shadowing experience: what to write in AMCAS?

[TeaLeef]

Hi guys,

I'm having difficulty describing my shadowing experience in the activities section of AMCAS. What aspects of the experience should I highlight? What procedures I observed? What I learned from the experience? Well, I shadowed a pediatrician in his clinic, so I didn't observe any eye-opening procedures. I don't know if what I've written is adequate. Is anyone willing to read my description thus far? Thank you!

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[BradenDO]

Hi guys,

I'm having difficulty describing my shadowing experience in the activities section of AMCAS. What aspects of the experience should I highlight? What procedures I observed? What I learned from the experience? Well, I shadowed a pediatrician in his clinic, so I didn't observe any eye-opening procedures. I don't know if what I've written is adequate. Is anyone willing to read my description thus far? Thank you!

Did you get to see any childhood diseases? I mentioned that in mine... I'm mostly writing paragraphs that describe the doctor and some of the procedures or illnesses that I have observed.

 

[kevster2001]

I talked about how personable the PA i shadowed was and how that raelly helped him become a better healthcare provider. Then I talked about how i really got to know the returning patients and how i developed a good rapport with them as well. I wrapped it up by saying that I was able to develop a good bedside manner which I was apprehensive about going into the thing.

Essentially I would describe anything you've learned during the experience thats more than jsut hard facts. Also you can talk aobut whether the experience motivated you one way or another.

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

oh my lord. i didn't realize people were writing so much. uh oh. back to the drawing board... i talked about experiencing the lifestyle of a resident, how i saw the downside to medicine. but, soon i will add more...

 

[OwnageMobile]

Some don't write all that much. Some say consice is the way to go.

 

[rlwebb]

I didn't write much for shadowing, only a little about procedures observed. Nothing emotional because I don't want adcoms saying "oh brother." Ever noticed how cynical most doctors are?

 

[CavalierMD]

Our pre-med advisor at UVA told us to write the descriptions in verb phrases... kind of like on a resume. The EC section is not really where they glean the most info about you, they just want the general gist of what you've been exposed to... keep it simple; they're reading a bazillion of these things a week. Your geniusly-crafted paragraphs will just get lost in the shuffle. I think my longest description was 400 characters... and that was a bundle of 2 or 3 EC's. Good luck!

 

[star22]

I just wrote that "I shadowed Dr. X for X hours in the ER at X Hospital." I just assumed that they know what that entails and if they have specific questions about what I saw/learned they could ask in an interview. Maybe I should write more though??

 

[BradenDO]

I didn't write much for shadowing, only a little about procedures observed. Nothing emotional because I don't want adcoms saying "oh brother." Ever noticed how cynical most doctors are?

Good point, I'm sure they don't want to read too much!

 

[8744]

Hi.

Shadowing is very important. I had a lot of shadowing experience. Well, I called it shadowing but as the physicians I shadowed had no idea who I was or what I was doing I guess some might call it stalking. Nobody ever called security though so it was all right. If anybody asked me what I was doing I just got a sad look and said, “Breast cancer….mother…not doing well,“ and then slowly retreated under the cover of reverential silence.

I actually spent most of my time hanging out in waiting rooms or the hospital gift shop eating peanut M&Ms. Except when I was trying not to vomit because sick people give me the gags, especially the ones with digusting skin thingies. People with skin cancer are the worst and they are very inconsiderate. “Ooooh, look at me everybody! I’ve got skin cancer!”

I really tried to minimize my contact with patients and doctors. Still, I had to put something down for extracurricular activities so I figured this was the least difficult way to go about it. I just made up names for hospitals which sounded good but which don’t really exist. You know, like “Mercy Hospital North” or “Johns Hopkins.” I also searched through the obituaries for physicans who had recently passed away and listed them as my sponsors.

My medical school’s registrars office has an AMCAS verification department and I wanted to cover all of my bases. When they called me in after first semester to say that they had been unable to contact a physician who I shadowed I got an incredibly tragic look on my face and said, “I’m sorry to report that Dr. Wondalaski passed away several weeks after I shadowed him.”

“Fine, fine man. Did you know he won the Nobel Prize?”

That usually put them off the scent for a semester or two. Eventually they must have discovered that all six doctors I shadowed as well as my mentor from the the NIH and all of the authors of my letters of recommendation were deceased but I never heard anything about it. Just to cover myself whenever I went into the registrars office I always adopted a wistful, care-worn expression and muttered thngs like, “So much death….how can I bear it?”

Medical school admission is a difficult process. You have to be smart about it.

Glad I could help.

 

[8744]

I talked about how personable the PA i shadowed was and how that raelly helped him become a better healthcare provider. Then I talked about how i really got to know the returning patients and how i developed a good rapport with them as well. I wrapped it up by saying that I was able to develop a good bedside manner which I was apprehensive about going into the thing.

Essentially I would describe anything you've learned during the experience thats more than jsut hard facts. Also you can talk aobut whether the experience motivated you one way or another.

Good Lord. The aliens have got to you too. For your information you are going to be a "physician" or a "doctor," not a "providor."

