Shadowing tomorrow for the first time.

[JSmurfington]

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I am a chemistry major who has recently become interested in a career in medicine. I knew I needed to get some volunteer and shadowing experience before I made any decisions so I set up a day shadowing a general practitioner.

I'm pretty nervous to be honest. I know how to be professional, so that is not the problem. It's just that.... I don't know anything. I'm in chemistry. I have never taken an anatomy course, physio, any biology in college... nothing. Yeah they aren't going to expect me to know anything, but I don't think I will even be able to ask intelligent questions. Everything he says will be gibberish. All medicine names will mean nothing to me. But this is my only path towards learning about medicine so I kind of have to start by going in blind to a day shadowing.

Also, should I take notes? I feel like I should be doing something other than standing there awkwardly...

 

[tima]

Taking notes isn't necessary. The doctor knows you are a premed, so s/he won't ask any hard questions. It's more about the learning experience. Be professional, make good observations and follow the doctor's directions.

 

[stevvo111]

Relax, general practitioner means 99% of those coming in have the common cold, cough, pregnancy, high blood pressure, sexual deficiency, and other general issues. You will understand what he is saying because when you go to the doctor he tends to speak in a way the patient can understand. If you've ever been sick and have been to the doctor, just think back to those times, and instead of being the patient, you are now observing how the doctor thinks. If you get lucky, the doctor will often times think aloud, and it is very interesting to see the process and systematic way doctors handle cases. What kind of intelligent questions do you want to ask? What more would you want to ask besides, "Why did you choose medicine", "how is your schedule", "whats your favorite thing about the career", "how was medical school", "where did you go for med school", etc. Unless you were thinking about asking "how do people get sick?" or "how does this medicine particularly aid in recovery from this illness", which wouldn't make sense cause you are not in med school and shouldn't care until you get there.

Doctors are pretty sociable, if they weren't, they wouldn't be talking to people all day. You won't be standing in the corner the whole time, but you won't be talking all the time. Just dress nicely (shirt and tie, and semi dress shoes), talk like a normal person, if you have questions ask at appropriate times, and be friendly with the patients he sees (the doctor will usually introduce you and will simply shake hands and say "how's it going").

other than that, just smile. You are not a doctor, you are not a medical student, you haven't even applied to med school yet (let alone get in), so don't worry about anything, you are a "dumb" 18-21 year old kid who just wants to see what this career is all about- act as such. Your goal is to see what you like about the work of the doctor, what you dislike, and whether you would indeed be happy doing this for the rest of your life (try to write a page summary when you get back home, it helps get details down, for future essay to be written and such- and you want good detailed story telling when you write these essays, statements, etc.)

Lastly, if you really enjoy it, ask if you can come back. Gauge the reaction of the doctor. If they are exuberant about the idea, schedule monthly shadowing sessions or even weekly ones to really get into the lifestyle and weird cases that might be seen. And it will really prove to you that you do indeed like the clinical atmosphere.

Have fun!

 

[Morsetlis]

Now's as good a time to learn as any.

 

[Dr. Ducky]

Relax, general practitioner means 99% of those coming in have the common cold, cough, pregnancy, high blood pressure, sexual deficiency, and other general issues. You will understand what he is saying because when you go to the doctor he tends to speak in a way the patient can understand. If you've ever been sick and have been to the doctor, just think back to those times, and instead of being the patient, you are now observing how the doctor thinks. If you get lucky, the doctor will often times think aloud, and it is very interesting to see the process and systematic way doctors handle cases. What kind of intelligent questions do you want to ask? What more would you want to ask besides, "Why did you choose medicine", "how is your schedule", "whats your favorite thing about the career", "how was medical school", "where did you go for med school", etc. Unless you were thinking about asking "how do people get sick?" or "how does this medicine particularly aid in recovery from this illness", which wouldn't make sense cause you are not in med school and shouldn't care until you get there.

Doctors are pretty sociable, if they weren't, they wouldn't be talking to people all day. You won't be standing in the corner the whole time, but you won't be talking all the time. Just dress nicely (shirt and tie, and semi dress shoes), talk like a normal person, if you have questions ask at appropriate times, and be friendly with the patients he sees (the doctor will usually introduce you and will simply shake hands and say "how's it going").

other than that, just smile. You are not a doctor, you are not a medical student, you haven't even applied to med school yet (let alone get in), so don't worry about anything, you are a "dumb" 18-21 year old kid who just wants to see what this career is all about- act as such. Your goal is to see what you like about the work of the doctor, what you dislike, and whether you would indeed be happy doing this for the rest of your life (try to write a page summary when you get back home, it helps get details down, for future essay to be written and such- and you want good detailed story telling when you write these essays, statements, etc.)

Lastly, if you really enjoy it, ask if you can come back. Gauge the reaction of the doctor. If they are exuberant about the idea, schedule monthly shadowing sessions or even weekly ones to really get into the lifestyle and weird cases that might be seen. And it will really prove to you that you do indeed like the clinical atmosphere.

Have fun!

This^. Great advice! OP, don't worry about it. You aren't supposed to know anything. Although it sounds like it will be awkward just standing there, it's not as much as you would think. If the doctor says anything you don't understand, ask. That's an intelligent question. Just show interest in the opportunity. Shadowing is about you getting a handle on the idea of becoming a physician and what that career path entails.

