Questions about shadowing a DO

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Atlas80

Atlas80

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Yeh, I know I should have done this a lot earlier but it is what it is.

What is that website that allows you find DO's willing to take on pre-meds. It was called osteopathic mentors or something like that. I searched and cannot find it.

Also how do you go about calling up the doctors office. Any specific things you should say, especially because you usually get stuck with a receptionist.

Thanks.
Members don't see this ad.
 
The magic google search phrase is "AOA mentor program." You were close, but no cigar. But you tried, which is better than 95% of the people who ask questions. So :thumbup: for effort.

http://www.osteopathic.org/YOM/Mentor_main.htm

If you are calling, you can just tell the receptionist the same thing you would have told the doctor. Introduce yourself, tell them you are intersted in shadowing a DO...maybe even tell them you are applying this cycle to let them know you have a legitimate interest iin the profession. Something like that. That is usually enough for them to say something like "ill talk with the doctor" or maybe invite you to the office for a face to face introduction.
 
I have not heard of this program before is it for pre-med students?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
is this only for students already in medical school?

"[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The mentor exchange web pages were developed to provide a vehicle for DOs to offer their guidance and wisdom, and for student doctors, interns, resident and DOs who are seeking a mentor to benefit from a mentor's knowledge and experience.".
 
I sent an email to the AOA and they forward my email to everyone on that mentor list, so I think its OK to contact those physicians.

Also, I don't know if you know, but there is a "Find a DO" button on http://www.osteopathic.org/. You can use that to find some other DOs if that mentor list doesn't work out.
 
it isn't just for med students. I have shadowed a physician through that program.
 
ryserr21 said:
it isn't just for med students. I have shadowed a physician through that program.
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I wanted to do this, too. Could you share with us what the shadowing was like? Did you shadow a physician at his practice and observe him with patients and other office work? I guess I want it to be exciting since it's going to be a couple months....
 
de_la_soul said:
I wanted to do this, too. Could you share with us what the shadowing was like? Did you shadow a physician at his practice and observe him with patients and other office work? I guess I want it to be exciting since it's going to be a couple months....
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i was paired up with a family physician who was in his sports medicine fellowship. It was a family practice/sports health clinic...not a hospital setting. It was just like any other shadowing experience. I follwed him around, saw patients with him, talked with him between patients and asked questions about his med school and medicine in general. He tried to get me involved in the work, sometimes during patient visits he would be like "if you were a med student....i'd ask you this....or make you do this....or quiz you on this...." He was really chill and a laid back guy and i learned a lot.

Sometimes if its a really slow day in the office its cool b/c you basically just can sit and pick the docs brain about any questions you have. He/she will be a way better souce than SDN!!! haha.
 
de_la_soul said:
I wanted to do this, too. Could you share with us what the shadowing was like? Did you shadow a physician at his practice and observe him with patients and other office work? I guess I want it to be exciting since it's going to be a couple months....
Click to expand...

In all likelihood, its only going to be a few visits, not a months worth.
 
Okay, I went through the website last night and got four responses today.

I plan on shadowing three of them and phone conferencing with the other.

For the actual shadowing, what do you wear? Would a polo and khaki's do?
 
ILikeFood said:
Okay, I went through the website last night and got four responses today.

I plan on shadowing three of them and phone conferencing with the other.

For the actual shadowing, what do you wear? Would a polo and khaki's do?
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Did you just email them and they said yes?
 
Atlas80 said:
Did you just email them and they said yes?
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Yes, there's a form you fill on the website and one of the fields gives you ample space for a personal introduction.

I introduced myself and told them why I wanted to shadow them. Ta-da! I'm a magician.
 
ILikeFood said:
Okay, I went through the website last night and got four responses today.

I plan on shadowing three of them and phone conferencing with the other.

For the actual shadowing, what do you wear? Would a polo and khaki's do?
Click to expand...

That'll do fine. I usually go with black pants and a button down long sleeve (no tie), but that's just me.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I went to the website today, and sent out to all the DOs nearby. (There were only four on the list, so I found more an called them) One called me a few hours ago and we set up an appt. and there is a Local DO Dinner coming up in two weeks that he invited me to attend to meet more DO...wow how lucky am I.
 
chiogirl said:
I went to the website today, and sent out to all the DOs nearby. (There were only four on the list, so I found more an called them) One called me a few hours ago and we set up an appt. and there is a Local DO Dinner coming up in two weeks that he invited me to attend to meet more DO...wow how lucky am I.
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Haha I can't wait until I'm a DO, and I can use the old "DO dinner" line to pick up college girls...
 
Well, I did not have such luck. I only tried a couple in the beginning and got rejected from one of them. Then I went all out and blasted a bunch of requests this last Friday. Hopefully, some one will call.

