Volunteering --> shadowing

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JoeFlinstone

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My hospital where I volunteer allows me to scrub into surgery to watch cases. They don't allow me to "shadow" doctors. If all that I am doing is watching a surgery, does this count as shadowing? I am gaining from just watching rather than giving a service for free, so it seems more like shadowing.
 
Volunteering at a hospital itself is noteworthy and gives you some perspective on the medical world. Scrubbing in on surgeries is something most do not have the opportunity to do and is especially noteworthy. However, medicine is a massive, variety plentiful field and you are only seeing a sliver of it. I would recommend doing a bit of shadowing so can take in other aspects of a physicians life. In surgery you cannot talk about lifestyle, hours of work, day to day responsibilities. One reason medical schools encourage shadowing so much is ensure you at least have an idea of the life you are pursuing. You will never be able to take in all specialties and types but expanding beyond the surgical room would be advisable.

Good luck
 
I second gujuDOC and Nevryn. Your current experience sounds like great exposure, but additional shadowing with 1-on-1 interactions will be helpful toward your application and understanding of the medical profession.
 
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