Shadowing Etiquette

[IvkPharma]

Hello,
Just a question and some input on the rules and behaviors one must undergo while shadowing a pharmacist. Generally speaking. Thanks

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[Pojman]

Hello,
Just a question and some input on the rules and behaviors one must undergo while shadowing a pharmacist. Generally speaking. Thanks

Yea - this is actually a good question.

I shadowed a pharmacist for about 30 hours at a hospital pharmacy last summer. My number one advice to give you is to stay close to him, but not too close. By law/policy, you will need to accompany him/her wherever he/she goes. Stay close but still give them their space. Your number one goal will be to make sure that you are not an annoyance.

I pretty much just let him do his job, while I was observing very closely. My goal was to make sure that I was not in his way or a distraction from his normal everyday tasks. My questions were typically simple and relevant and came only at times where it was appropriate for him to take a moment off of his duties.

Shadowing is like a fine art of making sure that you are not an annoyance to everyone while trying your best to make yourself a likeable person for future opportunities.

Have fun!

 

[IvkPharma]

Awesome, thanks for the prompt reply. Now you mention that you shadowed for 30 hours. Is the average shadowing timespan based on some criteria that I am not aware of ? Also, how would I go about getting it all put on record. Sorry if these ?'s are amateurish haha but I'm only a sophomore in undergrad. Thanks

 

[Pojman]

I never actually "Documented" my shadowing hours.. But, if I had to I have a way to contact the individual that set me up with the shadowing experience. This way, if I ever had to provide proof, I would ask them to write up a short email or something.

As for how much shadowing you want to do is entirely up to you. I did 30 hours because that was the number of hours the pharmacist was working that one week. I did one full week of shadowing.

If you did need to document the hours, I would simply have a document that the pharmacist could sign off on stating the days/hours you shadowed. Also, make sure to get an email or phone number of the pharmacist in case you ever have to contact him/her.