THIS IS NOT FUNNY....

[Dr. FS]

i really need your help.

i asked a DO to let me shodow him, so he told me to go by his office with my CV.

i need to know what i should expect, what kind of quetions should i ask-what kind of questions he will ask me

what exactly i will be doing by shodowing him? am i going to be on his way? am i going to watch how he deals with his patients-while he is examining them.

please, anyone out-there take my hand and show me the path, i need help, please reply. thank you so much

FS

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[tostra]

Hey Dr. FS,

I just finished shadowing a DO in my area and it was an awesome experience. I have had patient care experience before, working as a rehab aide for the physical therapy dept in my local hospital. However, I've never been in a clinical/private practice setting and was interested in seeing what it was like, so I opted to shadow a DO in private practice. My days were basically spent following him around as he treated patients. I got to see many cases and really got a feel for what a primary care physician does. For me it reinforced my desire to pursue Osteopathy and primary care. The Doc I shadowed was very receptive and answered all my questions honestly, giving me the good with the bad. And as a bonus, I made a friend and secured a letter of rec that will hopefully help me get into school this application cycle.

My best advice to you is, just be yourself. If this doc is willing to let you follow him then, chances are he/she is doing it because they want to help you. Not all physicians will take the time to let premeds follow them around and pick their brain, so take advantage of it!! Don't be afraid to ask them questions, it will help show you are genuinely interested in being a DO, and trust me ..... they love answering questions about themselves and what they do, (and who wouldn't, it's the greatest profession in the world).
Afterwards be sure to thank them profusely for the opportunity (a good ego-stroking could help your chances of getting a killer letter of rec).

Good luck to you!!!!

 

[healthydawg]

howdy

like you (and a bunch of others it seems) i've also been in pursuit of the coveted DO letter. fortunately, it has been working out well for me (knock on wood). i've visited 2 DOs so far and talked with a third a few times on the phone. for others who might be reading this, persistence was the key...

here are some suggestions. all were very interested in why i was wanted to be a doc and why a DO. you should have that down by now anyway. for the first meetings with the 2 i saw in person, i had a cv ready and was prepared to talk about my experiences in health. i also took the time to think of questions for them... i actually had it all on a form because i was nervous like hell and didn't want to forget things. although i was concerned that it might be too forward, both docs seemed impressed that i had taken the time to do it. both made enough time in their schedules to answer all of my questions (all 34 of them!). finally, i gave them copies of my aacomas essay. after that i just observed some clinical stuff which was neat. a couple of visits like that and i got bold and asked for a letter...

here's another thing, i'm a public health person so the two docs i targeted were both in community clinics. those are often closely linked with local PH departments where ever you go. so i had something to talk about going in and throughout our brief "relationships". that made a huge difference. i felt like i could actually DISCUSS some things rather than just stand there. likewise, i think if possible you should find docs that practice in an area you have some experience in (even if it's minimal) or have a burning desire to practice yourself.

finally, one of the docs really, really, really went into my background and character. when it was time to ask for a letter he said yes and that he would put a lot of that stuff into it. he felt there were aspects of my background and experience that didn't come out in my essay and that an admissions committee would be interested in. he was looking for a "hook" so to speak. i'm so glad he took the time to probe - i got really lucky that way. so it might be worth thinking about that before you go in.

hope this helps.