Shadowing a doctor ....how to do i get administrative stuff done to get started?

[corporateflea]

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I'm trying to shadow a doctor at UCI Medical Center..

I already got his approval...the doctor I'm trying to shadow...

I originally contacted the volunteering dept and they said shadowing is NOT a volunteering activity...wtf..and told me to call human resources dept...and so did call them...then HR said it would be best to call some person in a department that my doctor is under...and so I did....and she said she never heard anyone shadowing anybody while she worked for 4 years?? And she directed me to call this one administrative staff and said she won't be here this afternoon...she did give me her number to call her later..

Is it impossible to shadow a doctor at a college hospital? Does anybody have any experience shadowing a doctor at a college hospital? I never thought it would be this hard to get all these "paper work done".....

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

 

[uclaussr]

sorry about you being sent in circles, i know how frustrating that can get
where i shadow, it definetely counts for volunteering. its actually part of the volunteering program they have, but i know not all hospital have these programs.

 

[erdavis]

Shadowing is not considering volunteering well, because you arent volunteering. Volunteering requires you to actually do something that helps someone else. When you shadow doctors you are not really doing anything but observing and the only person who is benefiting from it is you. I think its fair not to label shadowing as volunteering but it should be considered clinical experience.

 

[Mr.Patel]

Woww! This just happened to me for the last month (My hospital was soo slow getting all the paper work done! Also had to get background check, PPD, etc.).

So the hospital which I currently shadow in also gave me a hard time and sent me in circles. I am sure your doctor has had other students who have shadowed him/her. I emailed my doctor and she told me to contact the Security Department and then they told me to sign bunch of forms and agreement. So the best thing to do is ask your doctor if not maybe you can also check out Security like me (maybe same hospital :0 lol).

 

[shemarty]

I know it can be really hard to jump through these administrative hoops. It's not 'volunteering' at the hospital where I shadowed, either.

Try asking the administrative assistants in the department if they have a protocol for visiting observers (like if there's a visiting scholar from abroad or something). That's the protocol that we use for our shadowing program to get security clearance for the students.

Find out whether or not you're required to get written patient consent from patients you encounter. If there is a rule about this, failure to do so might get you/the doctor in trouble. Find out whether you need official HIPAA training. Ask about any health requirements (immunizations, etc).

GOOD LUCK!

 

[FuturaDocta]

You just need to get HIPAA training/ Vaccination (just get them up to date if required), which doesn't take long at all. Then, get an ID badge and you should be good to go.

But, just tell the HR/Volunteer lady if you could get these things done in order to shadow.

GL

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

they usually have a person on staff that deals with the paperwork/handling of this type of stuff--it sucks because they aren't the friendliest people but it's necessary....good luck

 

[FuturaDocta]

they usually have a person on staff that deals with the paperwork/handling of this type of stuff--it sucks because they aren't the friendliest people but it's necessary....good luck

I know what you mean. At one of the hospitals the lady wouldn't even pick up her phone for anything.

I thought it was rude, so I just gave up on that hospital. When I contacted the hospital next door, the lady was actually REALLY nice. She even has a really good reputation for being a nice lady. I guess she is a rare individual. 🙂

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

I know what you mean. At one of the hospitals the lady wouldn't even pick up her phone for anything.

I thought it was rude, so I just gave up on that hospital. When I contacted the hospital next door, the lady was actually REALLY nice. She even has a really good reputation for being a nice lady. I guess she is a rare individual. 🙂

Yeah I was e-mailing the HR person and she never answered any of questions, like where should I meet the surgeon, etc. so I ended up e-mailing back the surgeon directly and he gave me his blackberry cell # and told me to call him when I got to the hospital 😱 talk about intimidation......some docs are awesome and very friendly to students

 

[FuturaDocta]

Yeah I was e-mailing the HR person and she never answered any of questions, like where should I meet the surgeon, etc. so I ended up e-mailing back the surgeon directly and he gave me his blackberry cell # and told me to call him when I got to the hospital 😱 talk about intimidation......some docs are awesome and very friendly to students

Yah, same here. I just figured being aggressive was the best way to go since I wasn't going to get anything done by basically "talking to a wall." Getting in touch with friendly physicians is definitely the way to go.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

Yah, same here. I just figured being aggressive was the best way to go since I wasn't going to get anything done by basically "talking to a wall." Getting in touch with friendly physicians is definitely the way to go.

👍 My word of advice is e-mail surgeons directly and you'll get a better response rate then trying to "climb the chain of command" by going through the HR, etc.

 

[corporateflea]

The physician I'm trying to shadow already agreed that he'll allow me to shadow him..I just don't want to burden him by making him do the administrative stuff...and also I doubt he'll know anyways...

So for those who shadowed in posts above..how were you guys able to do it? the physician you shadowed knew the process?

Anyways,this HR Dev Trainer....told me that she'll contact me on Monday with phone number of a dean of medical school??..Now I have to talk with a dean just to shadow a doctor? I'm afraid he'll just say no...

I also sent an email whether I can get just HIPAA/Vaccination done through Volunteer Services....

 

[laffite]

This post brings good point. I tried to shadow a doctor through my university but had to be officially be junior to do so. With that, I figured it had to be through the hospital I volunteered at. Then, i was at the retail pharmacy. However, I "transferred" over to research. I'm not sure if research is considered a part of volunteer services but I told them I'll be doing the switch anyway. As a result, i get my shadowing done now via working in research and working with physicians in the same department.

honestly though, if you volunteer at the hospital, shadowing a doctor shouldn't be something you need to do through volunteer services. Unless you want to "clock-in clock-out" officially, you'll be shadowing on the your own time. If your doctor could somehow verify that you shadowed, it shouldn't matter if you do it through volunteer services or not. If you want, try volunteering in some department and then shadowing on your own time. That way, you are legitimately a hospital employee, unpaid of course.

 

[shemarty]

The issue of going through the hospital in one way or the other (volunteer services, HR, etc) is because hospitals usually have strict rules about who is allowed to be there. You can't just ask a doctor if its okay that you shadow, have him say yes, and show up in the wards the next day. Generally you need security clearance, health clearance, HIPAA training, etc. It's not about having somebody verify your hours, its about not breaking hospital rules. You don't need to be an employee or anything, but you need at least some kind of visitors badge at most places.