shadowing question

[Mattinthehat250]

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So I've shadowed a primary care D.O., but I'm unsure of how to set up shadowing a doctor who works in a hospital, like an internal med doc. Do these people even allow shadowing? When I shadowed the primary care doctor, I just called his office and asked. How do I contact someone who doesn't have an office phone number because they work exclusively in the hospital?

 

[FutureDrB]

So I've shadowed a primary care D.O., but I'm unsure of how to set up shadowing a doctor who works in a hospital, like an internal med doc. Do these people even allow shadowing? When I shadowed the primary care doctor, I just called his office and asked. How do I contact someone who doesn't have an office phone number because they work exclusively in the hospital?

A little trickier to shadow in a hospital due to HIPAA, but most hospital websites list their physicians, along with their contact info. I'd start there.

 

[TexasDocGibby]

It is a little more tricky, might have to take HIPAA training and sign confidentiality agreements, but just go about it like you did before. You can also begin volunteering in a hospital in which you will be presented with opportunities to meet staff and eventually contacts to shadow doctors. Just make sure to ask at appropriate times and no means no.

 

[kopitar]

You can also begin volunteering in a hospital in which you will be presented with opportunities to meet staff and eventually contacts to shadow doctors. Just make sure to ask at appropriate times and no means no.

Thats what I did....you are usually interacting with multiple doctors throughout your shift; plenty of opportunity to set up shadowing.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Call the medical staff office or the education office of the hospital you are looking at. They should be able to tell you if there are shadowing/rotation opportunities at their facility.

 

[Blaughable]

Yeah the only way to shadow at hospitals is by networking. Hospital websites don't list direct phone numbers or e-mails (usually).

Ask you friends if their parents or relatives are/know doctors that wouldn't mind you shadowing them. If it's not the type of doctor you're looking to shadow suck it up. As long as the doctor likes you it will be easy to ask them for the name and contact info of a doctor that you could shadow in an area that interests you. For instance my friend's parent was in hospital administration and referred me to an amazing ER doc. I loved the ER but wanted to see more of the hospital. Just by asking I was able to shadow an anesthesiologist, ICU internist, and surgeon.

You could also try volunteering as stated above and then ask the attending if you could follow them around for a day.

I highly recommend shadowing. My experiences have been amazing and extremely motivating. I know for sure this is what I want to do for the rest of my life

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

So I've shadowed a primary care D.O., but I'm unsure of how to set up shadowing a doctor who works in a hospital, like an internal med doc. Do these people even allow shadowing? When I shadowed the primary care doctor, I just called his office and asked. How do I contact someone who doesn't have an office phone number because they work exclusively in the hospital?

Actually the best thing I have found to do is to walk in the hospital and try to find that doctor. Ask him to go with you to the human resources manager and see if you can set something up. 😀

 

[GraceEuphoria]

A lot of hospitals don't have medical education offices and if that's the case, just find something or someone that seems like they can direct you to the right people and go from there. The human resources dept handles this in some hospitals, for example. Just remember, usually there's a lot more paperwork involved with shadowing in a hospital (including your TB test if it's outdated, etc) so start the process early so you don't end up in a time crunch when you're trying to get LORs. Good luck!

 

[UTsksk]

I guess I got lucky. I shadowed a cardiologist for over a year and we rotated through 5 hospitals during his 2 week rotation. He would do clinic for 1 week and then 2 weeks rotating hospitals. I was pretty happy since I got the best of both worlds. I would call him up and tell him I'm in the lobby, he'd come pick me up, and then we went to see patients. I dressed in a lab coat so I guess people thought I was his PA. As for the ENT I'm currently shadowing, I've had to deal with a lot of BS paperwork saying I won't say anything about what I see and that I can only be around the doctor and not wander off.

By the way, I met the cardiologist at a conference he was speaking at and he openly said he allowed shadowing. Since I was the shadowing program coordinator, I obviously got first pick in the draft. For the ENT, I was informed by their manager that all the docs allowed shadowing so I picked the DO (who happens to be the badass of the group). It's a safe bet that usually specialists have hospital privileges.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

I guess I got lucky. I shadowed a cardiologist for over a year and we rotated through 5 hospitals during his 2 week rotation. He would do clinic for 1 week and then 2 weeks rotating hospitals. I was pretty happy since I got the best of both worlds. I would call him up and tell him I'm in the lobby, he'd come pick me up, and then we went to see patients. I dressed in a lab coat so I guess people thought I was his PA. As for the ENT I'm currently shadowing, I've had to deal with a lot of BS paperwork saying I won't say anything about what I see and that I can only be around the doctor and not wander off.

By the way, I met the cardiologist at a conference he was speaking at and he openly said he allowed shadowing. Since I was the shadowing program coordinator, I obviously got first pick in the draft. For the ENT, I was informed by their manager that all the docs allowed shadowing so I picked the DO (who happens to be the badass of the group). It's a safe bet that usually specialists have hospital privileges.

Lucky.🙁 I wished helpful people lived in my area.

 

[UTsksk]

Lucky.🙁 I wished helpful people lived in my area.

When I was responsible for finding shadowing opportunities for others, only 11 out of the 60 physicians I stalked agreed. What was even more life fulfilling was when the people I was helping complained that they wanted surgeons and not primary care. Oh well...🙄