questions on shadowing?

[FitnessModelMD]

---

Members don't see this ad.

im just wondering what pre-requisites you have to have to ask a doctor if u can follow him for a day? is that what shadowing is?

do u have to be a med.student? do u have to know the doctor etc? please help , would like to get as much experience as i can before i start my app.process

 

[HouseHead]

I got to shadow a plastic surgeon for a week because I asked my dad to ask him (the family is friends with my dad, I dated one of their sons years ago). If you are anywhere near where your parents live, ask them if they know any doctors, and if so, if they can ask or give you their names.

You can ask your own doctor if you can shadow him/her, or if they know anyone you could shadow.

You can ask your pre-health advisor if they have any advice on this. My philosophy is all about networking: Let as many people as possible know what you're doing (you're pre-med, blah blah blah), what you are interested in (going to medical school, going into ob/gyn or whatever), and what you want (a doctor to shadow). People like to help. When someone finds out that they have a resource that might help you, you've got the hook-up.

Good luck!

 

[FitnessModelMD]

thanks househead!

so as far as having to be in medical school already isnt true?

I am pre-med, (junior bio major) planning on Med.School.....can i just ask a family friend dr. etc?

what do i do when im shadowing? just sit in and see what his job is like?

how long do u shadow for? a week? a month? a couple days a week?


i know im full of lame questinos..forgive me...im a newbie on this board! 🙂

 

[HouseHead]

You don't have to be a med student, although you won't get to do as much (if anything) if you're not (or the doc's employee, or somehow "official").

The one time I shadowed was TONS of fun. I didn't actually DO anything, but the doc asked me lots of questions (I knocked most of them out of the park, much to the surprise of everyone but me 😀), anwered my questions, and taught me a lot. And that was only in a few days.

The longer you can shadow, the better. I could only shadow for a week (and not even a full week at that) because I was only in the area on vacation, visiting family. The doc I shadowed told me explicitly that I was a guest, that I didn't need to DO anything (I kept offering, since I work in a derm office doing much of the same stuff he does, as a plastic surgeon), and that I should just follow him but takes breaks as I needed. He let me sit in on a face lift performed in his office OR. I would have been able to go into the hospital OR for a breast augmentation had I been able to have a medical school write a letter for me- but since I haven't matriculated, that wasn't happening- the hospital just wanted to have someone responsible for me in case I lost my mind and started spitting in incisions or something.

Totally ask a family friend doc. I think a lot of docs have fun teaching fledglings like us. If you have a good teacher, it can be a ton of fun- or teach you that you actually hate medicine, and should become a librarian instead

I've noticed that since getting accepted to med school, my boss (I'm a med assistant) is actively teaching me a lot more. Every time he has me look at something or feel someone's growth, I get giddy. I am going to LOVE medical school!

 

[Pre-Dent-David]

I am pre dental but the process is basically the same. I am a freshman but I have already shadowed a dentist.... My dad knows people from the mens fitness center at the Y so I got the hookups. More to come this summer. + some hospital volunteering for maybe 2 hours a week and ill be good.

 

[QHamp]

I saw an article in the paper about a local Dr. that works with the homeless. I gave him a call, and right now am volunteering 3-6 hrs a week with him.

Every other Tues night we go to a couple of homeless shelters. He allows me into the examination room where I stand in a corner and silently watch. Between Pts. I ask him questions. It really helps that I have my CNA training so I can understand everything he says (what the normal range for vitals is, etc.). On Fridays I do data entry which gives me a chance to work with abbreviations. (CAD, COPD, DM...)

So if you have a free clinic in your area, check into volunteering with them. If it helps any, this is my first semester of college...you can't get much greener😀

 

[FitnessModelMD]

thanks house and everyone else!

isnt this site a great resource? 😍

 

[elephino]

These aren't lame-o questions, I've had a lot of the same ??'s myself. It's good to see posts that are applicable to us who are a little earlier in the process!!!

 

[VienneseWaltz]

Another good source is your pre-med office, if you have one. You can also try the volunteer office at a local hospital. Some of them have formal shadowing programs, but many of them will hook you up with a doctor every so often if you are volunteering regularly. Also, the doctors you shadow often are willing to introduce you to docs in other specialities. When I was shadowing in the ED, one of the peds residents offered to let me shadow her upstairs in peds, and another one, upon hearing I was interested in psych, gave me the card of his brother, who is a psychiatrist in a neighboring town. I also shadowed a family friend. So the short answer is NETWORK. Docs tend to be quite willing to show pre-meds around (they did the same thing when they were our age).