 

[2ndCareerMD]

I also had a small black notebook that I would write down information about my shadowing experiences. Date - Hours - Dr Name(s) - Memorable advice, patients, discussions, etc

This helped me to honestly report the hours I shadowed and to review my experiences before interviews.

 

[mjk2011]

During my shadowing experiences, sometimes the doctor would let me listen through his stethoscope or observe things a little bit closer. I did not take notes while shadowing, but I kept a spreadsheet of each shadowing experience and what I learned from them. This could be anything from new terms to diseases I had never heard of to how the doctor interacts with the patient. I would update it when I got home. It also helped me keep track of my hours.

If a doctor is willing to have you shadow in the first place, my guess would be that he/she would be willing to explain things if you asked. Just don't be too pushy and ask if there is some downtime. Have fun with it - I loved shadowing and built some great relationships with the doctors I shadowed.

 

[BA11]

Just observe and enjoy. Shadowing is EASY and fun unless you manage to get with doc who just doesnt want you there.

I'll say this, in my approximately 60 hours of shadowing I learned much more about medicine (without taking any notes or anything) than I did in four and a half years of undergrad science courses and hundreds of clinical volunteer hours. If you get good docs who like students, they'll teach you A LOT and you may not even realize it until later.

 

[GiantFetus]

Today is my first shadowing experience as well. Nothing to add, but best of luck.

 

[JSmurfington]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I just finished my day of shadowing. It wasn't really stressful once I got there. I enjoyed seeing how things work behind the scenes. I followed some med school students around most of the time, and I didn't really have any one on one time to ask the doctor questions, but I still enjoyed myself and found it informative.

 

[sliceofbread136]

I don't see how anyone could find shadowing stressful.... you just stand there

 

[JPodel]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I just finished my day of shadowing. It wasn't really stressful once I got there. I enjoyed seeing how things work behind the scenes. I followed some med school students around most of the time, and I didn't really have any one on one time to ask the doctor questions, but I still enjoyed myself and found it informative.

It will be my first time shadowing a physician tomorrow. Any tips, he is a general surgeon. There are no shadows currently shadowing him so it will be basically me only. What type of question should I ask if the time is appropriate?! Thanks Bro

 

[Bacchus]

*Positive Bacchus post -- see I'm not always crotchety*

Glad your day went well. What kind of setting did you shadow in? Private practice? Clinic? Hospital? See if you can shadow in several locations to get a good feeling for the different types of settings. Don't let your application in the future lack strength by focusing too much on shadowing however.

You weren't scared off. This is a good thing. Don't worry about knowing nothing. Looking back to my days (as a chemistry major 😉) makes me laugh. Medications? I probably couldn't give you a succinct reason someone used insulin at that point in time. You'll grow and acquire the knowledge you need in medical school. Enjoy the ride now and do what you need to do in order to get where others like me are.

 

[Bacchus]

I don't see how anyone could find shadowing stressful.... you just stand there

As a type A personality:

1) Did I dress appropriately? Oh no! The Dr. has a tie on. I don't have a tie on. Does he hate me?
2) Is he going to ask me a question I don't know the answer to? Should I know the answer?
3) Are the patients going to like me?
4) Will I get kicked out of the room?
5) What if I hate this? My life is over. No medicine for me.

 

[deleted393595]

Also, should I take notes? I feel like I should be doing something other than standing there awkwardly...

It's ok to take notes. Just know what HIPAA prohibits: No names, personal details, etc.

You can write down the pmh and cc and the reasons behind the diagnosis and ask the doctor later during his/her free time for clarification as to why the diagnosis was made.

Also, if the doctor leaves the room, leave with him. Don't stay in the room by yourself with the patient. It just makes for even more awkwardness.

2) Is he going to ask me a question I don't know the answer to? Should I know the answer?

O.O

I didn't know that doctors pimp pre-meds

 

[Bacchus]

It's ok to take notes. Just know what HIPAA prohibits: No names, personal details, etc.

You can write down the pmh and cc and the reasons behind the diagnosis and ask the doctor later during his/her free time for clarification as to why the diagnosis was made.

Also, if the doctor leaves the room, leave with him. Don't stay in the room by yourself with the patient. It just makes for even more awkwardness.



O.O

I didn't know that doctors pimp pre-meds

It's the worst. A very good mentor I rotated with would do this often. I sometimes had to fumble for words with the patients. Luckily, I grew up and had family in the area so I could always talk about that.

 

[saveourpens]

One when I was shadowing in the OR, one of the surgeons thought I was a med student...he took me with him to a case and proceeded to pimp me in front of all the residents, med students, and techs in the room.

As I'm standing there looking directly into the patient's cavity.
"We took out this patient's pancreas..what does the pancreas do?"
"A lot of things! Uhh..."
"what's going to happen to him?"
"...very bad things "
I then proceed to mumble something about insulin
"Yes, the patient won't be able to make insulin anymore, they'll be a diabetic"

So it didn't turn out too terribly. I knew much more than I said but got a bit nervous...was a great learning experience!

 

[ucsfstudents]

You don't need to take notes. Use body language to show you are interested -- smile, shake your head to imply some form of understanding, and ask "why" questions. If you are going to ask questions, obviously don't do it while the doctor is speaking with the patient. You can do it while you both are walking or away from the patient. You can ask simple questions like "Why did the patient come to see you today?" and "How is knowing *insert information about the patient* help you treat the patient?" And can also ask, "What do you think is wrong with the patient?" Hopefully this helps some.