Shadowing for the first time tomorrow, but I don't know what to do!!

[Spades455]

I'm going to be shadowing a DO tomorrow for the first time and I have some concerns since I've never done this before.

1. What questions should I be asking him to get the most out of my experience? What kinds of conversations did you have when you shadowed?

2. I need a Letter of Rec from a DO. How many hours should you shadow someone before it's appropriate to ask for one? The receptionist scheduled me for only one day even though I asked for more than one in my email, so it's unclear if I'll get more than one day. And should I ask for a letter right when I am done shadowing, or should I wait a bit?

3. Does it ever get awkward just following someone the entire day? Like when you run out of things to talk about and are just standing around?

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[brotherin]

In my limited shadowing experiences, the doctor has been pretty busy the entire day, whether it be seeing patients or dictating or filling out paperwork. Because of this I didn't really have any awkward quiet moments, and I asked much less questions than I thought I would have. The main ones were why he chose the specialty he did, what are other days like, and then just some small chit-chat.

As for the LOR, a good one would take at least a couple days of shadowing. It's hard to get a good impression of someone whom you've only spent a couple of hours with, so I'd try to get above 20 hours shadowing before you asked for one. I would ask for the letter right after you are done shadowing.

 

[jmil147]

Do you recommend that they go ahead and give you an LOR even if you dont plan on applying for some time?

Are applicants the ones who actually submit their LORs, or do the docs have to do it somehow?

 

[Buckeye1992]

When I ran out of questions I had thought of before, I asked about the individual cases. I actually learned a decent amount while shadowing.

 

[coolingglasses]

I'm going to be shadowing a DO tomorrow for the first time and I have some concerns since I've never done this before.

1. What questions should I be asking him to get the most out of my experience? What kinds of conversations did you have when you shadowed?

2. I need a Letter of Rec from a DO. How many hours should you shadow someone before it's appropriate to ask for one? The receptionist scheduled me for only one day even though I asked for more than one in my email, so it's unclear if I'll get more than one day. And should I ask for a letter right when I am done shadowing, or should I wait a bit?

3. Does it ever get awkward just following someone the entire day? Like when you run out of things to talk about and are just standing around?

1. You don't have to come preloaded with questions. Just be curious and hopefully they'll come to you naturally as you watch your doc do work. You could ask them how they got into osteopathic medicine, for sure.

2. I wouldn't say there's a set number of hours you need to shadow for an LOR. But if you didn't get anything meaningful out of the experience, I can't imagine you'll have a great letter. If all's going well, I'd ask your doc directly if you can get more shadowing time with them. I waited about a month to ask for my LOR, but it was still way early in the game. If the letter is for this cycle, I'd ask much, much sooner.

3. Probably dependent on yours and the physician's personality type. Hopefully you have someone that engages you in their work... the only awkward moments I really remember are when they're doing paperwork. That's when I'd read a magazine or, if I was really confident in the comfort level, hop on my phone. But for the most part, stay engaged and you should have plenty to talk about.

Do you recommend that they go ahead and give you an LOR even if you dont plan on applying for some time?

Are applicants the ones who actually submit their LORs, or do the docs have to do it somehow?

How long is "some time"? If it's a few years, I might hold off unless you think it's gonna be a really sweet letter.

You never directly submit LORs. But you can use a letter service like VirtualEvals or Interfolio and have the letters sent through there, where you can designate which schools get them and when.

When I ran out of questions I had thought of before, I asked about the individual cases. I actually learned a decent amount while shadowing.

+1

 

[Columbia09]

All these post are exactly how my shadowing is going. I've shadowed him for about 10 hrs now over the span of 3 weeks and I'm doing exactly what these posts are saying. Asking questions about d.o school, about the individual patients (we had a convication about one if his patients with lime disease) about the exams he has to take every ten years, his interests etc. plus a lot if funny chit chat. I asked before I shadowed him if he could right a lor and he said yes. I hope it's going to be a strong one