Shadowing experience varies, by how much?

[j-med]

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it seems to me that how much you see through shadowing differs to a large degree, depending on the type of doctor you shadow...
so just wondering, for those of you who did shadowing, what's your experience?

What do you usually see? (e.g. are you allowed to enter into the operating room for major surgeries?)

Did you find your experience worthwhile?

Tell your story~

 

[Captain Fantastic]

My experience has been limited to Family Medicine. I've seen just about everything there is to see in clinic except the well-woman physical exam. Some how it's perfectly okay for me to witness all the hernia, testicular cancer, and prostate exams on men, but when the vaginal speculum comes out for the women I have to step out of the room. 🙄 I say if its good for the goose its good for the gander, but what do I know.

The inpatient side is pretty much exactly like the outpatient side except the attending takes time to teach the students/residents during rounds - in the clinics it's more about patient flow.

My experience has been great. I hooked up with an awesome physician mentor who actually cares that I get a good experience and is very interested in helping me get into medical school. I totally think it has been worth the time invested (4 hrs/week).

 

[brains]

So far, I've shadowed an anesthesiologist and a few interventional radiologists. I loved both of them b/c they let me get up close and personal to any type of procedure. The only time the anesthesiologist didn't let me shadow him was when he knew that he was going to have to supervise a bunch of nurse anesthestists. Other than that, I've seen a lot of vertebralplasties ( ?sp), drains, biopsies, knee ops, and a coule other things. I did shadow an orthopedic doc once, but I though it was really boring.

I think all of those experiences were worthwhile because with an anes. and an interventional rad., you see a variety of things.

 

[megaman1x]

I went on a rural shadowing exposure trip last September. It was pretty good experience. I saw a whole bunch of things, to name a few:

appendix removal, incissional hernia repair, colonoscopies, varicose veins removal, arm amputation, natural birth, C-section birth, etc, etc

I think because it was a rural place, they were pretty open about letting me see whatever was happening at the time.

We actually created an annual rural program for undergraduate students in the surrounding areas who wanted rural medical experience.

Check it out: www.healthmentormb.ca

Two buddies and I created this program to help get experience ourselves and raise awareness since rural medicine is very important in Canada

 

[SeminoleFan3]

I shadowed a FP, ER, and surgeon. I did get to watch a couple surgeries. In the ER, the resident let me come along for everything. The FP didn't do as much exciting stuff, but I still got to be in the room for everything. I absolutely loved all of it, though.

 

[oxeye]

The OB/GYN I followed let me see everything he did. He taught me how to scrub for surgery and I got to stand right next to him in the sterile field for c-sections. 😀 It was pretty cool.

I didn't shadow him as part of an organization so there were liability issues in terms of letting me do anything, but he told me about other students who had shadowed him as part of a program and they got to do hands-on stuff. I just watched.

 

[megaman1x]

Hands on stuff while shadowing an OB/GYN....lol....sorry I know I need to grow up!