Starting to Shadow

[CG37387n]

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Hello Everyone,

Sorry I don't mean to be the annoying one that posts all of the time. I will be shadowing a doctor for the first time, and I'm seeking advice! He is the Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, what I have always wanted to go into. He's MD, but I believe there are a couple DO Doctors in the ED.

Also with the new Touro - NY Middletown Campus, there will be a lot more DOs around, due to them opening a residency in EM.

Is it extra special that the Director is allowing me to shadow him, and if I get a LOR does it show highly, as he is in the higher ranks? I'm not doing this for the Letter, but I'm doing this for the experience.

Does it also look bad, that for right now they are just MDs that I'm shadowing even though I know I'm more than likely going DO.

Thanks in advanced everyone!

 

[WhyDoWeFall]

Don't think you are being annoying. This is a place to find answers so never feel bad... unless you are posting about MD vs DO vs Caribbean MD.

I wouldn't really think anything of it to shadow the Medical Director. Sure it's a great opportunity but it might be his job. I use to shadow the President and Vice President of the ER but they enrolled themselves in the Shadowing Program so I wasn't hand picked or anything. On the other hand, if he doesn't allow many people to shadow him then maybe you ARE special but I wouldn't let it go to your head. Treat it like you have to earn his respect and that you are trying to prove you are a good medical school candidate.

Getting an LOR would show highly but I wouldn't say its better than any other LOR. I would suppose it depends on how he writes the LOR and the context. It would also depend if you asked intriguing questions, adapted fast to the situations, and etc. If you measured it side by side to a Resident, I would say yes it does look better if they both said the same thing but it's all in context.

I wouldn't say it looks bad that you are shadowing MDs. There are DOs so try to tag onto them too, pay attention to their techniques and style. I would of course try to shadow a DO regardless since some schools require you get a DO LOR anyway.

Good luck in your shadowing.

 

[bionerd89]

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I don't mean to be the annoying one that posts all of the time. I will be shadowing a doctor for the first time, and I'm seeking advice! He is the Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, what I have always wanted to go into. He's MD, but I believe there are a couple DO Doctors in the ED.

Also with the new Touro - NY Middletown Campus, there will be a lot more DOs around, due to them opening a residency in EM.

Is it extra special that the Director is allowing me to shadow him, and if I get a LOR does it show highly, as he is in the higher ranks? I'm not doing this for the Letter, but I'm doing this for the experience.

Does it also look bad, that for right now they are just MDs that I'm shadowing even though I know I'm more than likely going DO.

Thanks in advanced everyone!

I don't think it really matters unless you apply to DO schools that require a DO LOR such as LECOM. I only had a MD LOR and I only worked with MDs before.

 

[CG37387n]

Don't think you are being annoying. This is a place to find answers so never feel bad... unless you are posting about MD vs DO vs Caribbean MD.

I wouldn't really think anything of it to shadow the Medical Director. Sure it's a great opportunity but it might be his job. I use to shadow the President and Vice President of the ER but they enrolled themselves in the Shadowing Program so I wasn't hand picked or anything. On the other hand, if he doesn't allow many people to shadow him then maybe you ARE special but I wouldn't let it go to your head. Treat it like you have to earn his respect and that you are trying to prove you are a good medical school candidate.

Getting an LOR would show highly but I wouldn't say its better than any other LOR. I would suppose it depends on how he writes the LOR and the context. It would also depend if you asked intriguing questions, adapted fast to the situations, and etc. If you measured it side by side to a Resident, I would say yes it does look better if they both said the same thing but it's all in context.

I wouldn't say it looks bad that you are shadowing MDs. There are DOs so try to tag onto them too, pay attention to their techniques and style. I would of course try to shadow a DO regardless since some schools require you get a DO LOR anyway.

Good luck in your shadowing.

After a day of shadowing is there a time where I can ask questions to the doctor? Or will it be during the course of the time, and that person will ask if I have questions?

I'm more nervous that I'll ask a bad question, and I'll make a bad impression. I don't know what type of questions are good, and which are just repetitive.

 

[medickdb]

After a day of shadowing is there a time where I can ask questions to the doctor? Or will it be during the course of the time, and that person will ask if I have questions?

I'm more nervous that I'll ask a bad question, and I'll make a bad impression. I don't know what type of questions are good, and which are just repetitive.

There are no bad questions, really. Relax.

The best time to ask questions will be right after he has seen a patient. Ask him what he was looking for based off of the patient's chief complaint (i.e. Why he or she decided to come to the emergency department.) and how he plans go to about investigating it. Then, ask him how he plans to treat based off of his investigation. This way, you can see how a doctor's, specifically an emergency physician's, thought process generally works. Unless it's slow, he most likely will be sitting at a computer when you ask these questions, but that's alright.

If there's a true emergency, obviously just stand more to the side.

Don't be intimidated. He knows you're there to learn about his profession. Ask questions, get interested, and remember to thank him. Hopefully, you'll leave with that yearning desire to learn more.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[CG37387n]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[CG37387n]

Update:

Read the history of the director I'm shadowing. He's a DO!

I'm even more excited, because I can ask him his path and everything, and his school. Also, how he got to where he is currently.

 

[tripl3s3v3n]

I am not sure the title holds as much weight as a well written letter by a physician that knows you well and can speak of you highly. Having said that I included 3 letters in my application, because I was a scribe and a lot of the physicians offered to write them. One of which was from the ED Director who was a DO.