Shadowing a Doctor for the First Time Tomorrow

[LaCasta]

I am going to be shadowing a hepatologist tomorrow at the hospital of one of the top med schools. I am pretty excited about this. For those of you who have done a lot of shadowing, what should I expect? Should I bring a notepad?

I am going to try to read a little about hepatology (as much as non-medical can understand) in a night, to try to be able to ask some intelligent questions.

Any other advice

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[Climberak]

Bring the notepad but you won't use it much.

The point of shadowing is not to understand facts, but to get a feel for it. You want to see if medicine is a fit with you. Instead of asking specific questions of the field, you should ask more general questions like:

"Why did you want to be a doctor?"
"What challenges do you think future doctors will face?"
"What do you think about the healthcare system in this country, and what do you think about current plans for universal coverage?"

These are just some of many questions you can ask. Trust me, they'll be more impressed if you show interest in becoming/being a doctor rather than what cells in the liver secrete glucagon.

 

[LaCasta]

Bring the notepad but you won't use it much.

The point of shadowing is not to understand facts, but to get a feel for it. You want to see if medicine is a fit with you. Instead of asking specific questions of the field, you should ask more general questions like:

"Why did you want to be a doctor?"
"What challenges do you think future doctors will face?"
"What do you think about the healthcare system in this country, and what do you think about current plans for universal coverage?"

These are just some of many questions you can ask. Trust me, they'll be more impressed if you show interest in becoming/being a doctor rather than what cells in the liver secrete glucagon.

good point thanks

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

I brought a notebook and didn't use it while doing general practice shadowing- i felt more compelled to listen than take notes and there were several patients i ended up talking with they were all very nice about it.

 

[nlax30]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about trying to take notes or anything. Just go in eyes wide open ready to watch/observe and listen. They'll be plenty of time later to learn the science and specifics, for now worry about seeing if medicine is right for you and maybe pick his brain as to how he got into it, what he currently likes/doesn't like about it, etc...

 

[hamstercheeks]

hehe, i recently started shadowing a neurologist and from my experiences, you definitely don't need a pen/paper. Our first patient didn't arrive so we watched will farrell videos on the computer, looked at the next patient's mri scans, started quizing each other on neuroanatomy, discussed some ongoing alzheimer's research, and then looked up the surf report (he goes surfing!) until the next patient arrived. Then I was a simply a passive observer during the neuropsych evaluations because it would be pretty rude to interrupt when he only has two hours allotted for the evaluation. I later started raising some procedural questions when we weren't with the patient and we began to discuss how he arrived at his diagnoses. The neurologist threw out a few intimidating words so I'd say it'd be wise to familiarize yourself with some common disorders and drugs also in your field, but for the most part i'd say it's all for the experience and learning how the system runs.

 

[LikeClockWork]

I would bring a pen/pencil and pocket notebook (or just a piece of paper in your pocket). I used it to write down terms and phrases that I didn't know what they meant when I had down time. Down time will happen a lot too. Many times the doc will head off to do something and leave you alone for a few minutes, so be ready to be ignored sometimes. That's when I'd make my list of words to look up after I got home that night so I'd know a little more the next day. It helped me build my vocab and understand a little more each day.

 

[theserbatron]

I would bring a pen/pencil and pocket notebook (or just a piece of paper in your pocket). I used it to write down terms and phrases that I didn't know what they meant when I had down time. Down time will happen a lot too. Many times the doc will head off to do something and leave you alone for a few minutes, so be ready to be ignored sometimes. That's when I'd make my list of words to look up after I got home that night so I'd know a little more the next day. It helped me build my vocab and understand a little more each day.

^--- yep. one thing i always looked forward to was coming back and asking about patients or cases that were interesting to me the time before.

 

[milliya]

How do you get to shadow someone? Do you just call up and ask? There's and awesome children's hospital near me and I've left several messages at the Office of Volunteer Opportunities but no one has ever gotten back to me.

 

[div0t17]

Yeah, the only time I was asked questions/needed to know info, they were questions that were very basic and just asked to drive home points. i.e. I shadowed a nephrologist, and she asked where RBCs were made (the kidney), just to drive home the point of the importance of what she was doing. Then she asked things like "what do you think the most common reason people are here?" just to drive home the point that most of these people could have avoided dialysis if they had properly taken care of their diabetes. Other than that, I wasn't ever asked anything that I was acutally expected to know; I get joked around with at a sports medicine orthopedic's office, when we are looking at xrays and mris, quizzed on the "common names" of completely random problems that hardly ever show up, but if you're an ortho, you know them. It's good times. Especially when I actually get one right. But they really don't expect you to know anything/really learn anything from shadowing, other than getting a good idea how to interact with patients, what the days are commonly like, etc.

