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What if I can't shadow and there isn't a hospital near my school? What can I do?
- Thread starter SlugMD
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There's nothing wrong with wanting to be prepared! 🙂
Simply get a hospital volunteering gig when you're completing your summer internships in 2012 and 2013 and shadow your Dad's friend in the meantime. You don't have to legit be in the room to get an understanding of what goes on in medical practice. I, for example, found that walking around the clinics of family friends and interacting with patients, the help, and the manager were fairly enlightening.
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1) All med schools will expect you to have direct interactions with sick people. This doesn't have to be in a hospital.
2) If patients give consent, you can be in the room and shadow. Obviously, this doc doesn't want the bother. So keep asking elsewhere. Did you ask your own physician? You could even volunteer to help out in a private office in exchange for a chance to shadow. Wherever you volunteer, docs should be there, you'll get to know them, and then you might ask for a shadowing opportunity. You might also get a job where shadowing is embedded, like medical translator or scribe.
3) Also look into nursing homes, hospice, rehab facilities, and clinics of all types. If none of the above options exist within a reasonable distance, then intense patient contact hours (job, volunteer, clinical research) over school breaks at a facilty close to home for 2-3 years if often sufficient.
4) How will you demonstrate leadership qualities in the senate? What will your role be within Theta Chi that will show adcomms you have a quality they'd consider important in a Physician? How will you be improving lives? By fund raising or by hands-on assistance? (The latter is preferred.)
1. I would like to do a summer internship in 2012 but I'm afraid that I won't be very competitive because most of the program's application deadline is too early for me to have more than my 1st quarter grades in which I got a 3.4 plus I haven't done much EC's because I have only been through 1 quarter of college.
2. Because Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz NOT requiring a 3rd quarter of bio (Eco and Evo) in addition to the fact of only having a 2 quarter O-chem series, I will be able to finish all my prerequites in addition to 1 quarter if genetics by the end of my second year which is why I want to spend the 3 months in the summer of 2013 to study for MCAT. Having an internship during this time will not leave me adequate time to study for it. I want to take it in the summer simply because all the material will be very fresh in my mind. I don't think it makes sense to delay the MCAT in order to take UD Bio classes because they will only help on ~1/2 of the Bio section whereas having Physics, G-Chem, O-Chem, and Genetics fresh in my mind will help me on all of the Physical Science sections and probably 1/2 of the bio section. Taking it in the summer seems to make the most sense for me. Also this way I can spend more time during my third year on research, volunteering, and shadowing.
3. Looking at it from the doctor's perspective, why would he let me be in his office if I can't shadow? I would just be impeding progress if I were to just be in the office and not be able to do anything beneficial.
1. I did not know that. I'll start looking for opportunities at homeless shelters, AIDS clinics, etc.
2. That's what I told him but he said that you used to be able to do that and it was fine but this new law that came out recently prevents me from even knowing the patients name. Maybe he just doesn't want me to shadow but doesn't want to tell me directly.
3. Same answer as #1
4. Right off the top of my heads: I can demonstrate leadership qualities by holding a position for the senate and being very actively involved throughout the school. As for Theta Chi, it's a family and I guess I can say that I can learn how to take care of a large amount of people. It will also show that I am well rounded. I am able to socialize with all different types of people. and lastly, what the Care project does is every couple of months, they setup these temporary clinics in the city which provide medical care, meals to eat, and some amenities to the homeless. I guess this could be considered to be clinical experience even though it isn't in a hospital or doctor's office. (Just like you said)
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HIPPA doesn't prevent you from being a shadow. You have to sign paperwork that says you understand that you can't speak about any of these patients after you leave the office. The physician asks the patient if you can come in, and if they say no, you sit in the office/nurses station. The doc who told you this probably isn't willing to do it, or the clinic system doesn't want to deal with it. Look for clinics who have residency programs because often they are more open to UG education via shadowing. Family practice doctors (in my experience) are more likely to let you shadow. Either way, call clinics and start asking... or as was suggested, ask your own doctor
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Homeless shelters would be more likely to give you a source of nonmedical community service, but there are rare ones where medical care is provided.
