Volatile Shadowing Experience

[GLaDOS]

Don't feel the need to keep defending yourself from people with poor reading comprehension skills on the internet. You'll lock yourself into an endless cycle of posting...

Haha, looks like I'm going to learn more than 1 lesson from this experience & apparently the theme is impulse control.

But seriously, I can't seem to help but be bothered by the fact that people on this thread continue to think that I was outright questioning the PA's diagnosis. I fully understand that I'm not qualified to make any sort of assessment of the diagnosis. I was more so a bit apprehensive about the way in which she examined & communicated her findings to the patient. I don't think anyone on here can argue that, at a minimum, the patient deserved to know why the PA thought she was unfit for duty.

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[Pacna]

None of the US MD programs I applied to needed a LOR from an MD, I don't have one. Almost no MD programs require one, mostly only DO programs require a DO shadowing/volunteering LOR.

+1

I got accepted to a program that "required" a DO letter. I had no such letter.

Physician LORs are definitely a plus, but they are by no means required.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Whether you made a mistake in talking to the patient aside, I don't really see what you're concerned about. Adcoms have stated on this forum multiple times that physician LORs are meh at best, and I know very few premeds who actually end up getting one. As far as your shadowing hours go, you can still put it on your application.

There is an extremely small chance that an adcom will waste time checking whether or not you shadowed for those 100 hours, and even if they do it will only be to verify the hours not to get an assessment of your character (that's what LORs are for). The chances of an adcom calling to verify shadowing hours, getting a long story about how you're unfit for medicine from the person picking up the phone, and then having that information actually put into your file by the adcom when you never asked for an LOR from the person answering the phone is sooooooo minuscule.

But as someone else stated, if you're up for it this would make good secondary material

 

[Mr Roboto]

You don't have anything to worry about. This will have zero negative impact on your life. In fact, it has positive impact because you've learned never to say something that may be even remotely construed as undermining a colleague. Give up on the LOR from anyone at this practice. If you need a DO LOR, go elsewhere for it, you've still got time. Still put the shadowing hours on your app, though.

I scribe in an ED and have friends who shadow physicians there. Unlike other posters in this thread, I think it's incredibly awkward when the scribe/shadow says nothing throughout the patient encounter. Say hello, laugh at jokes, make polite conversation. But when a patient asks me anything medical at allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll then I shrug and give them the most confused look I can muster before pleading ignorance and directing them elsewhere. I've seen shadows run papers for physicians, give patients updates on test results, etc. but I'm kind of surprised that they had you charting as a non-employee. Feel like that might be a Medicare violation (assuming they take those patients). But whatever. Either way, I can't imagine saying what you said and would be horrified to overhear any shadow or hospital employee suggest to an upset patient that they should be seen elsewhere. Learn the lesson, move on with life, and be glad you didn't learn this in a manner that would actually harm you.

 

[deleted480308]

While ER shadowing, a patient didn't like the doc's suggested treatment and turned to me with, "what do you think?".

"I think (wink and nods to doc) his name is doctor and mine isn't"

Patient: "I guess that says it all doesn't it"

 

[GLaDOS]

You don't have anything to worry about. This will have zero negative impact on your life. In fact, it has positive impact because you've learned never to say something that may be even remotely construed as undermining a colleague. Give up on the LOR from anyone at this practice. If you need a DO LOR, go elsewhere for it, you've still got time. Still put the shadowing hours on your app, though.

I scribe in an ED and have friends who shadow physicians there. Unlike other posters in this thread, I think it's incredibly awkward when the scribe/shadow says nothing throughout the patient encounter. Say hello, laugh at jokes, make polite conversation. But when a patient asks me anything medical at allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll then I shrug and give them the most confused look I can muster before pleading ignorance and directing them elsewhere. I've seen shadows run papers for physicians, give patients updates on test results, etc. but I'm kind of surprised that they had you charting as a non-employee. Feel like that might be a Medicare violation (assuming they take those patients). But whatever. Either way, I can't imagine saying what you said and would be horrified to overhear any shadow or hospital employee suggest to an upset patient that they should be seen elsewhere. Learn the lesson, move on with life, and be glad you didn't learn this in a manner that would actually harm you.

Sorry, not to be rude, but did you even read my posts? I didn't actually suggest she be seen elsewhere, nor did I say that she should. I understand the difference may be considered subtle to some, but even with my momentary lapse of judgment, I would like to think I would never go so far as to say what you're suggesting I said.

Furthermore, I have already been in situations where a patient was disgruntled or upset with the physician's assessment & point-blank asked for my opinion. As I'm bilingual, this actually has happened several times. Usually a Spanish-speaking patient would ask me for my opinion after the doctor left the room, or in 1 instance, right in front of the doctor. Since the doctors there don't speak Spanish, I would always reply in English & defer to the physician. I'm not a complete idiot. I made a mistake. Honestly, I think the more important lesson in all of this is that I should never allow myself to be delegated a task that is clearly outside of the scope of my role.

 

[Captain Sisko]

i didn't bother reading the whole thread, so pardon me if these points have been made already, but:

A) a letter of recommendation from a doctor you've shadowed isn't really value added, so you wouldn't get one anyway

B) if you've 100 hours shadowing in primary care that's probably "enough" to check the box. Go shadow some other specialities, but you don't need to be there anymore anyway.

C) to what others said above, yes it's great secondary material! It's ok to own your mistake and admit that you did wrong as long as you make it clear what you've learned. Makes you appear honest and genuine. Good interview fodder too.

D) good luck!