Shadowing advice?

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

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I have the opportunity to shadow an orthopedic surgeon who has a practice in addition to working in the ED. I have already done clinical research in a busy urban ED (with a shadowing component, special program at my undergraduate), but he said he would rather have me shadow in the ED because there isn't a lot of traffic at his practice. My DO letter is from shadowing at a family practice, so if I were to choose based purely off of a desire to diversify my experience I would choose to shadow his practice.

I don't have an MD letter yet, so should I just do what he wants? There's probably something else underlying his preference to have me shadow in the ED (i.e. being able to hand me off to someone else), but I think we'd have more face time and I'd learn more in the practice.

Any thoughts?

 

[mvenus929]

Is there a specific reason you want an MD letter?

When he's working in the ED, is it as an orthopod, or as an ED doc? You'd probably get to see more ortho if he's working as an orthopod in the ED--my experience is that ortho clinic is rather boring, and the ED is definitely more exciting.

 

[Ismet]

Letters from physicians you shadow are generally worthless unless you are with the same doc for a very long period of time and they get to know you. DO schools want you to have a DO letter so that they know that you know what a DO does. It's not necessary to get an MD letter.

But if you still decide to get the letter, shadow him in the ED. He's the doc, he probably knows best what to show you. Ortho clinic is super boring and you'll probably mainly see pre-op and post-op appts and follow ups. The ED is much more interesting and you'll see more of the diagnostic side of ortho.

 

[JJMrK]

The ED will be fun, and probably a better place to teach. Clinic will likely be hectic and overbooked, and you may end up in the way. Just go with the flow on this one, IMO.

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm not letter farming- I'm doing part-time post-bacc for a year and want some meaningful shadow time with an MD during that time. I think such a letter, when done well, is not trivial. He's a co-worker of a parent and, while it seems strange to say, a LOR is implicit in that kind of relationship.