shadowing is hard to come by

[umean2tellme]

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It's like every DO I meet or want to shadow is too busy. I've gone thru the aoa mentor program and emailed many in my area. Only one of them replied and said he would allow me to shadow and I've been calling his office and emailing him for weeks without another response. It's like he fell off the map. there are a family of DO's that run the hospital I work for and i met them a while ago but I never see them anymore and can't get a hold of them whenever I call. I've had my administrator try calling them on their cells and they still don't respond. I've already started my apps and while only 4 of the schools "recommend" the letter two actually require it so i'm screwed. What should my next step be?

 

[a817]

It's like every DO I meet or want to shadow is too busy. I've gone thru the aoa mentor program and emailed many in my area. Only one of them replied and said he would allow me to shadow and I've been calling his office and emailing him for weeks without another response. It's like he fell off the map. there are a family of DO's that run the hospital I work for and i met them a while ago but I never see them anymore and can't get a hold of them whenever I call. I've had my administrator try calling them on their cells and they still don't respond. I've already started my apps and while only 4 of the schools "recommend" the letter two actually require it so i'm screwed. What should my next step be?

did you trying calling nova and state you are really interested in the school, and ask them to speak to a graduate who is in practice in South Florida/ Miami area? Maybe that might work.

 

[umean2tellme]

i'll do that monday morning. Good idea.

 

[a817]

i'll do that monday morning. Good idea.

Yea alot of schools have alumni contact info, that you can talk about their experiences at the school. Call for that, and during the conversation ask them if you can.

 

[cliquesh]

I had difficulties finding a physician to shadow, so i sent an email to AACOM. They ended up sending my email to every DO on the mentor list + any colleges in the area, which then sent my email to alumna. I was pretty impressed. However, only two DOs actually responded, but i got my letter...

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I had difficulties finding a physician to shadow, so i sent an email to AACOM. They ended up sending my email to every DO on the mentor list + any colleges in the area, which then sent my email to alumna. I was pretty impressed. However, only two DOs actually responded, but i got my letter...

2 out of maybe 50 or 100?! Ouch! Those odds are rough. Let's all remember this when we're in practice and the applicants are that much more competitive and desperate for a letter.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

It's like every DO I meet or want to shadow is too busy. I've gone thru the aoa mentor program and emailed many in my area. Only one of them replied and said he would allow me to shadow and I've been calling his office and emailing him for weeks without another response. It's like he fell off the map. there are a family of DO's that run the hospital I work for and i met them a while ago but I never see them anymore and can't get a hold of them whenever I call. I've had my administrator try calling them on their cells and they still don't respond. I've already started my apps and while only 4 of the schools "recommend" the letter two actually require it so i'm screwed. What should my next step be?

Maybe you already did this, but I went to the Miami Children's Hospital site and searched for physicians. I found the following DOs:

Allergy/Immunology (1)
Ambulatory Pediatrics (2)
Dermatology (1)
Emergency Medicine (1)
Family Medicine (2)
Orthopaedics (1)
General Pediatrics (9)

The dropdown list has 20 or 30 more specialties to search, too.

Try this for other local hospitals, if you haven't already. Often if you call and speak with a nurse in the department, they will know if the doc is particularly open to shadowing and might help you get set up. Good luck.

 

[scpod]

It's like every DO I meet or want to shadow is too busy....What should my next step be?

Remember, you don't have to "shadow" them. All you need is a letter. If they are too busy for that, ask if they will meet you for lunch or dinner to talk about the profession. If you show interest and are likeable, you may just get one that way.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Remember, you don't have to "shadow" them. All you need is a letter. If they are too busy for that, ask if they will meet you for lunch or dinner to talk about the profession. If you show interest and are likeable, you may just get one that way.

This is a great backup plan. 👍

 

[doodlesmcdoodle]

Remember, you don't have to "shadow" them. All you need is a letter. If they are too busy for that, ask if they will meet you for lunch or dinner to talk about the profession. If you show interest and are likeable, you may just get one that way.