 

[nlax30]

Yeah, the only time I was asked questions/needed to know info, they were questions that were very basic and just asked to drive home points. i.e. I shadowed a nephrologist, and she asked where RBCs were made (the kidney), just to drive home the point of the importance of what she was doing. Then she asked things like "what do you think the most common reason people are here?" just to drive home the point that most of these people could have avoided dialysis if they had properly taken care of their diabetes. Other than that, I wasn't ever asked anything that I was acutally expected to know; I get joked around with at a sports medicine orthopedic's office, when we are looking at xrays and mris, quizzed on the "common names" of completely random problems that hardly ever show up, but if you're an ortho, you know them. It's good times. Especially when I actually get one right. But they really don't expect you to know anything/really learn anything from shadowing, other than getting a good idea how to interact with patients, what the days are commonly like, etc.

I hope she didn't say that the kidneys make RBCs......

 

[GoldShadow]

I hope she didn't say that the kidneys make RBCs......

She probably said that the kidneys secrete erythropoietin which causes the marrow to make RBCs...

Anyway, I would agree with what the others have said about asking questions more related to his motivation for getting into medicine, what he thinks of the field, etc.

I don't think you need to bring a notepad, I never did... I just observed and sometimes would write down anything I found interesting after I got back home. There's really not much to write.

 

[MattD]

... and she asked where RBCs were made (the kidney...

RBCs are made in the bone marrow. Or the spleen/kidney if you're a fetus (are you a fetus??)

Now, PEE, on the other hand, is made in the kidney. Lots and lots of pee.

 

[Green Chimneys]

I hope she didn't say that the kidneys make RBCs......

I was thinking the same thing

I also hope the hepatologist doesn't tell our OP what cells in the liver secrete glucagon

Good luck OP. I hope you take the time during this experiment to really decide if medicine is a career you want to pursue. It's very romanticized, but it's not for everyone, it's really not. Medicine can be a very rewarding profession, but there are also a heck of a lot of reasons why not to do it. Think long and hard before you commit yourself to a huge time and financial burden, and if you decide to go for it, good luck!

 

[speeter]

Don't be a tool. That is the best advice you can get. If you want to know what a tool is defined as, read pandabearmd's blog.

 

[thoffen]

I didn't bring a notepad to my first shadowing experience. After about 5 days with this doctor. One of the pations asked: "shouldn't he be writing this stuff down"? The doc fired back immediately: "He's a sponge." I was flattered, but also embarrassed not to have brought a notepad!

 

[maxflash04]

Just bring a SMILE!

Seriously, be personable, stay quiet while the DR visits with patients and/or colleagues unless you're called upon.

Other than that, have a good time and relax.

 

[chimica]

I would suspect that the only situation, in which you would need a pen/note is when you reflect on what you experienced while shadowing

I'd suggest that you be who you are when shadowing because obviously the doctor who allowed you to shadow him/her did it for a certain reason (basically because of who you are) otherwise the doc wouldn't bother letting any pre-meds shadow the doc

hope everything works well!

remember that EXPERIENCE is the key...and quality is more important that quantity

 

[div0t17]

I hope she didn't say that the kidneys make RBCs......

I like to switch the word "how" with "where". It's fun...you should try it sometime.


/sorry for the confusion. She's not inept.

 

[nlax30]

I like to switch the word "how" with "where". It's fun...you should try it sometime.


/sorry for the confusion. She's not inept.

Haha, that's alright. Just wait until you start, you'll soon lose common sense and social skills.....

 

[Tenk]

Don't bring anything; just look happy. Patients like happy-smiling-bystander-people, not people scribbling furiously in notepads.

 

[LaCasta]

I rather enjoyed it yesterday

Some noteable points of the day:

The first patient I went in for with the doc was an old man who had cancer that metastasized and spread to the brain. They had it under control though for over 2 years, so that i something you usually don't see often.

There was another patient who had hep C and had been homeless for along time and came in with his mom to try and get treated. He said he would never give up alcohol though, so the doctor told him blutly, "then you will never get better." He then drew him a cool diagram of what would happen to his liver if he did not stop drinking on the paper they use to the line the patient bed thingys

There was a hot pharmaceutical sales lady that came into the office. I thought that only happened on Scrubs, but I guess it is pretty common

Quote of the day:

From the doc:

"Hopefully in this condition she will be able to stay alive... until she dies from something else."