"Providor" is a term they use to avoid offending the PAs and NPs. It's unavoidable but, like my dog, I don't answer unless you call me by my correct name.

 

[rajad10]

Good Lord. The aliens have got to you too. For your information you are going to be a "physician" or a "doctor," not a "providor."

"Providor" is a term they use to avoid offending the PAs and NPs. It's unavoidable but, like my dog, I don't answer unless you call me by my correct name.

haha that last sentence is hilarious

 

[DoctorDan24]

I have been keeping it simple if the experience was not that influential in my pursuit of a medical career. However, If it was a signifigant experience I usually went well past 1000 characters. Is anyone writing about experiences that werent clinical but still showed your leadership abilities?

 

[kevster2001]

Good Lord. The aliens have got to you too. For your information you are going to be a "physician" or a "doctor," not a "providor."

"Providor" is a term they use to avoid offending the PAs and NPs. It's unavoidable but, like my dog, I don't answer unless you call me by my correct name.

Well in that sentence I said how HE was going to be a better one. I Could'nt say he became a better doc since well.. technically he's not a doc. I waasn't sure if adcoms cared one way or another of how i called PAs.

 

[SemperJeff]

Lol.. Panda Bear, your posts are awesome... I agree with those who say you should write a book.

Hi.

Shadowing is very important. I had a lot of shadowing experience. Well, I called it shadowing but as the physicians I shadowed had no idea who I was or what I was doing I guess some might call it stalking. Nobody ever called security though so it was all right. If anybody asked me what I was doing I just got a sad look and said, “Breast cancer….mother…not doing well,“ and then slowly retreated under the cover of reverential silence.

I actually spent most of my time hanging out in waiting rooms or the hospital gift shop eating peanut M&Ms. Except when I was trying not to vomit because sick people give me the gags, especially the ones with digusting skin thingies. People with skin cancer are the worst and they are very inconsiderate. “Ooooh, look at me everybody! I’ve got skin cancer!”

I really tried to minimize my contact with patients and doctors. Still, I had to put something down for extracurricular activities so I figured this was the least difficult way to go about it. I just made up names for hospitals which sounded good but which don’t really exist. You know, like “Mercy Hospital North” or “Johns Hopkins.” I also searched through the obituaries for physicans who had recently passed away and listed them as my sponsors.

My medical school’s registrars office has an AMCAS verification department and I wanted to cover all of my bases. When they called me in after first semester to say that they had been unable to contact a physician who I shadowed I got an incredibly tragic look on my face and said, “I’m sorry to report that Dr. Wondalaski passed away several weeks after I shadowed him.”

“Fine, fine man. Did you know he won the Nobel Prize?”

That usually put them off the scent for a semester or two. Eventually they must have discovered that all six doctors I shadowed as well as my mentor from the the NIH and all of the authors of my letters of recommendation were deceased but I never heard anything about it. Just to cover myself whenever I went into the registrars office I always adopted a wistful, care-worn expression and muttered thngs like, “So much death….how can I bear it?”

Medical school admission is a difficult process. You have to be smart about it.

Glad I could help.

 

[nozzie]

For those of you describing your ECs in depth, including how it has influenced you towards medicine, are you ending up repeating some of the things in your PS?

 

[Hypothalamus]

I'm planning to keep my description very short for this one. I shadowed a surgeon, and will indicated that I observed a few surgical procedures and interacted with ill patients. I don't think the reader will need more information (after all, he's likely a doctor, and thus knows what doctors do!).

What may be important to elaborate on is the impact that the experience had.

Did it change your impressions of medicine? Did it bolster your desire to become a physician?

I like to pretent that my statements will be read by a very mean person. He might become angry if there is any fluff or manufactured idealism!

 

[csx]

Anyone have a definitive answer on whether a shadowing description should be short and concise or longer and more detailed on what exactly you saw?

 

[dudewheresmymd]

Anyone have a definitive answer on whether a shadowing description should be short and concise or longer and more detailed on what exactly you saw?

short/concise. sometimes people just list the doctor's name and their hours if they have multiple shadowing experiences. adcoms know what shadowing is they don't need a mini essay describing everything you witnessed.

 

[csx]

short/concise. sometimes people just list the doctor's name and their hours if they have multiple shadowing experiences. adcoms know what shadowing is they don't need a mini essay describing everything you witnessed.

Thanks. Any other opinions? Essentially you're saying a one liner describing it is okay? I don't want it to come off like I didn't see anything cool or taking anything meaningful away from the experience.

 

[dudewheresmymd]

Thanks. Any other opinions? Essentially you're saying a one liner describing it is okay? I don't want it to come off like I didn't see anything cool or taking anything meaningful away from the experience.

One liner if you have multiple shadowing experiences in one box. If it's your only shadowing that takes up the box, feel free to elaborate a bit more (if you wish).

 

[csx]

One liner if you have multiple shadowing experiences in one box. If it's your only shadowing that takes up the box, feel free to elaborate a bit more (if you wish).

I have shadowing experiences from several doctors. So elaborate on them all? Im filling out AACOMAS so the application may look different than AMCAS. We input each shadowing experience separately.

