Really don't know how to go about shadowing?

[dreamadream]

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I'm really nervous about having to reach out for shadowing, though I know this is essential and I have to do it eventually. I wish doctors would post something on indeed or some other job website saying "looking for a shadow". Should I shadow the doctors at the current hospital I work at?(I bring patients their food, pick it up, ask what they want for the next day, 12 hour-shift, 3 days a week, sorry I added that) Don't really know any doctors at the hospital I work at and I'm just nervous because I have 2 and a half more years of college left and I don't know if working at a hospital as a catering associate will really prove something or be helpful in the admissions process.

 

[Slave to the Game]

Time to send out some cold emails. Yes, I think the best course would be to speak to those in the hospital you're working in. Tell them a quick sentence about yourself, that you're interested in the type of medicine they're doing or that you want to get some exposure into X specialty, and ask if you can come in sometime to shadow. Chances are it'll be more fun with a doctor who was recently made an attending, since their schedule will be much lighter and they'll be excited to have their first pre-med student shadow them. Mine gave me lots of advice, and he was super chill and friendly.

After you put in 20-40 hours (depending on the specialty and how routine it is) and have a strong idea of that, feel free to ask them if they know physicians in other specialties who are open to having a student shadow them. Usually works best if they're at or affiliated with an institution (hospital, med school) so that there's a network you can tap into, as opposed to the pediatrician who set up his own practice in the suburbs. If you really enjoy some of the specialties, try to get involved in research in those fields. Some of the questions I was asked was what specialty I was interested in pursuing, and I spoke a lot about how I found and followed up on my interests by doing X, Y, and Z.

Hope this helps, and enjoy!

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I had a lot of luck emailing ask asking doctors offices if they just need help with random mundane tasks around the office. Sorting files, running documents and stuff between departments. After a little while it becomes really easy to ask to shadow since you've already done something to help the doctor

 

[Lawpy]

I'm really nervous about having to reach out for shadowing, though I know this is essential and I have to do it eventually. I wish doctors would post something on indeed or some other job website saying "looking for a shadow". Should I shadow the doctors at the current hospital I work at?(I bring patients their food, pick it up, ask what they want for the next day, 12 hour-shift, 3 days a week, sorry I added that) Don't really know any doctors at the hospital I work at and I'm just nervous because I have 2 and a half more years of college left and I don't know if working at a hospital as a catering associate will really prove something or be helpful in the admissions process.

I recommend emailing/calling doctors at the closest academic medical center you can find.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Couple of options for you:

1. Talk to your pre-health advising office if your school has one and ask how past students were able to get shadowing opportunities or ask for the names of doctors that have been open to being shadowed in the past.

2. Cold-emails - just email a doctor at a hospital (academic/teaching is usually a better idea than private but both can work) and give them a two sentence intro about you (i.e. say you're interested in going to medical school and would like to shadow them to learn more about the profession of medicine and their specialty) and ask that if they don't want you to shadow them, could they possibly give you someone to contact (many will give you the email to the department administrator or secretary who often will be able to put you in touch with someone who would be willing to let you shadow)

3. Since you work at a hospital, you could even go in person to a department and ask the secretary if there might be any doctors in the department that would be willing to let you shadow. Leave your name and contact info and follow up in about a week if you haven't heard anything by then.

 

[Ismet]

Doctors usually aren't actively looking for people to shadow them. Even if a doctor loves to teach and welcomes shadows, having a student shadow you is still an inconvenience to your daily flow. Whether or not that inconvenience is worth it or even possible for the doctor is up to them.

Start emailing. Most people have to send out several dozen emails in order to get 1-2 doctors to shadow, others are luckier. Keep your email short and sweet, people tend not to read beyond the first couple lines. Be prepared for a lot of "no" responses, that's just the nature of the game.

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

I had luck with emailing the 11 mentors I found in my city, Chicago, through this site.

Out of 11, only one responded. We've spoken on the phone and by email and he's currently looking into the admin side of letting me shadow at this hospital. He's a resident though but I'm really excited.

http://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/med-students/career-planning/self-exploration/mentors
http://cf-prd10.osteopathic.org/iLearn/home.cfm

 

[familyaerospace]

See my signature

 

[jm192]

Ask your fellow students, or if you're early in the game--talk to pre-med students and advisors in your area.

Most pre-med programs have connections/relationships with physicians in the area.
A lot of the pre-med stuents can tell you who they've shadowed, and how nice/open to having students they are.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Print out resumes and start asking doctors you see on the floor. Someone will eventually take pity on you and throw you some shadowing. ER is a good place to start trying

 

[narvik2016]

I was really stressed about being able to find physicians to shadow, too. I have had some luck though! My suggestions... start with the hospital you are working at because you are already cleared medically and through a background check (i.e. they know you are healthy and safe enough to spend time in a hospital). This will help as some sort of affiliation makes it easier in terms of hospital rules/guidelines. Also, like others have said be prepared to email a TON of people. I found several physicians that were actually very excited about giving me a shadowing opportunity, but several times the hospital admin came back and said no, which is very frustrating.

Also, try to find physicians that you share interests with... for example, if you are interested in health disparities, find a physician doing health disparities work/research. I found that this helped foster a better connection with the docs I have shadowed.

Best of luck!

 

[Spinach Dip]

Start emailing. Most people have to send out several dozen emails in order to get 1-2 doctors to shadow, others are luckier. Keep your email short and sweet, people tend not to read beyond the first couple lines. Be prepared for a lot of "no" responses, that's just the nature of the game.

I've found complete silence to be far more common than a "no".

And occasionally I'd get a response from someone I had emailed a couple months earlier...