Shadowing a Podiatrist

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PineapplePeach

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Hi everyone,
I've just called about more than 20 podiatrists in my area, and all have said that I can't shadow them due to liability issues. I'm so unbelievably discouraged right now. How were other students able to shadow a podiatrist, and later receive a letter of recommendation?
Thank you.
 
You can try the AACPM mentor website: http://www.aacpm.org/contactpod/default.asp

You can choose your state and it shows Podiatrists who signed up to be a mentor. This is how I found a Podiatrist to shadow.

You can also try and call them and ask to meet them/ask them questions, not necessarily to shadow because of the liability. This way you can learn more about the field, talk to a Podiatrist directly, and possibly...when the Podiatrist knows you better and is more comfortable with you...they might invite you to shadow them. I know that the first couple of times I went to visit a Podiatrist, he did not allow me to see the patients directly but allowed me to hang out in the office and kind of see what he did indirectly. It also allowed me to ask him some questions about the field.

Also, if you live near a Podiatry School, they may be able to help you find a Podiatrist who allows shadowing.

Hope that helps!
 
janV88 said:
You can try the AACPM mentor website: http://www.aacpm.org/contactpod/default.asp

You can choose your state and it shows Podiatrists who signed up to be a mentor. This is how I found a Podiatrist to shadow.

You can also try and call them and ask to meet them/ask them questions, not necessarily to shadow because of the liability. This way you can learn more about the field, talk to a Podiatrist directly, and possibly...when the Podiatrist knows you better and is more comfortable with you...they might invite you to shadow them. I know that the first couple of times I went to visit a Podiatrist, he did not allow me to see the patients directly but allowed me to hang out in the office and kind of see what he did indirectly. It also allowed me to ask him some questions about the field.

Also, if you live near a Podiatry School, they may be able to help you find a Podiatrist who allows shadowing.

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...


👍 x 10000000000000000000000

Best advice you can get about this scenario
 
I know its a pain in the ass for pods to take on a student to shadow... but its kinda dumb that some try to make it so hard. They had to (likely had to) shadow someone before they started school. Why don't they just pay back the dues?
 
ive had the opposite happen.. everyone i have asked was very enthusiastic about letting me come in.

definitely try the mentor list.. that is where i found pods to shadow.
 
SIDE COMMENT:

I am not sure I understand the liability thing either. I mean come on we are talking about the foot and ankle here. It's not really a super private thing or something a lot of people are/ or should be really bashful about showing to strangers (unless there are severe gross deformities).

Before I declared podiatry as my final choice I was applying to DO school and I needed to shadow and get a letter of rec from a DO in order to apply to schools. The only DO that was relatively close to me, where I lived in Philly (at the time), was a DO dermatologist. I was invited in (most of the time) to watch the Derm do full body checks on a lot of women (I am male). Therefore a lot of nudity was involved. If the DO Derm was ok with that and her patients were ok with me watching them naked then I don't see what the issue is with observing the foot and ankle.

Just saying...
 
...
 
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studywithfury said:
SIDE COMMENT] I am not sure I understand the liability thing either...It's not really a super private thing or something a lot of people are/ or should be really bashful about showing to strangers..
Click to expand...

It's about patient privacy laws...and yes your healthcare should be super private regardless of the procedure.
 
you cant really say that most people wont be embarrassed about it.
yeah its not a pelvic exam or something where you must be unclothed, even though a lot of the cases a podiatrist may see seem trivial. its not good to make generalizations about people based on your own feelings.

i know that with myself, if i had a really bad nail fungus i would be pretty embarrassed about it and if some hot guy were shadowing the doctor i went to visit, i would be uncomfortable with that guy in the room, even though he were there strictly for educational purposes.

it is good that the physicians are looking out for their patients, but there are other ways around this. they can certainly ask for consent to allow a student to be in the room.

ive shadowed a dpm, a pediatrician, and a cardiologist..i have never once had a problem with the patient's or their parents saying no to the me being in the room. but i am sure it can vary from patient to patient.
 
I had no problem finding PODs to shadow. I just called and asked. All of them were very enthusiastic and eager to show me what they do. After spending some time with them I just asked if they would write me a strong letter of recommendation. I would recommend spending some time with them before asking for a letter though.

The mentor page is probably the best place to start for sure.

As far as patient privacy goes: In the office the doctors would introduce me as a student and ask if it was ok that I observed. Only a handful of times did the patients not want me there.

