What counts for shadowing?

[LikeDaniel]

Hello all,

Quick question.

I am currently shadowing three physicians in three different specialties. Before more formally shadowing them, I sat down with each of them and talked with them extensively about what they do and about the joys and challenges of being a physician in their experience.

My assumption is that, though this was very beneficial for me, it will ultimately not show up anywhere on my application (part of shadowing, for example), but I would prefer to verify that before not claiming a dozen or more shadowing hours.

What do you think?

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[AnotherLawyer]

Hello all,

Quick question.

I am currently shadowing three physicians in three different specialties. Before more formally shadowing them, I sat down with each of them and talked with them extensively about what they do and about the joys and challenges of being a physician in their experience.

My assumption is that, though this was very beneficial for me, it will ultimately not show up anywhere on my application (part of shadowing, for example), but I would prefer to verify that before not claiming a dozen or more shadowing hours.

What do you think?

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I don't think you could honestly claim that time as shadowing.

 

[LikeDaniel]

Yeah, that's honestly what I was thinking, but thought I'd make sure my definition wasn't more narrow than the adcoms.

Thanks!

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[esob]

How much time did you spend talking to them? I mean it can't be more than a couple of hrs, so just include it. If you shadowed them for an 8 hr day and put down that you shadowed for 10 hrs because you spent 2 hrs talking to them, no one is going to call them up and ask, and honestly even if they did the docs would likely not remember whether you were there for 8 hrs or 10. I was talking to another veteran today about putting my DD-214 into TMDSAS and he told me they don't even ask for it. If they aren't going to bother to verify military service, they sure aren't going to bother with semantics over whether two hrs you spent with a doc are shadowing or something else.

 

[Crayola227]

I think if it's part of a larger shadow experience it's fair game

I used to shadow a psych for 8 hours, and we'd spend an hour after talking about patients or what being a doctor is like.... I put down 9 hours. Shadowing is meant to be a day in the life of a doctor, and some amount of time educating students (talking to them) is frequently part of that.

EDIT: I meant for 8 hrs a day, each day I shadowed, to be clear.

If it was a one time thing, and the vast majority of the time is clinical proportional to the amount of time you talk aside from that, I still think 9 hours vs 8 hours reported is fair.

If it were 4 hours in office just talking shop, about getting you into med school, your interests, childhood, and 4 clinical shadowing.... then no.