I find it really difficult to ask a physician to write me a letter of recommendation when I barely know them. I feel like I'm using them or taking advantage of them. It just doesn't seem right.

 

[engineeredout]

I've come to find that finding a doctor to shadow is great practice for the med school application process, its about as big of a craps shoot.

 

[scpod]

I find it really difficult to ask a physician to write me a letter of recommendation when I barely know them. I feel like I'm using them or taking advantage of them. It just doesn't seem right.

If you want to become a doctor you'll find yourself doing a lot of difficult things. The population of Louisiana was 4,287,768 in 2006. There were 108 active DOs in the whole state in 2006. Yet, quite a few schools required you to have a DO letter. What were your chances of actually knowing a DO? Is that fair? Well.... maybe it's just a test of how much you really want to become a DO. You do what you have to do to make it happen. If you don't want to ask someone you hardly know for a recommendation, then there are plenty of other careers for you to explore.

 

[umean2tellme]

new plan: I'm going to find an osteopathic physician in my area and make an appointment with them for some elective procedure. Then, bring up letter and get it that way. I get letter and shadowing and he/she gets some business. Win Win😀

 

[Chocolate Bear]

new plan: I'm going to find an osteopathic physician in my area and make an appointment with them for some elective procedure. Then, bring up letter and get it that way. I get 1) letter and 2) shadowing and 3) he/she gets some business. Win Win😀

Sounds like a textbook Win-Win-Win to me! 😀

 

[ronicajay]

I really lucked out with the AOA mentor program. I sent several inquiries, but ended up having my top choice respond right away! He's an OMM specialist and I'm really excited to start shadowing!

 

[anon y mous]

2 out of maybe 50 or 100?! Ouch! Those odds are rough. Let's all remember this when we're in practice and the applicants are that much more competitive and desperate for a letter.

I've been told that shadowing is a HUGE amount of work and when you're busy you just can't handle taking on a shadower. I'm not saying we shouldn't do this for other pre-med students but just stating why people are having difficulty. I was lucky that I had some sort of connections to get in the door to shadow a DO, actually more than one, and i got a very nice letter from both a DO and an MD from two different places. 😀 But it wasn't without effort; I put close to 300 hrs in and I flew out of state just for my experience.

 

[anon y mous]

Remember, you don't have to "shadow" them. All you need is a letter. If they are too busy for that, ask if they will meet you for lunch or dinner to talk about the profession. If you show interest and are likeable, you may just get one that way.

True but I would think a letter would have more weight if you actually did some work or shadowed them. or are you talking about a DO actually lying in his/her letter. 😱

 

[slim78]

True but I would think a letter would have more weight if you actually did some work or shadowed them. or are you talking about a DO actually lying in his/her letter. 😱

They don't have to lie. If they meet with you and discuss your preparation and aspiration dedication and all that other 'ation stuff they should be able to write you a good letter.

The letters are, IMHO, just hoops to jump through anyway. I am of the opinion that they carry very little weight in whether or not you are actually accepted.

 

[yaba]

I live in west palm beach florida and if you want a DO to shadow I know of one that wouldnt mind. PM if you want more info

 

[scpod]

The letters are, IMHO, just hoops to jump through anyway. I am of the opinion that they carry very little weight in whether or not you are actually accepted.

I think you're right. It's really just a formality. But, having a DO letter shows that you took the time and effort to track down someone to actually talk to about the profession. It shows that you have enough interest to do that. Instead of bitching and whining about how hard it is to do, you went out and did it. It shows motivation on your part. It's just one of the many silly hurdles you have to jump to get into med school.

 

[Sinfest]

Do DO schools require you to have a LOR from a DO, or will they accept one from a MD? I'm already shadowing a MD, and with all the other EC's I'm doing there is no way I could squeeze in another one.

 

[psy]

This question has been answered before. Just do a search. And most schools allow MD LOR. If you want to know for sure you can ask them directly.

 

[Sinfest]

This question has been answered before. Just do a search. And most schools allow MD LOR. If you want to know for sure you can ask them directly.

Oh man...I'm so sorry for asking a question about shadowing in a thread devoted to shadowing...I'm also sorry for wasting all 5 seconds of your life that it took you to reply...