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I could be wrong on this, so take what I say with a grain of salt...
My understanding is that shadowing can be a nice asset to your application. But not having shadowing is not a deal breaker. Given how competitive medical school admission is these days, you would probably be better served to seek out all opportunities to shadow. However, you also need to prioritize. If I were you and I was unable to find shadowing opportunities, I would divert my attention to other EC's that I can feasibly take part in and make a meaningful contribution towards.
The reason why I say that shadowing can be beneficial is due to a large part from talking with the dean of the SMP program I am currently attending, and my own shadowing experience. During the course of shadowing, I really feel like I gained absolutely nothing from it. Standing by a physician while he or she talks with patients can potentially be informative, but you are really just a passive onlooker. What's more critical is actual clinical exposure in the form of volunteering of some sort. As a clinical volunteer, I observed how physicians and hospital staff interacted with patients, but I also got to interact with them as well. Shadowing after my clinical experience did not really expose me to anything new.
To more directly answer your question, shadowing should be on your "list of things to do". But it shouldn't be at the top of your list. I would go to great lengths to secure some sort of clinical position (ER volunteer, hospice, whatever) before shadowing. I also found from my own experience that working in a clinical setting will open you to the opportunity to shadow physicians. A physician who sees you on rounds regularly would possibly be open to talking with you and letting you shadow them.
I know you said there isn't a hospital near your school. But there likely will be some sort of nursing home or hospice/palliative care center. Those are great opportunities to interact with patients.
Godspeed.
My understanding is that shadowing can be a nice asset to your application. But not having shadowing is not a deal breaker. Given how competitive medical school admission is these days, you would probably be better served to seek out all opportunities to shadow. However, you also need to prioritize. If I were you and I was unable to find shadowing opportunities, I would divert my attention to other EC's that I can feasibly take part in and make a meaningful contribution towards.
The reason why I say that shadowing can be beneficial is due to a large part from talking with the dean of the SMP program I am currently attending, and my own shadowing experience. During the course of shadowing, I really feel like I gained absolutely nothing from it. Standing by a physician while he or she talks with patients can potentially be informative, but you are really just a passive onlooker. What's more critical is actual clinical exposure in the form of volunteering of some sort. As a clinical volunteer, I observed how physicians and hospital staff interacted with patients, but I also got to interact with them as well. Shadowing after my clinical experience did not really expose me to anything new.
To more directly answer your question, shadowing should be on your "list of things to do". But it shouldn't be at the top of your list. I would go to great lengths to secure some sort of clinical position (ER volunteer, hospice, whatever) before shadowing. I also found from my own experience that working in a clinical setting will open you to the opportunity to shadow physicians. A physician who sees you on rounds regularly would possibly be open to talking with you and letting you shadow them.
I know you said there isn't a hospital near your school. But there likely will be some sort of nursing home or hospice/palliative care center. Those are great opportunities to interact with patients.
Godspeed.
I had no shadowing on my application, and I don't think it was an issue. I don't know of anyone at my university who does shadow, actually; I think it's more an American thing. Of course, I have interacted with physicians and patients in multiple other contexts, whether clinical volunteering or research. I think as long as you've had experiences with both patients and physicians and demonstrate an understanding of medicine as a profession, you should be fine.
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Some schools require shadowing. Specifically, I'm thinking of Utah, UWash, and Creighton. Others may have adcom members who require it.
There are no new laws forbidding shadowing. Your doctor just doesn't want to deal with you. Find another doctor. You've got plenty of time to do it.
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I smiled a bit at your "HIPA or HEPA" comment. He's not lying HIPAA is real, but it doesn't prevent you from shadowing as long as the patients give consent.
One of the physicians I shadowed always introduced me to the patients with "This is my student, MedPR." He didn't ask them for consent, and as far as I know, consent is implied. In other words, patients automatically consent unless they say they don't.
I also don't think you're planning too far ahead. It's good to get all the experience you can.
👍
HIPAA isn't exactly new, it was signed into law in 1996 so this is nothing new at all.
That's also what the doctor that I shadowed did, just told the patients that I was helping him for the day.
