Shadowing/AMCAS EC box

[DoctaFuture]

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Sup guys. Another quick question about doctor shadowing. How do we write this in our AMCAS EC box?

Do we list how many hours we shadowed the doctor and for the time length/dates?

Do we give a description of what we did/saw while shadowing each doctor?
Thanks.

 

[Catalystik]

List the shadowing experience in the "Other" category. In the narrative for each doc, put the first and last date, total hours, Doc's name and contact info, specialty. You need not describe what you saw. Adcomms know what these docs do.

At the end of the narrative give a grand total for all shadowing combined.

 

[DoctaFuture]

can i still put a narrative? ha i already have it written up for each doctor.

 

[Catalystik]

Be succinct if you want it read, but yes, you can include some narrative.

 

[skyblue2000]

I have a similar question....


I shadow a family physician but I actually partake in most procedures (doing little things when possible). Should I still put the title as "shadowing", or shoukd I say "shadowing/volunteer in medical office"?

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, skyblue. You can either carve out the purely-shadowing time and list it with shadowing you've done with other docs (under Other), or list it under Volunteering, name the activity Shadowing/Volunteering in Pediatric office, then give the hours or percent time in the activity that was shadowing time.

 

[tremulousNeedle]

I have a similar question....


I shadow a family physician but I actually partake in most procedures (doing little things when possible). Should I still put the title as "shadowing", or shoukd I say "shadowing/volunteer in medical office"?

If you did more than just observe and you weren't monetarily compensated, that probably counts as volunteering (even though it is not volunteering in the traditional sense). These classifications are arbitrary, to pick what you think is most appropriate.

 

[DoctaFuture]

good question skyblue. I am in that situation too. I help out a lot besides shadowing so it is confusing. Anyone else have a take on this?

 

[Transmogrifier]

Are you an official volunteer? Put it down as volunteer work. Volunteers probably don't spend most of their time observing.

Shadowing doesn't just mean standing there looking and never doing anything. Being a gopher for the doc while you're shadowing doesn't count as volunteering.

In any case, just put it all down and the ad com will see what sort of experiences you have regardless of how you label it.

 

[tremulousNeedle]

Activity type is an arbitrary label. Schools can sort this list according to activity type, but there are only 15 slots, so chances are at least the title of each activity will be independently reviewed during the screening process. Pick what you think is the best label and make sure your title is descriptive (i.e. title: physician shadowing, with hands-on procedural experience).

- admissions committee interviewer / senior medical student

 

[flip26]

I had one entry for shadowing, with a start date and end date showing avg weekly hours, and I listed the types of docs, but I did not list any doctor's names, etc...not necessary

 

[djmonk]

So do we create an activity for each shadowing experience (I've shadowed three, but two were for only for a day) or one grand shadowing box?

 

[flip26]

So do we create an activity for each shadowing experience (I've shadowed three, but two were for only for a day) or one grand shadowing box?

just use one of the 15 activity slots...group this stuff together

 

[MinitorV]

just use one of the 15 activity slots...group this stuff together

If you group these what should you put for the average hours per week. I had like 120 hours of shadowing total but they were done over two summers.

 

[sector9]

If you group these what should you put for the average hours per week. I had like 120 hours of shadowing total but they were done over two summers.

Leave it blank. Indicate total hours for each doctor in the description

 

[MinitorV]

Leave it blank. Indicate total hours for each doctor in the description

Gotcha. So when we do the extended boxes for the most meaningful exp. Do we not write anything in the first Experience description or should we write in both?

 

[mauberley]

Gotcha. So when we do the extended boxes for the most meaningful exp. Do we not write anything in the first Experience description or should we write in both?

You would use the Description box the same way you use it for the others, but you could now use more space to describe it in greater factual detail without having to reserve space for reflection on its effect on you. The additional box would be used for the expository prose on why it's meaningful to you.

 

[sector9]

Gotcha. So when we do the extended boxes for the most meaningful exp. Do we not write anything in the first Experience description or should we write in both?

Write in both. The first box should be your description, the "most meaningful" should fit with the prompt

See here http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=11160718&postcount=1266

 

[tides55]

Hmm what should I use for the contact name? I was going to use the first doctor that I was planning on listing under my shadowing experience, just so there's a name there, since it's a required field and all, and then just mention it again in the description box with the other shadowing.