 

[AndyQC]

I believe one of the SDN adcom members suggested that we just list names, dates, and contact info for shadowing. In other words, they know what shadowing is and there's no reason to describe it in detail unless you had an incredibly unique or meaningful experience.

Does anyone else recall this discussion from last year? Maybe an adcom member could chime in to clarify?

Thanks.

 

[dudewheresmymd]

I have shadowing experiences from several doctors. So elaborate on them all? Im filling out AACOMAS so the application may look different than AMCAS. We input each shadowing experience separately.

Oh I see. Hmm in that case yeah I would elaborate a bit more then. AMCAS only gives you 700 charac/activity and sometimes people just list all their shadowing experiences in one box.

 

[abbababa]

Hi.

Shadowing is very important. I had a lot of shadowing experience. Well, I called it shadowing but as the physicians I shadowed had no idea who I was or what I was doing I guess some might call it stalking. Nobody ever called security though so it was all right. If anybody asked me what I was doing I just got a sad look and said, “Breast cancer….mother…not doing well,“ and then slowly retreated under the cover of reverential silence.

I actually spent most of my time hanging out in waiting rooms or the hospital gift shop eating peanut M&Ms. Except when I was trying not to vomit because sick people give me the gags, especially the ones with digusting skin thingies. People with skin cancer are the worst and they are very inconsiderate. “Ooooh, look at me everybody! I’ve got skin cancer!”

I really tried to minimize my contact with patients and doctors. Still, I had to put something down for extracurricular activities so I figured this was the least difficult way to go about it. I just made up names for hospitals which sounded good but which don’t really exist. You know, like “Mercy Hospital North” or “Johns Hopkins.” I also searched through the obituaries for physicans who had recently passed away and listed them as my sponsors.

My medical school’s registrars office has an AMCAS verification department and I wanted to cover all of my bases. When they called me in after first semester to say that they had been unable to contact a physician who I shadowed I got an incredibly tragic look on my face and said, “I’m sorry to report that Dr. Wondalaski passed away several weeks after I shadowed him.”

“Fine, fine man. Did you know he won the Nobel Prize?”

That usually put them off the scent for a semester or two. Eventually they must have discovered that all six doctors I shadowed as well as my mentor from the the NIH and all of the authors of my letters of recommendation were deceased but I never heard anything about it. Just to cover myself whenever I went into the registrars office I always adopted a wistful, care-worn expression and muttered thngs like, “So much death….how can I bear it?”

Medical school admission is a difficult process. You have to be smart about it.

Glad I could help.

Hahaahaha. I remember reading this before but I lost track of the thread. Thanks for bumping it up

 

[Mornhavon]

.

 

[Banco]

Dr. Blank Blankendoc, MD, Orthoneurosurgeon
Massachussetts General Hospital
10 hours, during brain removal procedure and general office hours
7778889999


That's how I did it. I talked more about it in my PS.

 

[csx]

Dr. Blank Blankendoc, MD, Orthoneurosurgeon
Massachussetts General Hospital
10 hours, during brain removal procedure and general office hours
7778889999


That's how I did it. I talked more about it in my PS.

Do the instructions say to do it that way? I'm using AACOMAS (not AMCAS), and no where does it say to list contact info.

 

[nellbot2000]

I said something along the lines of:

"This position is in conjunction with the Department of X at Hospital Y. It encompasses X# of physician shadowing experiences within the department under physicians Dr. A, Dr. B, and Dr. C . I followed each physician during their normal clinic hours. I had interaction with their patients and acted within the guidelines of the hospital rules. During clinic hours I was able to review patient history and discuss lab results, treatments and prognoses."

Keep it concise, unless it is one of your most meaningful experiences and something unique happened.

 

[dirigo]

I said something along the lines of:

"This position is in conjunction with the Department of X at Hospital Y. It encompasses X# of physician shadowing experiences within the department under physicians Dr. A, Dr. B, and Dr. C . I followed each physician during their normal clinic hours. I had interaction with their patients and acted within the guidelines of the hospital rules. During clinic hours I was able to review patient history and discuss lab results, treatments and prognoses."

Keep it concise, unless it is one of your most meaningful experiences and something unique happened.

That doesn't sound concise at all.

 

[nellbot2000]

That doesn't sound concise at all.

Worked just fine for me. It doesn't go into lengthy detail, its just a formal bullet list.

I could have put:

• Dr. A, Dr. B, Dr. C
• Department X at Hospital Y
  
• Interacted with patients
• Spoke to Drs about patients

It's the same thing, just in sentence form.

It wouldn't be concise if I said: while shadowing in the pulmonary clinic I saw several patients with pulmonary hypertension. Dr. X showed me an echo of a patient with PH, and then explained how it deviates from the normal. Dr. X also discussed the best methods for treatment, and what kind of quality of life can be expected in this stage of the disease etc... etc...

Did this happen, yes, but I didn't need to explain everything I did in detail. I just put that I reviewed lab results etc. I entered everything in my experience section in sentence form because that's my style. Using bullets is of course more concise, but my entry was still well under the character limits for the EC section in AMCAS by about half if I remember correctly.