Over the weeks and months some of patients began to recognize me. In fact, I was able to see some patients in all stages of care: in the office, OR and post-OP till they were back on their feet. Great experience!

I cannot recommend shadowing enough. I learned a lot... mostly how much I don't know. Ask questions. Lots of questions!

PineapplePeach, keep calling you will find someone.
 
I don't understand the liability issue. Number one, I do not let the student see or read the patient's chart without the permission of the patient, and when I do, I only let them see/read the pertinent progress note, not the patient's demographic information or medical history (even though the medical history may be contributory, these are pre-podiatry/medical students).

Additionally, I enter the room and ask the patient if he/she would be comfortable having a student observe prior to the student entering. And when the student is in the room he/she doesn't touch or do ANYTHING.

Therefore, I really see no "liability" issues if the patient's privacy is protected and if the patient is respected and asked prior to the student entering the room.

In my opinion, these docs simply don't want to give back to the profession.
 
PADPM said:
I don't understand the liability issue. Number one, I do not let the student see or read the patient's chart without the permission of the patient, and when I do, I only let them see/read the pertinent progress note, not the patient's demographic information or medical history (even though the medical history may be contributory, these are pre-podiatry/medical students).

Additionally, I enter the room and ask the patient if he/she would be comfortable having a student observe prior to the student entering. And when the student is in the room he/she doesn't touch or do ANYTHING.

Therefore, I really see no "liability" issues if the patient's privacy is protected and if the patient is respected and asked prior to the student entering the room.

In my opinion, these docs simply don't want to give back to the profession.
Click to expand...

I think PADPM put the liability scenario into clearer terms then what I was trying to get at from my prior post. When I shadowed my pod I didn't do anything except watch and listen. I saw no charts or any personal history and the pod always asked the patient whether it was ok for me to observe or not.

Therefore I didn't see what the big deal was. If the pod is willing to ask the patient for his/her permission and not allow you to see personal records...what is left that would leave the pod in a compromising position?
 
PADPM said:
I don't understand the liability issue. Number one, I do not let the student see or read the patient's chart without the permission of the patient, and when I do, I only let them see/read the pertinent progress note, not the patient's demographic information or medical history (even though the medical history may be contributory, these are pre-podiatry/medical students).

Additionally, I enter the room and ask the patient if he/she would be comfortable having a student observe prior to the student entering. And when the student is in the room he/she doesn't touch or do ANYTHING.

Therefore, I really see no "liability" issues if the patient's privacy is protected and if the patient is respected and asked prior to the student entering the room.

In my opinion, these docs simply don't want to give back to the profession.
Click to expand...

👍 the pod I shadowed did the exact same thing with me. He asked every patient if it was OK, nobody had any problems with it. Most of the patients were quit inquisitive as to why I wanted to be a podiatrist and what I had to do to become one.

Also shadowed a dentist and a MD a few years ago, they also did the same thing. There where some patients in the MD's office that I just didn't get to see.
 
Ha, I guess we've been scammed. Or is it simply an AMAZING coincidence that PineapplePeach happened to call 20 pharmacists and received the exact same answer he/she received from 20 podiatrists.

Hold on, let me get my crystal ball and make a prediction. PineapplePeach will now call 20 DENTISTS and they will tell him/her that it's too much of a liability, then he/she will call 20 D.O.'s, then 20 M.D.'s, then 20 butchers, bakers and candlestick makers.

Hey PineapplePeach, either stop wasting everyone's time or lay-off the PineApplePeach Schnapps.
 
According to this person's post history, he/she took the DAT for dental school, is planning on taking the PCAT in June for pharm school, and I guess now is considering taking the MCAT for pod school. Hmmph.
 
the point is.. why are you going around making identical posts in multiple forums?

what are you getting at..are you just trying to make hypothetical situations for yourself and see what people say?
 
First, I would not suggest using this "shotgun" method of getting into the medical field. Assuming you were to get into one of these fields, complete school and start working as a medical professional you could find yourself quite unhappy using this method. Just because you can "get into" one of these programs does not mean you should apply and pursue that route and on the flipside, just because one cannot currently get into a field does not mean they should ignore that field.

Secondly, I find it hard to believe that a number of podiatrists that large would turn you down to shadow them. The ones I know are more than happy to have a student follow them around for a while. I would assume it is in some way flattering to them that a student has taken up an interest in their career. I can understand some that would not want a student shadow, but I find it very hard to believe that 20+ in a row would turn you down.

If this is going to be your approach to the medical field (and your career in general), I would advise taking some serious time to think about the way you are handling the situation. Don't rush yourself into something you could possibly end up hating. Just looking out for your future.
 
