"Shadowing"

[lokahi]

Hi,

I am currently a high school senior, who is already preparing for medical school.
I'm interested in what "shadowing" is, as something that would sparkle my pre-medical preparation resume.

Thank you,
Victoria

[This message has been edited by lokahi (edited 11-01-2000).]

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[GeoLeoX]

Shadowing can be as simple as it sounds, merely following a physician around. Seeing the day to day reality of medicine, getting familiar with the lifestyle and language, and most of all helping you decide if medicine is for you.

That being said, many medical schools look very favorably upon the experience. The admissions committees would like to see someone who knows what they are getting into.

Shadowing is also a good way to make contacts with others in the medical/research field that could lead to other medically-relevant adventures.

Hope that helps,

G

 

[lokahi]

Thanks for the reply!

I was wondering about how I could go about doing this. Do certain hospitals have programs that allow pre-medical students to shadow? I am concerned about whether hospitals allow physicians for nonphysicians to shadow them. I am also concerned about whether my only being a high school senior would be "too young" to shadow.

Thank you,
Victoria

[This message has been edited by lokahi (edited 11-01-2000).]

 

[GeoLeoX]

Many hospitals do have volunteer programs where you work in the hospital, though I am unsure if they have shadow programs. The best way to arrange one of these is through networking. Do you have a family doctor? They would be a good place to start - even if you don't want to shadow them, you could talk to your doctor and perhaps he or she could line you up with someone in a field you may be interested in. Then there's also "cold-calling" where you look through the directory of the local hospital to find a physician that you would be interested to work with. Write them a letter, again if they can't help you maybe they know someone who can.

As far as being too young, I think that as long as you are at least 18, the decision is up to the physician that you are shadowing (and probably individual hospital regulations).

Hope that helps,

G

 

[cjkalmat]

Victoria,

I would save shadowing for until you get to college. If you are interested in including this shadowing experience in your resume then you should wait until college. However, if you just want to get a feel whether or not to pursue a pre-med curriculum at college then go ahead. Reason: most medical schools only care about the things you have done since graduating high school at the time you apply for medical school admissions. Therefore, since you are still in high school, medical schools wouldn't consider your shadowing experience in their decision to accept you or not. Good Luck with your plans.

 

[lokahi]

Thanks for replies! I really appreciate it.

Although I'm only a high school senior, I refuse to be unprepared for med school as I am for college! Consequently, I don't want to make the mistake of not knowing beforehand what I could have or should have done. That said, I have many connections to physicians, and eagerly would like to shadow, not only for my 'resume', but because it seems like a very interesting experience. I'm certain that having "shadowing" experience in high school will allow me to make more connections with more physicians who would undubitably be able to assist me on my journey in becoming a physician.

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Thank you,
Victoria