Shadowing a Podiatrist

[sadpanda09]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Just wondering how I should go about shadowing. I usually get the opportunity to shadow a podiatrist for a day, but was wondering how to go about shadowing beyond that. Is it okay to ask if you can come back or would that be greedy. I want to be able to shadow long enough to get a LoR, but don't want to offend them. Also, would it be bad to ask if one could shadow again after a 9 month period of not shadowing. I shadowed for a day, but got too busy with school. Now that my times freed up, I could focus more on going. I just don't want to ruin my chances for a good shadowing experience.

Thanks

 

[dropfoot]

Just wondering how I should go about shadowing. I usually get the opportunity to shadow a podiatrist for a day, but was wondering how to go about shadowing beyond that. Is it okay to ask if you can come back or would that be greedy. I want to be able to shadow long enough to get a LoR, but don't want to offend them. Also, would it be bad to ask if one could shadow again after a 9 month period of not shadowing. I shadowed for a day, but got too busy with school. Now that my times freed up, I could focus more on going. I just don't want to ruin my chances for a good shadowing experience.

Thanks

It is okay to ask to come back; most will be happy to have you back. All Podiatrists are familiar with application process (they went thru it also), so don't be afraid to ask for a LOR. Most of my shadowing came after I had already been accepted into pod school, but my first, and only, LOR came after shadowing a physician for eight hours. My most productive shadowing happened after the fact, for there was no stress involved, as it relates to pleading for an LOR. Good luck to you.

 

[sadpanda09]

Thanks! Guess I just needed a little encouragement 🙂

 

[Darklord]

I will be shadowing this summer too. I met a DO who is letting me shadow him three days a week. The other two days, I have to arrange with pods and on the weekends I will be studying for the MCAT.

So, I'm emailing and calling around for those two days. Most podiatrist are letting me shadow one to days only (I have yet to find one who will let me shadow weekly-ie one to two days a week). That means I have to drive around to different offices every week and will have a tough time seeing surgical procedures. I would assume, it would be okay to ask the podiatrist if I could shadow him/her next week. I'm just interested in continuity. I'm not really interested in LORs, yet. 🙂

Anyway, good luck 👍.

 

[NatCh]

It's okay to just call and leave a message asking if you might come shadow again. Honestly the doctor probably has been busy working and hasn't given you a second thought since your first visit.

Like Dropfoot said, we all went through the process and know that parts of the evolutionary process can seem a bit pointless and contrived. It's just another one of the hoops you have to jump through.

As long as you don't throw up on the patients or text your friends while the doc is talking he or she should be able to come up with some type of LOR. Unless the doc is a totally self-absorbed dinkhead he won't give you a hard time about it. After all, how much can one really get to know a student after he just politely follows you around for a few days?

"Sadpanda shadowed me in Spring 2009 and although he only was there for a few days I could tell that he is the future of our profession. This bright, young individual has the potential to do remarkable things in the O.R. and carry the torch for generations of physicians to come. I know he is only a pre-pod, but I have a hunch he is headed for greatness. After all, he didn't throw up once and he turned off his cell phone."

You can say something to the effect of, "I know I've only been here a few days and it's not very much time to get to know a person, but may I ask you for a letter of recommendation?" That should do it, I would hope.

 

[NatCh]

I will be shadowing this summer too. I met a DO who is letting me shadow him three days a week. The other two days, I have to arrange with pods and on the weekends I will be studying for the MCAT.

So, I'm emailing and calling around for those two days. Most podiatrist are letting me shadow one to days only (I have yet to find one who will let me shadow weekly-ie one to two days a week). That means I have to drive around to different offices every week and will have a tough time seeing surgical procedures. I would assume, it would be okay to ask the podiatrist if I could shadow him/her next week. I'm just interested in continuity. I'm not really interested in LORs, yet. 🙂

Anyway, good luck 👍.

I think that following as many different docs as possible will give you a better feel for the profession than seeing surgeries by one doc. The surgery probably won't mean anything to you other than provide you with an "ooh-ahhh" factor, but seeing the types of pathologies and practice scenarios (i.e., solo practice, group practice, multi-specialty group, ortho group, hospital-based, VAMC, etc) will give you an idea of what the workday is like for the different setups. Once you are a pod student then seeing the surgeries will be more meaningful.

 

[miller4362]

Since i didnt know any docs I just did a google search for podiatrists in my city. The map showed a bunch of dots and I just called the offices of the ones near my home. Some wanted to see a resume or chat before I went in but they were all pretty excited to have me come in. There were deff a few who didnt want me around more then a day or two. A few wanted me to come in whenever I wanted to and I even went in the OR. I agree that you could ask for a LOR early on because they know the process. Often a doc will offer to write one before you ask.

Best idea is to shadow as many docs as you can. Then find one who you really like and hang out with them more. Schools want you to get a lot of exposure and diff docs have different stlyes, offices, opinions, etc...

 

[mathlegend]

Just ask. For me, I asked my podiatrist that I met 3 months ago, when I broke my toe. He agreed, and I got to watch a bunionectomy today. It was awesome! Though it kinda sucks to stand for 1.5 hrs with a broken toe... I'm going to watch him in surgery again some other day, and possible him in the office. I'm scheduled to shadow two other podiatrists in the office in June. Just ask around 🙂

 

[Darklord]

I think that following as many different docs as possible will give you a better feel for the profession than seeing surgeries by one doc. The surgery probably won't mean anything to you other than provide you with an "ooh-ahhh" factor, but seeing the types of pathologies and practice scenarios (i.e., solo practice, group practice, multi-specialty group, ortho group, hospital-based, VAMC, etc) will give you an idea of what the workday is like for the different setups. Once you are a pod student then seeing the surgeries will be more meaningful.