There are only a handful of them in the Minneapolis area...
 
'Remember, a shadow stays in front or behind, never on top.'
- M
 
I have set up a meeting with my mentor. I will be talking to him about DO schools and his experience etc.


Will it be ok to ask for a LOR afterwards or should I ask to shadow him?
 
Deepa100 said:
I have set up a meeting with my mentor. I will be talking to him about DO schools and his experience etc.


Will it be ok to ask for a LOR afterwards or should I ask to shadow him?
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You really think it's wise to ask about a LOR the first time you meet him? I'd wait a couple months until he/she gets to know you...
 
chiogirl said:
I went to the website today, and sent out to all the DOs nearby. (There were only four on the list, so I found more an called them) One called me a few hours ago and we set up an appt. and there is a Local DO Dinner coming up in two weeks that he invited me to attend to meet more DO...wow how lucky am I.
Click to expand...

Dammmit you are lucky. I literally called a dozen DOs last week. Not one of them called me back. Thats in addition to all the other times I've called them.

So frustrating:bang:
 
engineeredout said:
Dammmit you are lucky. I literally called a dozen DOs last week. Not one of them called me back. Thats in addition to all the other times I've called them.

So frustrating:bang:
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Yeah, I know. I was expecting to have to struggle because all of the MD docs gave me hard time about shadowing except a friend of friend and my OB.

It is kinda' discriminatory in a way for the med schools to expect this stuff- if you have a parent that is a doctor, obviously you have an advantage over those that don't. Because most doctors are not very open to this shadowing thing...

My RN friend found a rural MD to shadow so easily. When I asked if I could go along, she said they agreed to take her in only because she is a health care worker and hence fewer privacy concerns. Oh well. I am just gonna' apply and see what happens. May be I will charm them with my grades, personality and good looks:D:thumbup:

Signed
Another-enginner-turned-premed
 
ryserr....you rock

http://www.osteopathic.org/YOM/Mentor_main.htm = amazing.

In December, I did the dirty way of shadowing...flipping through a phone book and cold calling DO's to let me come in. I ended up receiving one bite after a month.

I was interested in shadowing another specialty, so I shot off a few requests late last night through this website.

This morning I had 5 emails from DO's willing to let me shadow. One even commented that he now practices in North Carolina, but would love to have me if I was ever in the area. lol

This beat the heck out of cold calling.

Thanks!
 
i just contacted a DO cardiothoracic surgeon, genereal surgeon, and nephrologist who specializees in kidney transpants.....i am STOKED! hopefully one of them will agree to let me shadow!

That website is pretty amazing.
 
Chocolate Bear said:
A cross dressing kidney? Now that's pretty amazing!







I usually don't give a hard time about spelling, but that one was hilarious!
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My L key is f*d up b/c my roomate last year dropped my laptop and the L key popped out. Now, the only time it works is if you press the very front of the key. I've gotten pretty good at it, but clearly sometimes I miss calculate where I need to press the key to make it work.

p.s. i hate you
 
Hey, I used the site on Thursday and sent it out to three DO's. It is Monday night and I have heard nothing. Should I pick some other ones and if so how many? Thanks.
 
Atlas80 said:
Hey, I used the site on Thursday and sent it out to three DO's. It is Monday night and I have heard nothing. Should I pick some other ones and if so how many? Thanks.
Click to expand...

give it time. sometimes there is a slow turn around, other times its pretty fast. you could always pick some other ones if you are feeling anxious. Eventually, someone will respond.
 
Deepa100 said:
It is kinda' discriminatory in a way for the med schools to expect this stuff- if you have a parent that is a doctor, obviously you have an advantage over those that don't. Because most doctors are not very open to this shadowing thing...
Click to expand...

Can't argue with that. My dad is a doctor and it was really an issue of me walking up and asking if it was cool. Going upstairs and asking the woman that runs educational stuff to give me the paperwork to sign and then slap a nametag on. When bored I could wander into the OR and watch a few surgeries if the ER was slow.

There is an advantage to spending much of your younger life in the hospital while your dad works I guess.
 
I can vouch for this mentor exchange program. After over three months of attempting to set up shadowing with a DO friend of a friend and getting absolutely NOWHERE, I signed up for the mentor exchange program and heard from two great DOs in less than half a day! One of them even has a DO student from my school of preference currently on his FP rotation at his practice!

This is a great program and really helps with those of us struggling to find DOs to shadow. :thumbup:
 
Wow, I am going on a week and some are getting responses in less than a day or less. Can I give it another go? And how many did you all message?
 
Atlas80 said:
Wow, I am going on a week and some are getting responses in less than a day or less. Can I give it another go? And how many did you all message?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm wondering too. I went through the mentor site and haven't gotten any responses yet. That, and I haven't had any luck emailing or calling DOs I've found in my area.

