Question about asking to shadow clinics

Started by zenarcade
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zenarcade

WSU c/o 2026
7+ Year Member
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Sorry, I know there's been a lot of threads already about getting shadowing experience, but I have a specific question I'm not sure the answer of.

I want to set up shadowing opportunities in my hometown for this summer, and I had emailed several clinics asking about it, but most of them didn't reply to me. I was thinking calling might be a better approach, but then I was wondering if it's too early to call? If I was asking to shadow sometime in July-September, is April too early to ask? Obviously I don't want to wait too long to ask, but I'm not sure if it's too far out for a clinic to know now when they could let me shadow. I currently don't have any vet hours so I wanted to get something lined up as soon as I could, to maximize the amount I could potentially get done over the summer. So should I wait or is it okay to enquire now?
 
I've noticed that most clinics are terrible at responding to emails. Try giving them a call and let them know you want to shadow. It's usually the hospital administrator/manager who sets this up. They're probably fine with you calling a few months in advance!