Shadowing a couple of hours at a time? or for a whole day?

[mustardseed]

If you had a choice of shadowing a couple hours at a time vs. the whole day, which is preferable? I asked a local dentist to shadow and she said to come by whenever.

I work full time, so I was thinking that I can take off a whole day, or perhaps I can go in the morning for 1.5-2 hours. Which do you think the dentists prefer?

Thanks in advance for all the input!

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[JAWSSS]

Probably a few hours at a time. If I ran a dental office, I know I would find people shadowing ALL DAY a little bit annoying.

I shadowed about 2.5-3 hours per day twice a week.

 

[doc toothache]

Very short shadowing sessions defeat the purpose of getting the feel for the rhythm of the dental practice. For some procedures, the dentist may not have even finished with the patient before you bail out of the office.

 

[JAWSSS]

Edit: Make sure you don't leave in the middle of procedures.

 

[tandem7]

I also work full time so it's been hard for me to shadow all day. I did one or two full day shadows and many 1/2 day shadows (I either got there before they started until everyone took a lunch break or during a lunch break through the end of the day). I prefer the half day shadowing better because I could really focus the whole time (it's hard to stay engaged when you are basically just observing/asking questions rather than doing something).

 

[Glimmer1991]

I shadowed a GP for 3 hours, once a week, for about a year.

 

[jeffity]

1.5 - 2 hours seems pretty short. Full days seemed long, but I found worth doing several times to see a typical full day in different settings (public and private). The doctors were okay with me being there that long. Perhaps you could ask her if she has a preference on duration. I mostly did half days. After a while, my main gig would look at the schedule for good days to come (juicy procedures or cases). Hopefully you can work it out with working. Aside from the purpose of shadowing, we have a quota to meet. That makes for a lot of short visits.

 

[alucidinterval]

I would generally get to the office at 9 and leave around 1 when they left for lunch once or twice a week. I think all day would be a little bit annoying for the dentist and a little bit boring for you, as just watching procedures and not actually doing anything can get a little bit repetitive.

 

[athomas]

I shadowed full days, but I wasnt just standing around. One office I got to assist a little on about half the procedures. The other, I ran sterilization in the clinic so I observed when I wasn't actively sterilizing, and that made the day not boring.

Also, if you are able to, chat with yiur dentist between paitents. I learned a lot by asking about the materials, treatment plans, etc.

 

[mustardseed]

Thanks for the responses! Sounds like 3-4 hour sessions are useful. I don't have a lot of experience compared to people with hundreds of shadowing hours on the forum, so I'm really excited about getting more exposure!

 

[2thsaver]

At the beginning I shadowed for 8 hours (full day) a week during the summer and school semesters. I'm down to 4 hours a week now. But there was one week after my exams where I had nothing to do, so I shadowed for the full week (40 hours). But I rarely shadow now. I assist, prepare dental trays, sterilize the equipment/operating rooms, seat patients, and take out the trash. Sometimes my dentist will let me practice drilling on stone models.

But it really depends on the relationship you have with your dentist. It's been a little over a year now for me (have just over 300 hours), and I go golfing with my dentist and he takes me to dental conventions. So we're pretty close. We go for lunch with his associate every time I volunteer as well. Try and build a relationship with the doctor the best you can. It makes volunteering a great experience!

 

[Rlow04]

Thanks for the responses! Sounds like 3-4 hour sessions are useful. I don't have a lot of experience compared to people with hundreds of shadowing hours on the forum, so I'm really excited about getting more exposure!

A morning or afternoon session is great, especially if you ask the dentist if you can talk during lunch (after you get to know them). That way you can ask business/clinical/personal questions away from patients.

The only time I tried to shadow 8 hours, I started falling asleep in the afternoon, so I went home early. 😳