work in.
 
Another option is to offer volunteer services - e.g administrative duties and stuff in the change for clinical exposure. When I offered this, most offices allowed me to shadow as I wanted.
 
So update..

1) I can't do scribe in off campus clinic/hospital because of my major. Our schools' international student office is very strict about approving the internships that are only related to my major, which is, chemical engineering in my case. I really wish I could though.

2) The Providene in my branch doesn't offer volunteer opportunities. When I contacted the hospital in city that was 20 min away by driving, thy said they wanted 6 month volunteers. A lot of college volunteers in that hospital are the commuters.

So, I guess the only chance I will get shadowing is to go back to the hospital I used to work near my school and have lots of volunteer hours, and perhaps get a chance to get a shadowing even though they officially don't do it.

3) My friends don't have family physicians.
 
paul2752 said:
Sorry, I realize I dind't mention shadowing lol...

Problem is, I did contact OHSU in portland downtown and the hR department responded that they do not allow any kind of shadowing. I don't have a personal doctor.

Oh, I just remembered that I did receive HIPAA training when I was an intern at hospital nearby my school(which also doens't allow shadowing). Do youu think I should mention that?
Click to expand...

I've shadowed a bunch of doctors at OHSU...
 
Uh. It's called networking...

Talk to the people you know, everyone you know until you find someone who knows someone who can // is willing to help you out
 
paul2752 said:
So update..

1) I can't do scribe in off campus clinic/hospital because of my major. Our schools' international student office is very strict about approving the internships that are only related to my major, which is, chemical engineering in my case. I really wish I could though.

2) The Providene in my branch doesn't offer volunteer opportunities. When I contacted the hospital in city that was 20 min away by driving, thy said they wanted 6 month volunteers. A lot of college volunteers in that hospital are the commuters.

So, I guess the only chance I will get shadowing is to go back to the hospital I used to work near my school and have lots of volunteer hours, and perhaps get a chance to get a shadowing even though they officially don't do it.

3) My friends don't have family physicians.
Click to expand...

I would ask doctors and nurses at the hospital where you volunteer.
 
paul2752 said:
Too bad HR department is a dick. I would post their replies if it were allowed.
Click to expand...

Your issue is that you are going through HR to find someone to shadow. You need to talk directly to doctors. I'm not sure why you thought HR would be the department to talk to for shadowing. Instead of calling them names, you should figure out the correct person to talk to.
 
Well, that just proves how incompetent my school's pre med advisor is. She's the one who told me to contact HR department.

I will try asking the doctors directly.
 
paul2752 said:
Well, that just proves how incompetent my school's pre med advisor is. She's the one who told me to contact HR department.

I will try asking the doctors directly.
Click to expand...

My advice (and it hasn't failed me yet): email doctors that you're interested in shadowing directly. Tell them that you are interested in applying to medical school and you want to know more about their work. Ask to set up a meeting where you can learn more about what they do. After they meet you (assuming everything goes well), they will be more inclined to let you shadow them. Most doctors don't want to take a chance on some rando who emailed them. Likewise, if you are trying to shadow doctors at OHSU, most of them will only let you shadow them if you have an OHSU badge already.
 
Thnk you Dramatistobbogan! I will try that aswell.

God, this is why I don't bother going to premed advising. This forum is 100 times more helpful!
 
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