What to get out of shadowing as an undergraduate

[aegistitan]

So I have been shadowing a PCP physician for a while now, but I feel as though I have not been getting much out of the experience that I would be able to talk about at an interview/if asked. Yes, I do see the physician do a lot; but much of the information/procedures fly by me - most likely because I have not been educated enough to actually understand the protocol being taken by the physician. I currently keep a shadowing log, where I note the total amount of hours and general notes about what the physician did on the given day, but again not much info there that I can synthesize into an essay/talk about.

So are there particular experiences I should note while shadowing? Was there anything you guys focussed in on while shadowing at the undergraduate level?

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[zzxxzz]

Shadow different physicians. You'll eventually find someone who will talk to you and tell you insightful, incredible things. Almost made my shadowing experience with a single physician one of my "most important" experiences on my app.

I also had a shadowing experience were I had no idea what was going on 95% of the time, even when the physician explained things. I talked about the unique and interesting cases I saw with him and observing his demeanor when explaining grave issues with patients/families (even though I had to google all of them after the fact).

 

[EyesOfTheWorld]

If you can do it without being obtrusive, ask questions when you're confused. I got really lucky and I'm shadowing an amazing physician who teaches me about everything she's doing and prints me off ridiculous amounts of literature on the topics we discuss.

Also, ask questions about them and what it's like to be a doctor (here's a link to a bunch of awesome questions: http://www.doctorshadow.com/about-shadowing-a-physician/sample-questions-to-ask/#.U3FHuXBgpJg). The best way to know what you're getting into is asking someone who has already been there. Find out about their med school and ask if they recommend it. Ask what they wish they knew at your age.

Also, absorb as much as you can through observation. You should be a sponge. Note how long patient interactions are, pay attention to the mannerisms and tone of the doctor, note what questions he/she asks the patient, see what questions he/she skips from patient to patient (some things are only relevant to certain patients and symptoms), does he/she use references at all or is everything in their head? How much time to they spend face-to-face vs doing paperwork? Then, reflect on everything. What surprised you? What excited you? What didn't you like? Etc.

 

[ace12345]

Go see some surgeries.

 

[deleted621740]

In reality, it's normal as an undergraduate to not understand a bulk of the procedures the physician is carrying out; but, if you're truly interested in a specific specialty your lack of knowledge (which is expected by physicians) won't matter, as long as you're absorbing the information provided by the physician. Also, with being around the doctor for a prolonged period of time, you're eventually going to understand and love everything!


I've been shadowing a cardiothoracic surgeon for a few weeks and was in the same boat. Luckily, he is a great teacher and I know have all his surgery tendencies and procedures down (and love every bit of it).