Questions to ask when shadowing a doctor?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Ask whatever you want or curious about.
 
Hey,

I'm luck enough to be allowed to shadow an attending oncologist and I was wondering what type of questions to ask?

ask, what made him/her interested in her speciality, what she likes the most about her career, what she doesn't (just ask it really helps), if she would still go into medicine w/ what she knows today. Also, after you work with her for a while don't forget to ask her for a recommendation letter. 😛
 
Check the threads at the bottom of this page.
 
ask, what made him/her interested in her speciality, what she likes the most about her career, what she doesn't (just ask it really helps), if she would still go into medicine w/ what she knows today. Also, after you work with her for a while don't forget to ask her for a recommendation letter. 😛


Hey, thanks a lot. I didn't think of asking about what they didn't like about medicine. Is shadowing a good experience of the medical world in your opinion?
 
Hey, thanks a lot. I didn't think of asking about what they didn't like about medicine. Is shadowing a good experience of the medical world in your opinion?

you get to see a lot of stuff you didn't expect like lots of paperwork, how much time doctors have to spend going through it in their office, how patients treat doctors and nurses and the differences between them. Also, ask if there are other things you can do to help out, my doctor or nurse (if there is one). You really get to see a different side of medicine, especially if you have to handle calling patients, calling in prescriptions with express scripts, and phoning hospitals to request data. You might even be able to turn shadowing into volunteering like I had with my GI doctor by asking if I could scribe.
 
Hey, thanks a lot. I didn't think of asking about what they didn't like about medicine. Is shadowing a good experience of the medical world in your opinion?
It is a good experience but not necessarily the only one you should pursue.
 
These are some questions that I asked while I shadowed. The information you gather from these Q's will help you understand the medical field and even strongly answer some questions on secondary applications and during interviews: How do you feel the affordable care act will change the way you practice? How important is teamwork in your line of work? How do you deliver bad news to a patient? Have you ever dealt with a patient who was rude or aggressive towards you, and how do you handle that? What was the hardest part about medical school? Has a patient's religious or spiritual views ever impacted the way you approach treatment, and if so how?

Obviously, these are Q's that you don't ask all at once, but I think it's in your best interest to ask these Q's along the way so that you understand the field a little better and know how you could approach difficult situations as a future physician. This will help you immensely during interviews and when you write your essays.
 
These are some questions that I asked while I shadowed. The information you gather from these Q's will help you understand the medical field and even strongly answer some questions on secondary applications and during interviews: How do you feel the affordable care act will change the way you practice? How important is teamwork in your line of work? How do you deliver bad news to a patient? Have you ever dealt with a patient who was rude or aggressive towards you, and how do you handle that? What was the hardest part about medical school? Has a patient's religious or spiritual views ever impacted the way you approach treatment, and if so how?

Obviously, these are Q's that you don't ask all at once, but I think it's in your best interest to ask these Q's along the way so that you understand the field a little better and know how you could approach difficult situations as a future physician. This will help you immensely during interviews and when you write your essays.

I like your question about the affordable care act and I strongly recommend asking that, but at the same time some doctors really don't like answering that one, so keep it in mind. I had a few doctors dodge answering that.
 
Top