I'm about 2.5 seconds away from making an appt with one of the DOs, seeing them, and at the end of the appointment asking if I can shadow them.
 
I tried out the mentor program yesterday. Question - I selected multiple mentors. I received a response saying that one of the mentors declined and that I should try someone else. Do I need to fill out a form for each mentor? Or did my request for multiple mentors go through, and I just have to wait for each one to either accept or deny my request?
 
I am about to send out to 7 more DO's. However in my last introduction I said I have shadowed 3 other physicians. I did this to alleviate privacy concerns. Should I leave this in?
 
Alrighty, after leaving email and phone messages with a good number of DOs, I'm asking for some tips/tricks to actually getting a shadowing gig. I went through the mentor program (no luck), have been emailing/calling DOs on the staff at my school (no luck), and am about to start cold-calling DOs from the phonebook.

What do you guys do to actually get them to reply to your inquiries about shadowing? None of my emails have gotten a response-not even a "not interested"-and none of my phone messages have been returned. I don't know any DOs personally, and there are zero doctors in my family for me to ask for help.

Help, please!
 
beachblonde said:
Alrighty, after leaving email and phone messages with a good number of DOs, I'm asking for some tips/tricks to actually getting a shadowing gig. I went through the mentor program (no luck), have been emailing/calling DOs on the staff at my school (no luck), and am about to start cold-calling DOs from the phonebook.

What do you guys do to actually get them to reply to your inquiries about shadowing? None of my emails have gotten a response-not even a "not interested"-and none of my phone messages have been returned. I don't know any DOs personally, and there are zero doctors in my family for me to ask for help.

Help, please!
Click to expand...

Okay so email didnt work, neither did leaving a phone message. The next time you call, make sure you talk to a human being, preferably the doctor. If you cant talk to the doc (likely), then explain to the receptionist your interest and try to set up an appointment to meet in person.

If that doesnt work, just show up at the office and say the same thing you would have said on the phone. Sometimes its just better to go in person b/c you can't be put on hold, you cant be forgotten, or deleted, or misplaced. When you are there they have no choice but to acknowledge you and to tell you "sorry we aren't interested" or "sure why dont you come back another time so we can chat for a little bit and see if we can set up a shadowing time for you to come in."
 
beachblonde said:
Alrighty, after leaving email and phone messages with a good number of DOs, I'm asking for some tips/tricks to actually getting a shadowing gig. I went through the mentor program (no luck), have been emailing/calling DOs on the staff at my school (no luck), and am about to start cold-calling DOs from the phonebook.

What do you guys do to actually get them to reply to your inquiries about shadowing? None of my emails have gotten a response-not even a "not interested"-and none of my phone messages have been returned. I don't know any DOs personally, and there are zero doctors in my family for me to ask for help.

Help, please!
Click to expand...

I sent out a request from ChocolateBear's profile link with the DO Mentor program thingy and selected every single D.O. in my area, for a total of over 20? requests, multiple rejections already, and this was just a couple days ago. The D.O. that did respond left me his cell so I called and it turns out his schedule is so busy I won't be able to start shadowing until 2 weeks from now but at least it is something. Not sure if I feel comfortable asking him to write that "mandatory" letter tho due to his busy schedule, but at least it will be a great experience and something to talk about at interviews (if I get any). So maybe just waiting to hear back from more D.O.'s from the site if I get that lucky. In your case, did you checkmark every single D.O. in your area on the mentor site and did you wait long enough to get any responses?

Good luck, why does this have to be so difficult :(
 
rennykim said:
I sent out a request from ChocolateBear's profile link with the DO Mentor program thingy and selected every single D.O. in my area, for a total of over 20? requests, multiple rejections already, and this was just a couple days ago. The D.O. that did respond left me his cell so I called and it turns out his schedule is so busy I won't be able to start shadowing until 2 weeks from now but at least it is something. Not sure if I feel comfortable asking him to write that "mandatory" letter tho due to his busy schedule, but at least it will be a great experience and something to talk about at interviews (if I get any). So maybe just waiting to hear back from more D.O.'s from the site if I get that lucky. In your case, did you checkmark every single D.O. in your area on the mentor site and did you wait long enough to get any responses?

Good luck, why does this have to be so difficult :(
Click to expand...

That's great that you'll get to shadow one. Towards the end, just ask nicely and give them an easy out if they're too busy ("I understand if you don't have time or don't want to, but...."). Can't hurt to ask.

But you're right. The experience and being able to say that you've taken the time/effort to get to know a DO is the main point. Except for at the 5 schools or so that require a letter from one...
 
