Shadowing help...

[Chemstud]

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I recently shadowed a doctor in the emergency room. It was set up through a club at my school. It was the worst experience of my life, and almost turned me off to medicine, but I realized that would be silly to base my view of medicine on this experience. I arrived in the ER and said that I was there to shadow so and so....someone said go over there to that room. No one would even look at me. No one would talk to me. The doc came out and I asked if he was so and so..., he replied you must be the student, and then just said to go in and watch the procedure. No one would tell me what it was that they were doing, I just stood and watched. No one would even speak a word to me, I asked a question once or twice and get short one word answers...other words, they didnt want me there at all or something. The doctor never spoke to me again, and I thought maybe he is just really busy. Yet I saw him numerous times just walking around and joking with his fellow doctors. I felt like dirt, I felt like everyone there just wanted me to leave. I am not really interested in ER stuff anyway, I am more interested in a practice setting in some specialty.
I was wondering if anyone had any comments/similiar experiences/advice on how to have a better shadowing experience? Also, should I let this bad experience influence my desire to become a doctor? I think not, but I would like to hear others opinions.

 

[jimmybee]

I just wanted to say that it is unfortunate about your shadowing experience, but in some settings that is just how it is. I am a MSIII right now and even now on rotations some people treat me the way they treated you.

Before medical school, I was able to get a really good experience at my family doctor's office and saw patients essentially by myself. I think you should try that. You already have the upper hand because he/she already knows you.

 

[mattorama]

Do you have a family practitioner that you been going to for a long time (someone who actually knows you)? I would honestly start there even if you aren't really interested in family practice. Family practitioners, more so then most specialists, tend to be pretty laid back/friendly and thus more likely to be very helpful. I shadowed mine every Monday for a summer and liked it a lot (FP appeals to me a lot right now, but who knows...maybe I'll end up liking surgery or path or something..).

My FP would take every opportunity to "teach" me when he could (when I could have a chance to understand with my limited knowledge) and it was really cool to see some of my anatomy/physiology/biochem come together. He let me assist whenever possible, taught me how to take blood pressure, would let me look/feel when he found an abnormality during his exams, would explain lab tests, would ask me leading questions when I could probably come up with answers drawing on basic physiology/bio/physics (maybe a gentle form of the "pimping" I read about on this forum?), pretty much went out of his way to make it a great learning experience for me. I honestly can't wait to be a 3rd/4th year student and start learning medicine with patients. For some reason nearly EVERYTHING he told me about stuck the first time. This was two years ago and I can recall details about a lot of really random things and the details of most patients. Something about seeing things applied and having a good one-on-one teacher really makes learning second nature.

He is a solo practitioner (very few of them left) so I got to see a decent amount of what goes on behind the scenes when you own a business for yourself.

Now, I realize you said you were interested in specializations. Well, realize that FPs ALL have their favorite docs they refer specialized cases to and they tend to be friends. I never asked, but I feel very certain that my FP would hook me up to shadow docs he refers too, and they would be nice, quality docs (or he would not send his patients there).

Sooooo....don't let your one bad experience sour you to medicine. Realize that most docs out there that are crappy teachers, with crappy personalities, who would be horrible to shadow. Find one that you really respect and start there (or ask friends or family members). It seems like good docs know other good docs.

 

[Sweet Tea]

yup. what mattorama said. start with your FP and work from there.

 

[topherius]

Also, try checking around with other pre-meds at your school to see if other people have had better shadowing experiences-- then try to get in touch with the docs they shadowed.

I volunteered in the ER at my local hospital and had a great time, but another friend of mine worked in another department and wasn't nearly as happy. I think it all depends on luck of the draw. Docs are drawn pretty equally from the general population pool, which means there will be jerks sprinkled in there with the nice folks. It sounds like you may have just gotten some jerks!

Also, to build on what the people recommending shadowing FPs have said... even though I loved volunteering in the ER, sometimes I found the people who worked there a little hard to get along with. I think there's something about the nature of ER work that can make people a little aloof and maybe a little closed to outsiders. If you think you might want to do ER work, try volunteering there on a regular basis instead of shadowing once. As the people get to know you, they might be a little nicer.