I only have about 25 hours of formal shadowing. But, I often watch the physicians while volunteering in the hospital and during my clinic shifts. Do those experiences count as shadowing? Will it hurt me to have only 25 hours of formal shadowing? I'm applying this year and so I don't have more time to get hours and I don't think taking a gap year just for shadowing is worth it.
Shadowing Question?
- Thread starter clocks123
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no, watching physicians while volunteering does not count as shadowing
25 hours is on the low side, but I don't think its a deal breaker, provided that you have other relevant clinical experiences and an overall solid application
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Sorry! Doesn't count :/ Probably not a deal breaker though. What other experiences have you had in a clinical setting?
Mostly volunteer stuff in a free clinic and hospital.
Should I take a gap year?
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Unless there's an absolute requirement for formal shadowing (check where you're applying), I don't see why clinical volunteering wouldn't "count." I did tons of volunteering in the ER and got an excellent letter of rec from one of the doctors. I basically shadowed him a lot when I was there and I got to know him well. If you don't know any doctors well through volunteering, it may be best to get more shadow hours in with a specific doctor.
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Well there's a lot more to your app than shadowing! 25 shadowing hours is low, but it's by no means a death sentence.
Just saying that you don't get to count volunteering hours as shadowing hours.
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I realize that they don't "count." The whole purpose of shadowing is to get a better perspective of what exactly a physician's job is within a certain specialty, determine whether or not you'd be up for it, and perhaps get a letter of recommendation out of it.
By volunteering in a particular clinical setting, you can still get a good look at a his/her duties and possibly a letter of recommendation (if you know them well enough), while also seeing if the job would be a good fit. It's technically not shadow hours, but you still can get the same result. This is especially true when you volunteer somewhere frequently over an extended period of time.
Just as long as you show that the experience was meaningful (be it shadow hours or volunteer hours), it really shouldn't be that big of an issue.
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Provided that you have good MCAT, GPA, sufficient clinical and non-clinical experience, I think it is safe to apply this coming cycle. I had 40-something hours of shadowing when I submitted my primary application. I continued shadowing after that submission and updated this on the secondaries and during my interview.
That being said, make sure you have some shadowing hours with primary care doctors, as the PCP shortage is pressing in healthcare. Also, med schools want to know that you would be okay with being a primary care doc in case you won't be able to achieve your goal of becoming a specialist.
That being said, make sure you have some shadowing hours with primary care doctors, as the PCP shortage is pressing in healthcare. Also, med schools want to know that you would be okay with being a primary care doc in case you won't be able to achieve your goal of becoming a specialist.
