I know I need to get some shadowing done, but when looking for a doctor to shadow, what kind of schedule with them and how should the shadowing go? I've heard some people shadow every week, every 2-3 days, and some 3 times a month. I'm pretty confused 🙁
What to look for in a doctor to shadow?
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It's totally up to you and how busy the doctor is. During the school year, I only went in once or twice a week, but during winter break/summer, I shadowed almost every day (for a month). It all depended on whether or not I felt like going in and if there were any cool surgeries to watch. As far as for how long, it could be anywhere from a couple of hours to like up to 10 hrs/day, again depending on how long you want to stay and what you want to see.
If a doctor allows a pre-med to shadow, they're most likely pretty flexible and will tell you you can come and go as you wish.
If a doctor allows a pre-med to shadow, they're most likely pretty flexible and will tell you you can come and go as you wish.
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It doesn't really matter if you do it every week or every month. Find docs who are available to shadow on your days off. It's nice to get to see the entire workday as opposed to a small sample.
Find docs who are involved in education in some form. Guest speaking at pre-med meetings, med school teachers, etc. They'll be more likely to accept, and you'll get more out of the experience that way.
I contacted the doctors via email. My first contact was just introducing myself and respectfully asking if they would be ok with me shadowing them. If they were interested, I'd then talk to them about my schedule.
Find docs who are involved in education in some form. Guest speaking at pre-med meetings, med school teachers, etc. They'll be more likely to accept, and you'll get more out of the experience that way.
I contacted the doctors via email. My first contact was just introducing myself and respectfully asking if they would be ok with me shadowing them. If they were interested, I'd then talk to them about my schedule.
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Some docs will have clear ideas of what works best for their office, their schedule, their patients, and the hospital staff. Be flexible. Find out what the doctor has in mind first, then negociate what works for you.
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hey cat, u think it would be a good idea to shadow my own primary doc? she has her own practice.
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Your own physician already knows you well and is a logical person to ask. She may have concerns of patient confidentiality issues, but it never hurts to ask. If she says no, respect that, and don't let it have a negative impact on your relationship.
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You should try the ones that you know first: family, friends, family friends, than you branch out to your PCP and then random people you email. You should try the shotgun approach, it's a lot more efficient. Better to have more than 1 say yes than none.
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cool.
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Well here are ways to find doctors to shadow : http://forums.studentdoctor.net/blog.php?b=4003
Personally, the thing I looked for the most was a doctor who was willing to say yes. 😉 I had some idea of some of the specialties I definitely wanted to shadow, but I made it clear to some of the people who were helping me arrange things that I would also take people in different specialties outside of my preferences.
Once a doctor says yes, it seems to be easy to arrange. You just work it out with your schedule and the doctor's schedule. I've done the "shadowing a few hours every few months" thing, I've done the "shadowing one day a week for a few weeks" thing, and I've done the "shadowing a few days a week for a few weeks" thing. I tended to try to actively pursue trying to fill my winter/summer/spring breaks with any shadowing time I could arrange. If I was only able to shadow a few hours during my month off, well that was all I could do.
Personally, the thing I looked for the most was a doctor who was willing to say yes. 😉 I had some idea of some of the specialties I definitely wanted to shadow, but I made it clear to some of the people who were helping me arrange things that I would also take people in different specialties outside of my preferences.
Once a doctor says yes, it seems to be easy to arrange. You just work it out with your schedule and the doctor's schedule. I've done the "shadowing a few hours every few months" thing, I've done the "shadowing one day a week for a few weeks" thing, and I've done the "shadowing a few days a week for a few weeks" thing. I tended to try to actively pursue trying to fill my winter/summer/spring breaks with any shadowing time I could arrange. If I was only able to shadow a few hours during my month off, well that was all I could do.
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If you volunteer in a hospital, see if you can find a doc to shadow when you're not volunteering (don't be one of THOSE premeds who volunteers by shadowing doctors for 4 hours...) For example, I volunteer in a VA and when I'm done with my patients, I hop over to the ER and see if the attending will let me shadow (I've never been told "no" by anyone in the VA, for the record). It helps that you're a credentialed "employee" of sorts.
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