Shadowing Tomorrow. . .

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mustangsally65

mustangsally65

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Hey guys!

I'm shadowing tomorrow for the first time ever, and I'm a bit nervous. I'm afraid I'll do something to embarass myself, or not know something when I'm supposed to.

I know this is an irrational, anal pre-med fear, but it'd be nice to hear tips from anyone who has found a way to overcome this nervousness.

The doctor I'm shadowing is one of my physicians, which is probably why I'm so nervous. Should I have gone with someone who I didn't know?
 
just tell him to be gentle. go slowly at first. then speed up along the way.
 
Trust me, don't stress at all. Shadowing is probably the most fun part of helping your app. The doc won't expect much from you because you are just SHADOWING, not working for him or anything. My experiences have been great. Just ask questions when you think of them about anything and it will show you are sincere and interested about medicine. Have fun and try to picture yourself in the docs shoes to see if medicine is a good fit for you!
 
mustangsally65 said:
Hey guys!

I'm shadowing tomorrow for the first time ever, and I'm a bit nervous. I'm afraid I'll do something to embarass myself, or not know something when I'm supposed to.

I know this is an irrational, anal pre-med fear, but it'd be nice to hear tips from anyone who has found a way to overcome this nervousness.

The doctor I'm shadowing is one of my physicians, which is probably why I'm so nervous. Should I have gone with someone who I didn't know?
Click to expand...

I have shadowed a surgeon one time for a semester (what a pain getting to the hospital at 6 am) and now I have shadowed a rheumatologist ( desired specialty and my current dept that I work in) since last Feb. There is really nothing to it. On the first day just get a feel of what is expected. when I followed the surgeon he made me feel in the way and even said he didnt want to slow down the day for me to learn... so I just watched and didnt ask any questions or say a word. But now with my rheumatologist he is my PI's friend and a real laid back funny guy. He asks me questions every day, makes me read stuff, expects me to look at charts and lab tests, be part of the physical exam, etc. It has been amazing. So my advice is get a feel for it the first time. Dont be too timid or over bearing. Moderation until you know what is going on. When you get more comfortable then start asking ?s and trying to learn as much as possible. Good luck.
 
There's nothing to it...just pretend you're a lost puppy and follow the doc around. Pay attention to what he's doing, and be really really nice to the nurses and PA's and CA's cause they're your best friends when you have no clue what's going on and the doc is filling out paper work. And as far as the doc being your doc, it may make it easier because you've been on the other end of things and know what to expect...🙂


Oh yeah, dont forget to have fun and wear comfy shoes with closed toes (incase grossness splashes towards your feet...never know when someone's gonna blow chunks at you)
 
Hey, thanks, everyone. I"m feeling a little bit better. But still a bit nervous!

I used to work in a doctor's office, so I shouldn't be so apprehensive. But I know this is an important experience and I don't want to do something I'll regret later.

I'll fill you guys in tomorrow when I'm done!
 
Hmmmm........Let's see as per my shadowing experience....

I'd say listen to what the others say. In my experience, I would ask questions during the breaks between patients. But it was in clinic, not anything as big as surgery. I also shadowed a Physical Med and Rehab doctor, and we basically went and sat in on their conferences and watched them on team rounds.

I met with the DO that was the PM&R doctor and she talked to me about DO school vs. MD school. She was real friendly and happy to answer questions.

The neurology MD's were real nice too. i was actually shadowing a resident more then the actual chief doc. But the chief of the dept was real happy to answer questions too. he was a real friendly guy.

I've shadowed at some places in highschool, but won't comment on that since that was with a group of 2 or 3 students with a summer internship thing through AHEC.

I say the best way is to just be polite, observe, and ask questions when there are breaks between patients. See how it goes on the first day, and if you like it continue there or find a doctor who will be more friendly or fitting to your personality.

Some docs are even nice enough, that if the patient agrees, they'll teach you how to do some medical tasks. This has been the case for people I know in the Derm dept here, as well as my roommate.

If you are shadowing through a medical school dept, sometimes they are friendlier towards the idea of students observing because of their constant contact with students.

My experience was that the really really receptive people came from the two biggest teaching hospitals that USF COM has, TGH and James A Haley VA. So hopefully your experience will be a good one. Good luck. Don't be nervous. Be polite, make conversation, and learn as much as you can about the job.
 
Something one of my docs did was point out his little medical library. He helped me look up the first interesting case so I could read a little bit more about it while he did the paperwork. Well, when he wrote my LOR, he pointed out that I was motivated and looked up interesting cases in the literature to learn more. It was true, but at the same time, he'd guided me in that behavior. In case your doctor doesn't, realize that stuff like that is impressive.
 
Just make sure you dress appropriately... no jeans, t-shirts, that crap. Be polite and ask questions because a good doctor always asks questions. Don't chew gum in his office unless you see him doing the same thing. Don't wear sexy clothing.
 
Sexy clothing? :laugh: I don't think I have any sexy clothing. but thanks for the tips, guys!

I went today, and had a great time. I learned a lot, and have more confidence in myself. It was a bit disheartening to see the NP who kept looking at the clock and wondering when she could go home.
 
mustangsally65 said:
Sexy clothing? :laugh: I don't think I have any sexy clothing. but thanks for the tips, guys!

I went today, and had a great time. I learned a lot, and have more confidence in myself. It was a bit disheartening to see the NP who kept looking at the clock and wondering when she could go home.
Click to expand...

Hey so what kind of doctor did you shadow?? Like what field??? I'm glad things went ok with that.

:laugh: :laugh: at the sexy clothing comment. 😀
 
Just do your best fly on the wall impression during examinations and save your questions for between patients. You can learn alot.
 
The physician is an allergist/immunologist, but I was surprised about how much advice he gave his patients about things I thought would be outside his field of expertise. I guess I have to remember he did an IM residency before specializing.

I got to see some allergy testing, and some nasal polyps and other things like that. It was an interesting day.
 
mustangsally65 said:
The physician is an allergist/immunologist, but I was surprised about how much advice he gave his patients about things I thought would be outside his field of expertise. I guess I have to remember he did an IM residency before specializing.

I got to see some allergy testing, and some nasal polyps and other things like that. It was an interesting day.
Click to expand...


A friend of mine shadowed an immunologist/allergist this summer as well. It was through an AHEC summer internship thing. She said it was a good experience, but she preferred where she shadowed before in geriatrics, cuz she was not really into allergy and immunology like she was with family practice or geriatrics.
 
radioh3ad said:
just tell him to be gentle. go slowly at first. then speed up along the way.
Click to expand...

bwahaha :hardy:
 
Earlier this week, I shadowed a general surgeon and was in for a bit of a surprise. One of the patients we saw was an elderly man with a cancerous tumor on his arm. While he was cutting it off, he had me apply pressure to the wound to minimize the bleeding (I went through like 6 small gauze pads). Then while he was stitching it up, he said, "Have you ever put stitches in before?" I was kind of caught off guard, but I went ahead and gave it a try. He let me put the last three stitches in the guys arm.

Has anyone else ever done this? I was very surprised he let me put stitches in somebody.
 
that's very cool, but of course, he could get sued if you messed up.
 
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