You are right NatCh, thanks for the advise.

 

[Yanks4life]

do you guys have any suggestions on what to wear when shadowing? I was thinking a polo with khakis. any opposing views or suggestions?

 

[NatCh]

do you guys have any suggestions on what to wear when shadowing? I was thinking a polo with khakis. any opposing views or suggestions?

That would be appropriate for my office but we are very casual here in the boonies. To be safe I'd say wear a shirt and tie with your khakis.

 

[Darklord]

I still don't know how to make a tie. 🙁

 

[dyk343]

How many letters of rec are required by schools from a podiatrist (not professors)?


(I know a couple schools require more than others)

 

[mathlegend]

I think just 1?

 

[APMAHelp]

It's not necessary to go through the yellow pages or Google to find a DPM to shadow. There's a link on the APMA website (www.apma.org/careers) that links you to the DPM Mentor Network. There you can choose your state and then see a list of DPMs who are willing to have you shadow in their offices. Use your resources!

 

[Sabin]

How many letters of rec are required by schools from a podiatrist (not professors)?


(I know a couple schools require more than others)

each school requires 1. I think Temple and another school also require an additional letter of rec from any medical professional.

 

[dropfoot]

It's not necessary to go through the yellow pages or Google to find a DPM to shadow. There's a link on the APMA website (www.apma.org/careers) that links you to the DPM Mentor Network. There you can choose your state and then see a list of DPMs who are willing to have you shadow in their offices. Use your resources!

Of all the Podiatrists that i contacted through this site, they all got back in touch with me, and they were all willing to let me shadow them.

 

[mathlegend]

It's not necessary to go through the yellow pages or Google to find a DPM to shadow. There's a link on the APMA website (www.apma.org/careers) that links you to the DPM Mentor Network. There you can choose your state and then see a list of DPMs who are willing to have you shadow in their offices. Use your resources!

Yep, that works. I'll be shadowing two in my area in June, that I contacted through that site 🙂

 

[Shireiqiang]

I know we should be shadowing as much as we can, but does anyone know how many hours schools prefer? Do any of the schools have a minimum number of shadow hours?

 

[smartman716]

I know we should be shadowing as much as we can, but does anyone know how many hours schools prefer? Do any of the schools have a minimum number of shadow hours?

As far as I know, there is neither a minimum nor maximum amount of time that you should spend shadowing. Shadow enough to have a sound understanding of the field, to get different practice perspectives, to be able to acquire strong letters of recommendation, and to still have ample time to devote to your studies.

 

[PADPM]

1) I would always walk in the office with a shirt and tie.

2) When walking into a patient room with the doctor, NEVER engage in conversation with a patient unless it's OK with the doctor. If a patient asks you questions, keep your answers very simple.

3) If you are in the room with a patient, and the doctor walks out for a minute or two, be VERY careful what you say to the patient. If the patient asks you any questions about the doctor, just say that all you know is that he/she has an excellent reputation. If the patient asks you anything about his/her condition, just state that you really aren't qualified to answer the question.

4) If the doctor takes off a bandage or post operative dressing and you see something DISGUSTING, do NOT say a word or make an odd face. I once had a student in my office that had never seen a post operative case. I had performed an extensive surgery with a significant amount of external hardware. It was an E.R./trauma case. There was significant swelling, ecchymosis (black and blue), lots of sutures and a lot of hardware sticking out. In reality, for the amount of surgery and trauma, it looked great, but this student was a "virgin" seeing these types of patients. So, lo and behold, I take off the dressings and he yells out "Whoa, that looks REALLY gross.....look at all that black and blue....man is THAT gross looking!" The patient got very upset thinking something was horribly wrong, and I shot the student a look that could have melted an iceberg.

5) Ask the doctor if he/she has any words of wisdom or advice.

6) I personally would never talk about income or money.

7) ALWAYS thank the doctor and all members of the staff and follow up with a thank you note.

 

[podpod]

PADPM, right on the money!!.... bullets 2 and 3 are EXTREMELY important!!! when i shadowed i just avoided eye contact as much as i could by just staring at the patients feet. since i worked at a diabetic clinic all the old ppl wanted to talk but i made sure not to cave.

(rofl... nice to know u were able to be that kid's first 😍)

 

[streetsweeper]

Just wondering how I should go about shadowing. I usually get the opportunity to shadow a podiatrist for a day, but was wondering how to go about shadowing beyond that. Is it okay to ask if you can come back or would that be greedy. I want to be able to shadow long enough to get a LoR, but don't want to offend them. Also, would it be bad to ask if one could shadow again after a 9 month period of not shadowing. I shadowed for a day, but got too busy with school. Now that my times freed up, I could focus more on going. I just don't want to ruin my chances for a good shadowing experience.

Thanks

I was able to get shadowing experiences for school credit. I needed 2 units of "internships" to graduate and was short 0.5 units at the time (which amounted to 40 hours according to my undergrad's policy). So i got the Podiatrist I shadowed to sign the forms. He agreed to it as long as I dressed professional and kept out of his way if he's REALLY busy. I was there once a week..4 hours at a time for 2 months. He actually put me to work..take out trash, help out the assistant, and observe patient care. At the end of my 40 hours, i got my 0.5 units AND i asked him for a LoR since we were pretty acquainted by then.

This isn't the only way to do it but this was how I did it.