I shadowed an anesthesiologist from Western U this past week. He's three years out of residency (UCLA, not Harbor, Westwood) and was the shimdamdizzle.

He did the same job, got paid the same, got called doc just like the rest of them. I shadowed him for 5 hours and he offered to write a letter for me in the end.

I started filling out AACOMAS today.
 
ILikeFood said:
I shadowed an anesthesiologist from Western U this past week. He's three years out of residency (UCLA, not Harbor, Westwood) and was the shimdamdizzle.

He did the same job, got paid the same, got called doc just like the rest of them. I shadowed him for 5 hours and he offered to write a letter for me in the end.

I started filling out AACOMAS today.
Click to expand...
DOs are usually really good about letters, or so it has been my experience. A lot of them seem to be up on their admissions trivia and know that a letter is very helpful when applying to a DO school.
 
rennykim said:
I sent out a request from ChocolateBear's profile link with the DO Mentor program thingy and selected every single D.O. in my area, for a total of over 20? requests, multiple rejections already, and this was just a couple days ago. The D.O. that did respond left me his cell so I called and it turns out his schedule is so busy I won't be able to start shadowing until 2 weeks from now but at least it is something. Not sure if I feel comfortable asking him to write that "mandatory" letter tho due to his busy schedule, but at least it will be a great experience and something to talk about at interviews (if I get any). So maybe just waiting to hear back from more D.O.'s from the site if I get that lucky. In your case, did you checkmark every single D.O. in your area on the mentor site and did you wait long enough to get any responses?

Good luck, why does this have to be so difficult :(
Click to expand...

I checked everyone that I can get to-I don't have a car, so if I can't take public transportation to their office/hospital, I didn't bother to send them a request.

And still no luck....I don't understand when it became ok for people to ignore you just because you're a student. I get it, they're busy, but still....
 
beachblonde said:
I checked everyone that I can get to-I don't have a car, so if I can't take public transportation to their office/hospital, I didn't bother to send them a request.

And still no luck....I don't understand when it became ok for people to ignore you just because you're a student. I get it, they're busy, but still....
Click to expand...
Where are you? The guy I shadowed works in San Diego
 
beachblonde said:
I checked everyone that I can get to-I don't have a car, so if I can't take public transportation to their office/hospital, I didn't bother to send them a request.

And still no luck....I don't understand when it became ok for people to ignore you just because you're a student. I get it, they're busy, but still....
Click to expand...

Bleachblonde, I hear you. I had plans to shadow 2 D.O.'s from that site, but as soon as they found out I wasn't already in medschool (with all the proper paperwork done to do the shadowing in hospitals, etc.) I was told they will contact ME in the near future but never heard from them again. As of now, my hopes aren't too high.

So I went with a more direct approach, sent messages to all the D.O.'s in my home city, let them know my situation of how I need shadowing experience, why I'm interested in pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine, that I am applying to schools right now, and that my lack of osteopathic shadowing and LOR are holding me back in the applications process and ultimately from receiving an acceptance this year. I also threw in that I understand how doctors are very busy people but that if they knew of anyone else (colleagues, etc.) who would have the time to help that I had my current CV and personal statement all ready to go for forwarding. Hell, at this point, I'm tempted to write a generic letter myself and then kindly ask someone to sign it because that's basically what the result will be for that type of letter request. I hope some kind soul out there will be sympathetic to my request because I'm obviously not the only one struggling with this type of situation.

Well, good luck to both of us. I will let you know if I hear anything positive, then maybe you can try my approach as well.
 
Last edited:
So I did the mentor search one final time. Literally put down every DO listed anywhere near where I live.

One contacted me by e-mail, a neurologist. We talked on the phone for a while and he offered to let me follow him around the hospital and watch him evaluate patients, and he even threw in he'd be willing to write me a LOR because he knows that its needed for DO schools.

I was estatic cause I thought I can finally get somewhere with this.

I should have known better.

He told me he would call me in two days, and confirmed my e-mail and cell phone contact info.

Never heard from him again.

:mad::mad:So frustrating to know that schools like CCOM, LECOM, VCOM, WVCOM etc won't even look at my application without a DO letter.
 
Chocolate Bear said:
CCOM?? You sure about that? Source?
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I don't have my laptop on me so I don't have the link, but I'm pretty sure the secondary I filled out said one was required. I mean hell I certainly hope I'm mistaken, I'll double check.


Actually the 09 CIB says:


Supplemental Application Requirements​
Minimum science and total GPA of 2.75.​
Supplemental application:​
​
​
Two letters of recommendation;
one must be from a physician,
strongly recommend a DO, or an MD, and
the other must be from a premedical advisory
committee or science faculty member who has​

taught the applicant.
Click to expand...

 
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