What will I get to do shadowing an orthopedic spine surgeon?

[biochemnerd123]

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I'm going to be shadowing an orthopedic spine surgeon at his private practice very soon, just wondering what I'll be allowed to do. Obviously I'm not very qualified to do anything serious or that helpful, but is there any chance I can get inside the OR to watch and then do you think they'll let me scrub and/or get gloved+gowned for that? Any chance I can help hold a retractor, or is that wishful thinking?

 

[libertyyne]

I'm going to be shadowing an orthopedic spine surgeon at his private practice very soon, just wondering what I'll be allowed to do. Obviously I'm not very qualified to do anything serious or that helpful, but is there any chance I can get inside the OR to watch and then do you think they'll let me scrub and/or get gloved+gowned for that? Any chance I can help hold a retractor, or is that wishful thinking?

Depends on the hospital. But you in all likelihood will be allowed to watch the procedure from 3+ feet away. I doubt any hospital will allow you to scrub.

 

[alcoholdehydrogenase69]

Yeah I think the scrub-in level is not until your an actual med student


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[Mrlewy]

It's safe to say all you'll do is watch.

 

[deleted480308]

you will stand over there and not touch anything

 

[Frogger27]

You will grab coffee when the doctor snaps his fingers and move out of the way after

 

[biochemnerd123]

This might be a silly thing but do you think I could ask the doc to let me practice suturing on a banana peel or something? I know it sounds kind of dumb and I won't need to know how to suture for a while...but I just wanna know

 

[libertyyne]

This might be a silly thing but do you think I could ask the doc to let me practice suturing on a banana peel or something? I know it sounds kind of dumb and I won't need to know how to suture for a while...but I just wanna know

Go find a video on YouTube.
I get the enthusiasm and everything. It would just sound a little over the top to me especially from someone who hasn't even gotten into med school yet.i d expend that energy getting into med school

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I'm going to be shadowing an orthopedic spine surgeon at his private practice very soon, just wondering what I'll be allowed to do. Obviously I'm not very qualified to do anything serious or that helpful, but is there any chance I can get inside the OR to watch and then do you think they'll let me scrub and/or get gloved+gowned for that? Any chance I can help hold a retractor, or is that wishful thinking?

What will you get to do? You will stand in the corner and not touch anything. You won't really see anything and you will consider it a good day if the surgeon even talks to you at all during the case. You will then get to stand there afterwards while the doc dictates and following that he will complain to you about how bad the EMR is. Did I mention not to touch anything?

Gowning and gloving is a process that is very tedious and no one wants to have to teach some pre-med how to do it properly. Especially when you will probably mess up the first couple times because most people do.

watch the procedure from 5+ feet

FTFY

 

[LizzyM]

And don't let your gown touch the drapes!!

And did we mention, don't touch anything?!

 

[Doggo]

Yep, shadowing is one of the strangest premed reqs. Just sit back and enjoy the fact that you get to just watch and aren't responsible for doing anything.

 

[Doggo]

What will you get to do? You will stand in the corner and not touch anything. You won't really see anything and you will consider it a good day if the surgeon even talks to you at all during the case. You will then get to stand there afterwards while the doc dictates and following that he will complain to you about how bad the EMR is. Did I mention not to touch anything?

This basically summarized my whole shadowing experience. So glad that I decided to take an EMT class and got real clinical experience through that (although it made the shadowing I did afterwards a bit soul crushing since I was used to actually doing things).

 

[libertyyne]

Yep, shadowing is one of the strangest premed reqs. Just sit back and enjoy the fact that you get to just watch and aren't responsible for doing anything.

I think it is almost zero value add to the process.

 

[Ismet]

Stay 3 feet away from anything that is blue. Hopefully you'll be able to see something.

Shadowing a general surgeon might let you see more - if they do a laparoscopic case, you can watch the whole thing on a screen far from the table.

 

[JB50]

Dude do not ask to do anything you are literally a shadow. Don't touch anything don't ask to hold anything just sit there and use your eyes that's literally all you can and should do.

Also don't ask about the banana he might say yes just to see if you're actually serious.

 

[LizzyM]

I think it is almost zero value add to the process.

