Shadowing etiquette ?

[Publius]

I wanted to get some advise, if I can, from some of you that have shadowed in the past on how you went about asking the physician. I am in a location with ample opportunities (4 hospitals and a local med school) for shadowing, or so it appears.

Is it the norm to contact the physician directly (via e-mail/phone) with your request, or are there other channels that are usually taken?

My interest are in the surgical fields (CT particularly.) Should I expect a welcoming atmosphere from these surgeons, or is shadowing seen as a hindrance to most? Just curious of your impressions.

I would like to get on with one of the physicians here at the med school (MCG,) for obvious reasons, but I am not sure how open they are to pre-med shadowing.

All advise/experience is appreciated!

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[abraxas]

do you have a primary care physicain in the area, if so they might be able to help you get in touch with some surgeons usually if you can get in with one doctor they can set you up with other doctors in the same speciality, that is if they like you...

 

[doozenberg]

try to find a connection rather than cold-calling (which could work but i'd leave it as a last resort). i did research in a lab in the anesthesiology dept and my PI was friends with a gas doc, so he hooked me up and i got to see all sorts of surgeries through him. it worked out very well--you make friends with gas behind the curtain so they let you watch and you get to see a nice variety of procedures.

 

[Penelope1]

Try to think of physicians you either know yourself or have some sort of second- or third-hand connection with. For example, people in your neighborhood who work in healthcare, people who work with your parents who might have spouses who are doctors, your own physician, etc.

If you can find an anesthesiologist through these methods, it's just as good as finding a surgeon, perhaps better, because you'll be able to see everything that goes on in the OR. In my experience, surgeons vary in how much they get you involved, but usually they try to let you see as much as possible and guide you through what they're doing every step of the way. I was blown away by how close they let me get (keeping everything sterile, of course).

But the key is to ask the doctor personally rather than try calling the hospital or something, because usually doctors have a lot of power to get you in there, but hospitals will routinely turn everyone away. Good luck!

 

[Publius]

Thank you all for the info!

I did talk with my family practitioner for a bit the last time I was in the office (for lyme disease! A great precursor for asking about shadowing opportunities!!) but didn't get to speak at length about it.

I have been in the area for about a year now, so I don't really have that many contacts, healthcare wise.

I didn't really consider speaking with an anesthesiologist, but that seems like a very logical choice, to get a more broad view of the healthcare field and access to the OR.

A 'connection' seems like it would be more profitable than cold-calling for sure.

 

[Xtrasystole]

Try to think of physicians you either know yourself or have some sort of second- or third-hand connection with. For example, people in your neighborhood who work in healthcare, people who work with your parents who might have spouses who are doctors, your own physician, etc.

If you can find an anesthesiologist through these methods, it's just as good as finding a surgeon, perhaps better, because you'll be able to see everything that goes on in the OR. In my experience, surgeons vary in how much they get you involved, but usually they try to let you see as much as possible and guide you through what they're doing every step of the way. I was blown away by how close they let me get (keeping everything sterile, of course).

But the key is to ask the doctor personally rather than try calling the hospital or something, because usually doctors have a lot of power to get you in there, but hospitals will routinely turn everyone away. Good luck!

I agree - I had the opportunity to shadow a second year surgical resident last summer in trauma and was blown away. I met her through happenstance while accompanying a family member to a clinical appointment. She offered me the chance to shadow her outright as soon as I told her I was pre-med. Of course I got very lucky - I still dont know how I fell into that. Calling hospitals is almost pointless though - go through a doc; especially if you know one or know someone who does. What really helps is if you volunteer at a hospital or work in one. I am a cardiac telemetry tech and unit clerk at a local hospital, and as such talk with the docs on a daily basis. That really helped me build relationships with MDs, and many of them ask me if I would be interested in watching this or that every now and then (recently I watched a cardiac cath, and also saw someone come in to the MICU w/ acute sepsis to get Xigris - a mind blowing med when you see it in action).

 

[bmcgilligan]

My premed advisor got me in touch with a local physician. He puts premeds with doctors that he thinks will get along well.

 

[nicholonious]

I wanted to get some advise, if I can, from some of you that have shadowed in the past on how you went about asking the physician. I am in a location with ample opportunities (4 hospitals and a local med school) for shadowing, or so it appears.

Is it the norm to contact the physician directly (via e-mail/phone) with your request, or are there other channels that are usually taken?

My interest are in the surgical fields (CT particularly.) Should I expect a welcoming atmosphere from these surgeons, or is shadowing seen as a hindrance to most? Just curious of your impressions.

I would like to get on with one of the physicians here at the med school (MCG,) for obvious reasons, but I am not sure how open they are to pre-med shadowing.

All advise/experience is appreciated!

Contacting physicians usually leads to closed doors, just as the other posters described. I've asked before and have been responded with the "it is our hospitals policy...liability...university's standards and policy...", you get the drift. Connections are always a plus. Search your network to utilize whatever means necessary (also rationally) to find someone affiliated with a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Do you have any med student friends? You could possibly network through them. Also, there sometimes are big brother programs that couple pre-meds with med students, which can be of great help to see if they know someone that can help you, sort of like an inside scoop.

I'm not quite sure what CT surgeons are like. Theres definitely malignancy when working with people in the NS field. Read Walk on Water by Michael Ruhlman if you ever have a chance. It describes the story of a Peds CT surgeon and his experiences in the field. Its quite an interesting view of that field.