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Questions about Shadowing

Started by mathlegend
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mathlegend

mathlegend

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I'm currently a sophomore in high school. Would this be an age too young to start shadowing doctors (or other professions)? I'm interested in becoming a surgeon or podiatrist. Or aerospace or mechanical engineer. I'm pretty much split between these. Should I wait until college to shadow, or call around and see if anyone would let me shadow now? It would probably make my undergrad years easier.
 
mathlegend said:
I'm currently a sophomore in high school. Would this be an age too young to start shadowing doctors (or other professions)? I'm interested in becoming a surgeon or podiatrist. Or aerospace or mechanical engineer. I'm pretty much split between these. Should I wait until college to shadow, or call around and see if anyone would let me shadow now? It would probably make my undergrad years easier.
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The surgeon that I have been shadowing has let me since I was 16, and now I'm 17. Just call around and ask...I'm sure someone wouldn't mind.
 
OP, I was the same way you are...wanting to get started on stuff as soon as I could (I was just really excited lol), but I've recently learned that it's sometimes best to wait until the right time. I think you might be able to find an MD somewhere for you to shadow, but will you be able to put in enough time to get a useful experience? High school hours take up the better part of your day, and the MD's work day. Shadowing in Undergrad is still difficult at times, but a student is better able to control their schedules. If you are able to find an MD to shadow now and you continue to do so through undergrad, that'll be one heck of an experience to include in your app later on. I think it's not impossible, but if you really want to do it, then I think you'll be able to find someone.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I guess I'll try and find a few doctors to shadow now. I was actually thinking of shadowing during the summer, when I am free from school. If that fails, I'll wait til college.

Also, how useful is shadowing experience for undergrad/med school applications? And how often should I shadow?
 
I don't know how useful it is for undergrad, but it's moderately useful for med school. It's not going to make or break your application, but schools do like to see that you've done it. There's not much else you can do in undergrad that'll give you such a direct view of what being a physician is like. At the same time, you're not really doing anything when you shadow, so shadowing a lot won't improve your application. Shadow in a couple of different specialties for long enough to get the gist of what they do day to day, and move on.
 
Nah your not too young, now is a good time to start exploring different careers, if you give your local hospital a call they will most likely be more than likely to let you observe physicians.. However you will most likely have to complete privacy training such as HIPPA
 
I don't think you're too young at all. Also consider that colleges with combined BS/MD or BA/MD programs would love to see shadowing, clinical volunteering, and research on your application, so if you're going that route, shadow away! 😛
 
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huskerdye said:
Nah your not too young, now is a good time to start exploring different careers, if you give your local hospital a call they will most likely be more than likely to let you observe physicians.. However you will most likely have to complete privacy training such as HIPPA
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Do you mean HIPAA? Is that usually required? Only in hospitals or also in private practices?
 
Of course it's not too early; I guess I don't agree with a few people here.

I completed a mentorship the beginning of my junior year (last fall) with two orthodontists. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, because I realized how much I really enjoyed the working atmosphere, and the job as a whole. Shadowing is nice because you get to see if that's what you really want to do, instead of regretting it later in your life.

See if your high school has any programs; that's what I did. Are you 16? You're a sophomore, so I'm assuming you are.

Good luck 🙂

-Sandy
 
Thrombomodulin said:
If you are located near a hospital affiliated with a medical school, you can usually call the volunteer coordinator (or someone with a similar title) who can assist you in finding physicians to shadow.

However, there are some hospitals that will not allow anyone under the age of 18 to shadow in the hospital. This seems to be more of an issue at hospitals not affiliated with a medical school. When I was in high school, the official answer I received was that I was a liability due to my age.
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I think shadowing private practice physicians might be easier in this regard. Also, after volunteering for several months in a hospital, it may be easier to obtain a shadowing position, but this is just my experience. 😀 At any rate, if it truly is difficult to find anyone to shadow, waiting until college would not really put you at a disadvantage.
 
creativedentist said:
Of course it's not too early; I guess I don't agree with a few people here.

I completed a mentorship the beginning of my junior year (last fall) with two orthodontists. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, because I realized how much I really enjoyed the working atmosphere, and the job as a whole. Shadowing is nice because you get to see if that's what you really want to do, instead of regretting it later in your life.

See if your high school has any programs; that's what I did. Are you 16? You're a sophomore, so I'm assuming you are.

Good luck 🙂

-Sandy
Click to expand...
I'm 15 right now. I'll be 16 in my junior year (yea I'm so young xD) My high school doesn't have any programs like this...do many high schools have them?
 
mathlegend said:
So I guess I should take a course for that? Do the ones online for $30 fulfill the requirements? Such as

http://myhipaatraining.com/

or

http://www.hipaaexams.com/
Click to expand...


No, you don't need to pay for any courses. The facility where you plan to shadow/volunteer in should give you the test. It's usually a test taken on the computer with multiple choice questions after reading several passages. It's not a big deal and the questions are pretty much common sense.
 
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Thanks TheMagicCookie. That saves me some money xD

Thrombomodulin, I live close to Stanford University. That was a really good guess. I'll look into some programs there!
 
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