School not allowing shadowing?

[Dr_Jan_I_Tor]

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Just wondering if this is normal for DO (or MD, even) schools.

We were told we are no longer allowed to shadow as of day 1 of med school, because now we are potentially liable in malpractice suits and the insurance provided doesn't cover us. This extends into M3/4... they say that if, for example, you're on surgery and anesthesia invites you to hang out with them for a day, it's a no-go. Nothing outside your assigned current rotation.

I see students at other schools talk about shadowing so is my school an outlier, or is this normal policy?

(Side rant, that this is a bit of an issue for specialty choice... As an M3, I'm stuck with whatever elective rotations they happen to have, which are apparently limited; literally was just given a whopping 2 options for an upcoming rotation. How am I supposed to pick a specialty if I'm not able to see the ones I'm interested in on rotation? Sheesh.)

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Shadowing is different than formally rotating and basically practicing medicine. You should not need malpractice insurance if you’re not directly involve in patient care aka purely shadowing. If that was the case no one in undergrad would be allowed to shadow. Do not see how this can be a problem if you just want to Shadow.

 

[Goro]

Just wondering if this is normal for DO (or MD, even) schools.

We were told we are no longer allowed to shadow as of day 1 of med school, because now we are potentially liable in malpractice suits and the insurance provided doesn't cover us. This extends into M3/4... they say that if, for example, you're on surgery and anesthesia invites you to hang out with them for a day, it's a no-go. Nothing outside your assigned current rotation.

I see students at other schools talk about shadowing so is my school an outlier, or is this normal policy?

(Side rant, that this is a bit of an issue for specialty choice... As an M3, I'm stuck with whatever elective rotations they happen to have, which are apparently limited; literally was just given a whopping 2 options for an upcoming rotation. How am I supposed to pick a specialty if I'm not able to see the ones I'm interested in on rotation? Sheesh.)

What penal colony is this???????

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Yeah that is all a load of BS. When you shadow you aren't involved in patient care so malpractice is irrelevant. Sometimes the less your program knows the better, this is one of those times. If you catch my drift.

 

[Dr_Jan_I_Tor]

What penal colony is this???????

haha, it’s AZCOM. I was pretty surprised to hear that from them. They want to tout their great matches but telling people not to shadow and be exposed to those specialties definitely hinders you…

 

[Dr_Jan_I_Tor]

Yeah that is all a load of BS. When you shadow you aren't involved in patient care so malpractice is irrelevant. Sometimes the less your program knows the better, this is one of those times. If you catch my drift.

That’s what I thought. Even if your name did get pulled into a lawsuit somehow, it would get tossed immediately once it was clarified it was a hands-off, non-decision making, shadowing student.

Drift caught 😉

 

[Proudfather94]

haha, it’s AZCOM. I was pretty surprised to hear that from them. They want to tout their great matches but telling people not to shadow and be exposed to those specialties definitely hinders you…

Wonder if it's their way of trying to nudge their matches more into primary care

 

[Dr_Jan_I_Tor]

Wonder if it's their way of trying to nudge their matches more into primary care

I would have guessed that except they push research very heavily and really like high MCATs 🤔

On the other hand, I’m not sure what COCA requirements are for rotations, but they force us to do 8 weeks of both FM and IM, which is also aggravating. But that would track with a primary care nudge.

Might just be some overzealous legal dept concern. Maybe some student got dragged into a suit once and now they’re worried about it.

 

[gyngyn]

Just wondering if this is normal for DO (or MD, even) schools.

This is not normal.

 

[Goro]

This is not normal.

Not normal for DO, either.

 

[NotHanSolo]

My school has the same policy, the old dean apparently had an experience while being dean of another DO program where a student was in the OR observing and (as circulators do) their name was written down in some documentation. Long story short SUPPOSEDLY there was a lawsuit with a patient and the prosecutor made the med school liable because the student was there. Idk legal stuff so I have no idea how that would be possible and I have no idea if we got the full story, but that was their driving reason why shadowing was not allowed.