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Shadowing
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Don't be afraid to ask questions in between patients if you have any. All the doctors I have shadowed have been extremely nice and always explain things to me. Don't be surprised if a patient does not want you in the room it is not a big deal, you will see many others. Pay attention, its awkward when they mention something after a seeing a patient and you were spacing off not paying attention because it was boring and have no idea what they were talking about. Have fun too, its a good learning experience.
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Watch, learn, and enjoy yourself. Don't try too hard or you'll come across as a tool.
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What I always did (and helped me tremendously) was reading up on the "bread and butter" pathology that your doctor typically sees day in and day out. Maybe take the first two days in clinic to get a feel for things, but write down any terms you don't understand. Keep a list of anything cool or interesting you see. When you go home, do a little bit of research so that you can speak (roughly) knowledgeably to your doctor the following day and ask questions. The more you learn, the more questions you'll have, the more you'll have to learn (and on, and on, and on...)
Not only will this help in grasping the material, but you'll also start developing some really good self-study habits. Being able to learn and read on your own (without the prompting of another person or syllabus) will go a long way into training you for medical school. Plus, you'll be showing your doctor that you actually have an interest in the work, and you'll more than likely get a stellar LOR out of it (unless you do something to piss him/her off).
Oh yeah, one more thing: BE HUMBLE AND COURTEOUS. Do not be a d*ck to anyone you meet. Not only is it bad business, but it always gets back to the person (doctor) you are trying to impress.
Not only will this help in grasping the material, but you'll also start developing some really good self-study habits. Being able to learn and read on your own (without the prompting of another person or syllabus) will go a long way into training you for medical school. Plus, you'll be showing your doctor that you actually have an interest in the work, and you'll more than likely get a stellar LOR out of it (unless you do something to piss him/her off).
Oh yeah, one more thing: BE HUMBLE AND COURTEOUS. Do not be a d*ck to anyone you meet. Not only is it bad business, but it always gets back to the person (doctor) you are trying to impress.
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Don't be afraid to ask questions when there's time away from patients. Don't just ask questions about you see, but perhaps inquire about their own path and ambitions with regards to medicine.
Oh, and this should be obvious but: dress nicely. I've heard too many docs complain of people showing up in completely inappropriate clothing (sandals, torn jeans, etc). Business casual will do, even if they have you change into scrubs once you get there.
Oh, and this should be obvious but: dress nicely. I've heard too many docs complain of people showing up in completely inappropriate clothing (sandals, torn jeans, etc). Business casual will do, even if they have you change into scrubs once you get there.
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All the advice that has been given is great. Just to reiterate. Don't try to hard. Doing so just comes off annoying. Don't try to pretend you know anything. Just listen and take notes. Asking questions is good, but don't hold the doc up by asking to many questions, asking silly questions, or asking questions when s/he is busy or preoccupied. Take notes. Don't get offended if a patient doesn't wont you in the room, it happens to all of us. There will also be some awkward moments. Just do your best to weather them. I remember a time when a patient ridiculed the doctor to me while he was still in the room. Be a fly on the wall. Try to be seen and heard as little as possible, but still learn as much as possible.
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If you're going into the OR, keep your hands to yourself and don't touch anything blue. Ask questions at appropriate times, or just hang out with the anesthesiologist. They're pretty chill at talking to you and answering your questions.
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Another point (relevant if it's an academic institution with residents):
Make nice with the med students / nurses / residents / fellows. I got some of my best teaching and career advice from the residents and fellows while on my first serious shadowing gig. They can show you a lot of little things (for me, it was explaining the different steps of whatever surgical procedure we were observing and how to read spine MRIs/CTs). Hopefully you'll meet some really cool people during your time there... I'm still in regular contact with said fellows (now attendings) 3 years later!
Make nice with the med students / nurses / residents / fellows. I got some of my best teaching and career advice from the residents and fellows while on my first serious shadowing gig. They can show you a lot of little things (for me, it was explaining the different steps of whatever surgical procedure we were observing and how to read spine MRIs/CTs). Hopefully you'll meet some really cool people during your time there... I'm still in regular contact with said fellows (now attendings) 3 years later!
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It usually goes something like this, although they work in other settings too:
The anesthesiologist visits the patient right before the procedure and asks about the patient's medical history and explains what's going to happen in the OR. He/she preps the patient and makes sure everything is good to go.
Throughout the procedure, they sit near the head of the patient and record vital signs like heart rate and blood pressure. They make sure the patient is constantly receiving the right drugs at the right time.
Towards the very end of the procedure, they start withdrawing the sedatives and wait for the patient to wake up. Then off to recovery.
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What FloatOn posted is pretty much dead on. This is a great shadowing opportunity. I shadowed an anesthesiologist and really appreciated the ability he had to talk me through what was going on--they spend a lot of time monitoring things and that can free up time for conversation.
The nicer surgeons will also usually be willing to talk you through what they're doing.
Enjoy it and remember it! I kept a journal and made an entry each evening after shadowing. It helped a bit when it came time for secondaries--I can't say I copied passages directly from my journal, but having thought and written about my experiences made doing so for the application essays much easier.
The nicer surgeons will also usually be willing to talk you through what they're doing.
Enjoy it and remember it! I kept a journal and made an entry each evening after shadowing. It helped a bit when it came time for secondaries--I can't say I copied passages directly from my journal, but having thought and written about my experiences made doing so for the application essays much easier.
As silly as this might sound, I think a good thing to do before you actually start shadowing is to do some reflection and ask yourself what you hope to actually gain from shadowing this doctor.
I think a lot of pre-meds sign up for shadowing because it's a de facto requirement for med schools, and then they promptly forget why exactly it's a de facto requirement in the first place.
Different people at different stages of pre-med-ness might have different goals during shadowing. A person who is just dipping their toes in medicine and seeing a clinic for the first time might want to just get a feel for what clinical medicine really is and whether they could see themselves working in a hospital/clinical setting. Meanwhile, a person with more significant clinical experience might be more interested in finding out what a doctor actually does on a day-to-day basis. And others who have shadowed a lot might be more interested in looking at different specialties and figuring out what they might like to pursue.
And so, in addition to the helpful things that people have given above, I'd recommend figuring out what it is you're shadowing for and go from there. Good luck, and have fun!
I think a lot of pre-meds sign up for shadowing because it's a de facto requirement for med schools, and then they promptly forget why exactly it's a de facto requirement in the first place.
Different people at different stages of pre-med-ness might have different goals during shadowing. A person who is just dipping their toes in medicine and seeing a clinic for the first time might want to just get a feel for what clinical medicine really is and whether they could see themselves working in a hospital/clinical setting. Meanwhile, a person with more significant clinical experience might be more interested in finding out what a doctor actually does on a day-to-day basis. And others who have shadowed a lot might be more interested in looking at different specialties and figuring out what they might like to pursue.
And so, in addition to the helpful things that people have given above, I'd recommend figuring out what it is you're shadowing for and go from there. Good luck, and have fun!
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Just act professional and confident. Ask questions and have fun..
