What is a good amount of hours to shadow a specific doctor?

[virtualmaster999]

Is there a good or recommended amount I should shadow different doctors/specialists?

Thanks!


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[Mycoalwin]

I think it matters more what you get out of it — sometimes it takes more hours! I've read shadowing maybe ~20hrs/doc should be good. I just finished shadowing an ophth for 25 hours, and I can say I've learned a lot throughout that time. Any less, I probably wouldn't be able to talk about it much.

 

[Osteoth]

Some docs the specialty is more interesting or the doctor is a good teacher and is good at keeping you involved, others, not so much.

I have shadowed docs from 4 hours (radiology ) to 75 hours (EM, <3)

 

[QofQuimica]

Is there a good or recommended amount I should shadow different doctors/specialists?

No. As the user above said, spend more time with the docs who like to teach and less if you feel like you're not getting much out of it. For the record, @Osteoth I'm impressed you lasted a whole four hrs shadowing a radiologist.

 

[NickNaylor]

However much time it takes for you to no longer get something out of the experience. Remember that the goal of clinical experience is to teach you about the career and give you some basic insights into what caring for patients and being a physician is like. Some people will be able to figure that out quickly. Others can have hundreds of hours of clinical experience and still be clueless. Beyond a certain arbitrary threshold, what matters more is how you talk about the experience and make it clear that you took something away from it.

 

[goft20]

146


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[virtualmaster999]

Thanks everyone for the advice!


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[Osteoth]

No. As the user above said, spend more time with the docs who like to teach and less if you feel like you're not getting much out of it. For the record, @Osteoth I'm impressed you lasted a whole four hrs shadowing a radiologist.

Yeah me too haha