Specialty to shadow, shadow a obgyn? & how to list shadowing on app

[estradiol9]

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Who have you shadowed? I know there is no real "recommendation" for shadowing but I have heard it is nice to shadow various specialties including some primary care for around a total of 50-100 hours it seems.

So far I have shadowed in an emergency department and with a cardiology group. I still would like to shadow a pediatrician, some sort of surgeon, and an ob/gyn at least. I would love to be able to spend some time with a reproductive endocrinologist.

As for the emergency department, I got to do some hands on stuff since I am an EMT. At the cardiology group, I stood back and watched. No patients had any problem with my presence. Has anybody been able to shadow an obgyn or reproductive endocrinologist with no problems? This is a field of medicine I am especially interested in but I am worried that patients will not want me around.

Also, how do you list shadowing on your application? All under one activity? Who do you list as your contact then if you have several shadowing experiences? Also, what if you spent your time split up amongst a group? I spent my time with a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, nurses, and physicians.

 

[Catalystik]

Also, how do you list shadowing on your application? All under one activity? Who do you list as your contact then if you have several shadowing experiences? Also, what if you spent your time split up amongst a group? I spent my time with a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, nurses, and physicians.

One generally lists all shadowing under the category "Other" in a single space. Name the Experience Physician Shadowing. List each individual, with dates, total hours, specialty, and a contact number or email. If all the docs were with a single group, you can list a single nurse manager or office manager as your contact for all of them. Give a grand total of hours at the end.

We have seen a number of SDNers who've managed to acquire OBGYN shadowing. A local family planning clinic is a good place to try if the group you're with seems resistent.

 

[estradiol9]

One generally lists all shadowing under the category "Other" in a single space. Name the Experience Physician Shadowing. List each individual, with dates, total hours, specialty, and a contact number or email. If all the docs were with a single group, you can list a single nurse manager or office manager as your contact for all of them. Give a grand total of hours at the end.

We have seen a number of SDNers who've managed to acquire OBGYN shadowing. A local family planning clinic is a good place to try if the group you're with seems resistent.

Okay thank you. I heard that the new application requires contact information so I wasn't sure if it would allow me to provide more than 1 set of contact information.

I guess I will try contacting private practice obgyns and some local clinics as well.

Also, for the shadowing experiences- do we have to include a description? I feel like everybody knows what shadowing is?

 

[Catalystik]

1) I heard that the new application requires contact information so I wasn't sure if it would allow me to provide more than 1 set of contact information.

2) Also, for the shadowing experiences- do we have to include a description? I feel like everybody knows what shadowing is?

1) We don't know if the format will change this year, but probably only one contact per activity will go in the header like before. The rest can be included in the narrative portion.

2) No, a description isn't necessary. But if something really special/impactful happened, you could mention it briefly. Like, "I helped deliver a baby," or somesuch.

 

[NickNaylor]

With respect to the "who should I shadow" question, I think most people recommend a variety of specialties so that you can get a large cross-section of the medical profession. The experiences you'll get in family med vs. a medicine subspecialty vs. a surgical subspecialty will all be very different and will probably give you a better idea of what medicine is like. Try and get as much diversity as you can, if only for your own enrichment.

 

[estradiol9]

*bump* to see if anyone has successfully shadowed an obgyn

 

[sciencebooks]

I'm sorry to "hijack," but I have a question related. Have you shadowed only MDs? Does it look bad if you shadow DOs as well? I understand wanting a mix and I don't see why it would be an issue, but just curious.

 

[estradiol9]

I'm sorry to "hijack," but I have a question related. Have you shadowed only MDs? Does it look bad if you shadow DOs as well? I understand wanting a mix and I don't see why it would be an issue, but just curious.

People will answer this differently. Some will say you should only shadow MDs but I don't see how shadowing PAs or NPs or DOs is harmful as long as you also shadow MDs. I plan on shadowing all of them. I would like to know what my choices are for working in health care and see first hand what they do day to day. I'm sure that this invites adcoms to ask you why you decided to shadow a PA, NP, DO, etc and why you decided to go MD versus PA, NP, DO. In my opinion, being able to answer those questions might make you look more appealing than somebody who has only shadowed an MD only and has no knowledge of what PAs, NPs, DOs do and has chosen to go MD only based off of what they have heard from others or because "it looks better".

 

[Doctor246853]

Who have you shadowed? I know there is no real "recommendation" for shadowing but I have heard it is nice to shadow various specialties including some primary care for around a total of 50-100 hours it seems.

So far I have shadowed in an emergency department and with a cardiology group. I still would like to shadow a pediatrician, some sort of surgeon, and an ob/gyn at least. I would love to be able to spend some time with a reproductive endocrinologist.

As for the emergency department, I got to do some hands on stuff since I am an EMT. At the cardiology group, I stood back and watched. No patients had any problem with my presence. Has anybody been able to shadow an obgyn or reproductive endocrinologist with no problems? This is a field of medicine I am especially interested in but I am worried that patients will not want me around.

Also, how do you list shadowing on your application? All under one activity? Who do you list as your contact then if you have several shadowing experiences? Also, what if you spent your time split up amongst a group? I spent my time with a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, nurses, and physicians.

First impression is everything. If you go in there looking very professional (scrubs all tucked in and crap/ nice dress clothes) the patient will feel more comfortable and might think your a medical student (since the doc most like will introduce you as "a student" rather than undergrad student" I tried to not stand between the patients legs during vaginal exams (Im a guy) to make them feel comfortable and the doc always says " Hey, get over here and look at this, this is blah blah blah and thats normal." Im talking about a teaching hospital so I dont know how this will work for a private practice or clinic.

 

[capn jazz]

i shadowed an OBGYN in clinic one day. it was pretty interesting. lots of pelvic exams, which somehow did not occur to me until she was like "so yea, most of my job is pelvic exams." a few pregnant women/ultrasounds too.

 

[longwhorn]

I shadowed my Mom for a day (RT) in the baby depot. It was very interesting, pretty amazing getting to see babies be born in person. I would highly recommend it if you get the chance. Actually got a lump in my throat during the first delivery, very emotional experience. Every mother had to sign a document allowing me to observe though, kind of a pain. Not sure if all hospitals are the same but the rules in L&D were pretty stringent here in regards to shadowing. Nothing like the ED, the patients there we're never given a choice as to whether or not they wanted some kid watching from the corner.

 

[estradiol9]

First impression is everything. If you go in there looking very professional (scrubs all tucked in and crap/ nice dress clothes) the patient will feel more comfortable and might think your a medical student (since the doc most like will introduce you as "a student" rather than undergrad student" I tried to not stand between the patients legs during vaginal exams (Im a guy) to make them feel comfortable and the doc always says " Hey, get over here and look at this, this is blah blah blah and thats normal." Im talking about a teaching hospital so I dont know how this will work for a private practice or clinic.

I will hunt down the obgyns at my local teaching hospital then. They are probably used to having students around as opposed to private practices.

 

[Lindsayvarkula]

*bump* to see if anyone has successfully shadowed an obgyn

I completed an internship last year at the Cleveland Clinic in the Labor and Delivery department. I shadowed a lot of physicians there and even had patient interaction. I would say that most of the patients didn't mind having a student present (~85%). A lot of them were actually excited that I was so motivated!