It's not like I started a new thread asking my question, so calm down and get off your high horse...thanks anyways.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Oh man...I'm so sorry for asking a question about shadowing in a thread devoted to shadowing...I'm also sorry for wasting all 5 seconds of your life that it took you to reply...

It's not like I started a new thread asking my question, so calm down and get off your high horse...thanks anyways.

Lol you know I was kinda thinking the same thing 😀😀

 

[Dissected]

Do DO schools require you to have a LOR from a DO, or will they accept one from a MD? I'm already shadowing a MD, and with all the other EC's I'm doing there is no way I could squeeze in another one.

Im in a similar boat as you with the MD letter. the websites of the schools should have a blurb about their LOR requirements..I just emailed the schools that said they only accepted DO letters and many are willing to work with you. I talked to an admissions director at one osteopathic school and she said that the main thing that they are looking for is familiarity with the osteopathic profession. So if you can show that you have this it might help your case when they evaluate you for admittance. There are rare cases where you can be familiar with the osteopathic practice but not be able to get a letter (such as me, who shadowed my uncle, an osteopathic surgeon..family letters are a no-no 👎).

 

[Sinfest]

Oh man...I'm so sorry for asking a question about shadowing in a thread devoted to shadowing...I'm also sorry for wasting all 5 seconds of your life that it took you to reply...

It's not like I started a new thread asking my question, so calm down and get off your high horse...thanks anyways.

I'm sorry if I came off as a bit of a dick Psy...I was kinda still drunk when I wrote that

Lol you know I was kinda thinking the same thing 😀😀

haha 😀

Im in a similar boat as you with the MD letter. the websites of the schools should have a blurb about their LOR requirements..I just emailed the schools that said they only accepted DO letters and many are willing to work with you. I talked to an admissions director at one osteopathic school and she said that the main thing that they are looking for is familiarity with the osteopathic profession. So if you can show that you have this it might help your case when they evaluate you for admittance. There are rare cases where you can be familiar with the osteopathic practice but not be able to get a letter (such as me, who shadowed my uncle, an osteopathic surgeon..family letters are a no-no 👎).

Thanks for the straight answer 👍

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I've been told that shadowing is a HUGE amount of work and when you're busy you just can't handle taking on a shadower. I'm not saying we shouldn't do this for other pre-med students but just stating why people are having difficulty. I was lucky that I had some sort of connections to get in the door to shadow a DO, actually more than one, and i got a very nice letter from both a DO and an MD from two different places. 😀 But it wasn't without effort; I put close to 300 hrs in and I flew out of state just for my experience.

I get that docs are busy. However, I really created very little extra work for those whom I shadowed. Between the FP, Neuro, Ortho, and IM docs, they really didn't do anything extra because I was around. I waited until we were walking to or waiting on the next patient before asking questions, so I knew I wasn't cutting into their time.

Many docs will claim to be "super busy" when really they "just don't care." That's fine. It's not like your average engineer or garbage man wants some punk kid following them around all day, not exactly increasing their efficiency. I'm just saying that many of us have been mentors in various aspects of school/life. Let's remember that this is an important trait in medicine and that we should try and remember how difficult it can be to successfully line up and complete all the shenanigans involved in this process.

 

[anon y mous]

I get that docs are busy. However, I really created very little extra work for those whom I shadowed. Between the FP, Neuro, Ortho, and IM docs, they really didn't do anything extra because I was around. I waited until we were walking to or waiting on the next patient before asking questions, so I knew I wasn't cutting into their time.

Many docs will claim to be "super busy" when really they "just don't care." That's fine. It's not like your average engineer or garbage man wants some punk kid following them around all day, not exactly increasing their efficiency. I'm just saying that many of us have been mentors in various aspects of school/life. Let's remember that this is an important trait in medicine and that we should try and remember how difficult it can be to successfully line up and complete all the shenanigans involved in this process.

That's cool. I had such great experiences. My docs went totally out of their way and pretty much created a whole program to get me involved. It was awesome.