I've always felt that the most beneficial is shadowing for all the waking hours so you see the paperwork, the reading of journals, the team meetings, the administrative meetings, the continuing education session, the returning of phone calls, the consent for a procedure, (did I mention meetings?), and seeing patients. And although the OR is cool, I feel as if there is more benefit in seeing patients and their families when they are awake and talking to the physician.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I've always felt that the most benefit is shadowing for all the waking hours so you see the paperwork, the reading of journals, the team meetings, the administrative meetings, the continuing education session, the returning of phone calls, the consent for a procedure, (did I mention meetings?), and seeing patients. And although the OR is cool, I feel as if there is more benefit in seeing patients and their families when they are awake and talking to the physician.

This, you actually get a better idea of what a doc does being in his clinic all day than following him in the OR.

 

[candbgirl]

This might be a silly thing but do you think I could ask the doc to let me practice suturing on a banana peel or something? I know it sounds kind of dumb and I won't need to know how to suture for a while...but I just wanna know

Really? You can do that at home. Remember don't touch anything.


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[idontwatchgreysanatomy]

Most of the time when I've shadowed a surgeon I've been on iPod duty

 

[biochemnerd123]

Sounds like I'll actually be doing things more like helping out in the office (though I might also get some time to watch in the OR) do med schools like that kind of a thing, esp if I work in there regularly?

 

[candbgirl]

It's always enlightening to see what happens in a medical practice. What are you going to do? Any direct patient contact/interaction?


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[biochemnerd123]

It's always enlightening to see what happens in a medical practice. What are you going to do? Any direct patient contact/interaction?

Not totally sure. I start tomorrow, but he said we'll be seeing patients in his office.

 

[treesnm3s]

When I shadowed a spinal orthopod, he let me scrub in and stand next to him (or across if there was a C-arm in the way) while touching the patient's back/stomach or the little stand over the patient's feet that the scrub nurse kept their tools at. Every so often he'd back out and let me get a better look inside from where he was operating. I scrubbed in at one of hospitals he was privileged at and at a smaller outpatient surgery center. The personnel were more relaxed at the surgery center. At the hospital, the circulation nurse kept giving me the stink eye as if they were waiting for me to break sterile or pass out. Apparently that happens a lot with premeds...

When I shadowed him in the clinic, I just followed him into the room, shook hands with the patients, looked at images, watched nerve tests, and stayed quiet. Oh and ate the food that the device reps brought lol

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Oh and ate the food that the device reps brought lol

Now that's a solid day of shadowing. Free food makes everything better, I always loved it when the doc would take me to the doctors lounge (at the hospital I shadow/work at the docs are given free meals and the cupboards are stocked full of all kinds of goodies)

 

[libertyyne]

When I shadowed a spinal orthopod, he let me scrub in and stand next to him (or across if there was a C-arm in the way) while touching the patient's back/stomach or the little stand over the patient's feet that the scrub nurse kept their tools at. Every so often he'd back out and let me get a better look inside from where he was operating. I scrubbed in at one of hospitals he was privileged at and at a smaller outpatient surgery center. The personnel were more relaxed at the surgery center. At the hospital, the circulation nurse kept giving me the stink eye as if they were waiting for me to break sterile or pass out. Apparently that happens a lot with premeds...

When I shadowed him in the clinic, I just followed him into the room, shook hands with the patients, looked at images, watched nerve tests, and stayed quiet. Oh and ate the food that the device reps brought lol

he didnt let you close up by yourself? Amateur. Did he share the speaking fees for the device atleast?

 

[zero0]

They let me scrub in during a multi-level spinal fusion when I was shadowing a peds ortho as a pre-med, and this was at a top-notch big city hospital setting with lots of red tape. Even got to cut a few stitches as they were closing, so who knows? Really depends what kind of mood the surgeon and scrub nurses are in.

 

[treesnm3s]

he didnt let you close up by yourself? Amateur. Did he share the speaking fees for the device atleast?

No, but I was generously compensated with chicken tendies.

 

[Doggo]

I was under the impression you weren't allowed to do anything when you shadowed? I wouldn't mention any patient contact during interviews if I were you haha


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[0dee]

The Ortho surgeon I shadowed let me go in and take patient history instead of the techs at the office and report back to him. He was a really cool guy and loved having premeds around.

The cardiothoracic surgeon also let me scrub in and watch an open heart surgery, which was at a teaching facility with med students and residents as well.
It all depends on the hospital rules and your own doc. Just being there without scrubbing in is an experience by itself so make the best out of it. P.S. Befriend the anesthesiologist, they have the best views lol.