When is the right time to shadow?

[BTR1208]

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May be a dumb question but I was just wondering when it is suggested to shadow?

The reason I ask is I do not plan to apply until Aug 2014. I have a pretty light loaded semester right now (compared to the next three plus summer) so I thought now would be a great time to do it. Do I have to log anywhere for my apps the hours I have shadowed? Should I ask for LOR after shadowing even though I do not plan to apply until 2014?

How many hours are suggested?

Thanks everybody.

B

 

[Robert De Niro]

Never too early to start shadowing, especially if your schedule is going to prevent you from doing so in the future. Just keep a professional relationship with whoever you shadow so you can get a LOR from them in two years. IMO no need to have them write it now if you're not applying until 2014.

As for how many hours; how ever many it takes for you to know this is the profession for you. I've seen ppl say 20 hrs is sufficient, and others say they have over 100. Either way you have enough time to accumulate enough hours for adcoms. Finally, you can log your hours on your own, which will help when filling out the online application, but I have never been asked by any school or AACPMAS for an official log.

Hope this helps

 

[BTR1208]

Definitely does!! Thank you!

 

[Pod267]

as mentioned before, it is never too early. if you start early it's even better since if you don't like it, you can start thinking about other professions. you don't need an official log, but in the application service, it asked me how many hours i shadowed the dpm but that's it, you don't need to provide any proof. if your school has a pre-health professional advising office that holds your LORs for you, definitely take advantage of that. you may never know what's going to happen (dpm moves out of state when you need a LOR, or something) all of my LORs were from my sophomore year in college and the advising office held it for me until i asked them to release them.

hope this additional info helps

 

[Shinobiz11]

You want to apply without shadowing? This seems like a red-flag for me. I would most definitely check out the career before you make your decision lol. Good luck and have fun! 🙂

 

[Cascade11]

I would shadow now when the semester is light. Never hurts to know and be 100% set with what you want to do in life. And if you don't like it, you have time to find another profession and adjust your pre-reqs without paying extra for college.

 

[hughesn2]

Best idea I would have in that case is ask a podiatrist at a hospital if you can shadow him once a week for 4hrs. Try to see if you can schedule it for a Sunday for 4hrs during the day time. I have done volunteering during the semester before for one 4hr shift a week.

 

[DrRock44]

It's always the right time to shadow