😛
 
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When you call a podiatrist to shadow do you ask for the doctor directly or do you leave it with their secretary and hope they ask them and actually get back to you? I feel like I am not getting anywhere just asking the front desk, but I dont want to bother the doctor because he probably has enough stuff to worry about...
 
Podiatric medicine is on the cutting-edge with helping students to shadow. Go directly to www.todayspodiatrist.com/students and at the bottom of the page there is a section to "Shadow a Podiatrist." Fill out very short form and you will shortly get a list of DPMs in your area (based on your zip code) who are willing to host students in their offices.
 
amberkas11309 said:
When you call a podiatrist to shadow do you ask for the doctor directly or do you leave it with their secretary and hope they ask them and actually get back to you? I feel like I am not getting anywhere just asking the front desk, but I dont want to bother the doctor because he probably has enough stuff to worry about...
Click to expand...

Have you tried the link that janV88 provided earlier in this thread? If not I would try that or the one APMAHelp just posted.

When I started shadowing I actually didn't even speak to the doctor until the day I came to shadow him. I organized it all with his staff members and the nurse that worked directly under him.

How many different podiatrists have you called?
 
🙂
 
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I went in to the office of one of the podiatrists and asked personally if I could shadow. That seemed to work well for me. I know not everyone has podiatrists close by, but you have to shadow, so find a way to get in and do it.
 
This is a great thread how did i miss this one hahaa
 
APMAHelp said:
Podiatric medicine is on the cutting-edge with helping students to shadow. Go directly to www.todayspodiatrist.com/students and at the bottom of the page there is a section to "Shadow a Podiatrist." Fill out very short form and you will shortly get a list of DPMs in your area (based on your zip code) who are willing to host students in their offices.
Click to expand...
Thank you!🙂
 
How many hours is considered a good amount for ADCOMS? I love shadowing and I am about to finish up my second full week of shadowing (80 hrs). I want to be able to sit in on my interview day at the schools and have them be impressed by the amount of clinical exposure I have gained. I am fairly certain I will be able to get a strong letter from a very good doc (valedictorian of my #1 choice school.)
 
Pktgresch said:
How many hours is considered a good amount for ADCOMS? I love shadowing and I am about to finish up my second full week of shadowing (80 hrs). I want to be able to sit in on my interview day at the schools and have them be impressed by the amount of clinical exposure I have gained. I am fairly certain I will be able to get a strong letter from a very good doc (valedictorian of my #1 choice school.)
Click to expand...

I think that one of the advantages of shadowing is that it makes you comfortable with your career choice and if you are responsible about your education you owe it to yourself to be sure about your investment in your future. If you really enjoy shadowing and find it very interesting, go as much as time will allow and as long as the doc doesn't mind having you around.

As far as Adcoms go, they assume you've been there a few times before asking for a LOR, so it's not necessarily how many hours you put in, but how many hours it takes you to work up the courage to ask for an LOR or as many hours as it takes for the Doc you're shadowing to offer one up.

Do it because you want to and show interest. Everything else will follow.
 
So what you're saying Kf is that it is essentially the content of the letter that matters, not how many hours I actually have? If that is true that will be good. I will have 80 hrs with the Doc, her and I have a good relationship and I will be observing her preform two surgeries tomorrow. I am thinking that she will write me a very good letter.
 
Kidsfeet made some excellent points, but I'd like to reiterate one of those points. Although shadowing this doc is a means to an end (obtaining your letter of reference), ultimately you should WANT to shadow her regardless of whether or not a letter is ever written. If you enjoy her personality and skills in your chosen profession, you should want to spend as much time with her learning and absorbing. It can only benefit you and your future patients.

Unfortunately, I've witnessed too many students who simply utilize the shadowing process for that LOR, and forget the REAL issue of learning.

If this doctor is as bright and talented as she sounds, take advantage of this free learning process. Situations like this don't always come around. When I shadowed a long time ago, I shadowed some real turds, and it took a while before I found a few gems who showed me the "light".
 
PADPM said:
If you enjoy her personality and skills in your chosen profession, you should want to spend as much time with her learning and absorbing. It can only benefit you and your future patients.

If this doctor is as bright and talented as she sounds, take advantage of this free learning process.
Click to expand...

This is likely THE most important advice a great mentor can give a young doctor/doctor to be.

As far as the question about time versus content of the letter, I would venture to say that it is almost ALWAYS about the content.
 
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