Shadowing a heme/onc DO.. tips/advice?

[Espressso]

So prior to starting year one this July, I'm hoping to shadow a few specific local DO's and so far I've gotten in with a heme/onc.

Wondering if anyone has shadowed a heme/onc physician before? Any tips or advice? Or any questions I should ask? I'm just really interested in seeing first hand how the clinic flow works and how the physician goes about the work day. Along with hearing more specifically about the training path for a DO grad, as heme/onc is something I'm really interested in.

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[Vrachika]

I did actually shadow a heme/onc DO a long time ago, and this is what I wish I would have asked:

1. Why did you choose that specialty, was it what you thought it would be, etc.
2. What are your favorite and least favorite things about the specialty (specifically fish for answers concerning lifestyle, patient populations, amount of paperwork, time spent with research vs clinic vs consult vs follow ups, etc)
3. Then ask if they can give examples of other physicians in their field who may do very different work/have very different lifestyles than themselves, as even within specialized fields people can have very different focuses (i.e. lots of research vs lots of consults)
4. What they think makes a good vs bad physician in their field
5. Suggestions for what you should do to get into a heme/onc residency ( or is it IM>heme/onc fellowship?), specifically for a DO
6. Ask if they have any specific interests/focuses within the field of heme/onc

Good questions to ask any doc you are shadowing, tbh. I will also be starting as an OMS I in the fall...best of luck!

 

[Espressso]

I did actually shadow a heme/onc DO a long time ago, and this is what I wish I would have asked:

1. Why did you choose that specialty, was it what you thought it would be, etc.
2. What are your favorite and least favorite things about the specialty (specifically fish for answers concerning lifestyle, patient populations, amount of paperwork, time spent with research vs clinic vs consult vs follow ups, etc)
3. Then ask if they can give examples of other physicians in their field who may do very different work/have very different lifestyles than themselves, as even within specialized fields people can have very different focuses (i.e. lots of research vs lots of consults)
4. What they think makes a good vs bad physician in their field
5. Suggestions for what you should do to get into a heme/onc residency ( or is it IM>heme/onc fellowship?), specifically for a DO
6. Ask if they have any specific interests/focuses within the field of heme/onc

Good questions to ask any doc you are shadowing, tbh. I will also be starting as an OMS I in the fall...best of luck!

These are really good. I shadowed a radiation onc during UG a few years back but he was an MD and an old, IMG one. Great exposure to rad onc but not the best to probe about training and how to maximize chances to become a heme/onc as a DO, so I'm excited about shadowing this clinician. Thanks for the response!

 

[Vrachika]

No problem! I was actually going to add, the younger the doc you are shadowing, the better (as far as getting information about how the road to heme/onc will look for you). So if they are young, great. If not, see if you can find one who would be willing to give you 5-10 minutes to answer #5.

 

[LilOrphanFourval]

I scribe in Heme/Onc. He's an old IMG, and a typical day is a handful of benign hematology, a few patients undergoing some form of cancer treatment, and a couple of long-term remission patients. Patient ages will probably lean heavily towards 50+. Unless you have someone being told that they have cancer for the first time that day, your shadowing should be pretty chill. Definitely ask why the physician chose the specialty (Heme is a pretty rare specialty nowadays, and Onc is Onc). But yeah, most importantly ask about how a D.O. gets to be where he is. Good luck!

 

[Espressso]

No problem! I was actually going to add, the younger the doc you are shadowing, the better (as far as getting information about how the road to heme/onc will look for you). So if they are young, great. If not, see if you can find one who would be willing to give you 5-10 minutes to answer #5.

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. This clinician graduated from DO school in the mid 80's. So he's slightly older. I still plan to ask him though. Even though things have changed.

I scribe in Heme/Onc. He's an old IMG, and a typical day is a handful of benign hematology, a few patients undergoing some form of cancer treatment, and a couple of long-term remission patients. Patient ages will probably lean heavily towards 50+. Unless you have someone being told that they have cancer for the first time that day, your shadowing should be pretty chill. Definitely ask why the physician chose the specialty (Heme is a pretty rare specialty nowadays, and Onc is Onc). But yeah, most importantly ask about how a D.O. gets to be where he is. Good luck!

Thank you!