When should medical students shadow?

[ViergeEnnuyeuse]

I'm an MS1 and I purposely didn't want to get involved with ECs or shadowing during my first semester because I wanted to get an idea of how I would handle the demands of medical school. However, a lot of my friends are already shadowing or plan on doing so next semester. I'm not sure if I should jump on the bandwagon or not. If you averaged out all of my grades for the first semester, it would fall in the low 80s so I'm not really a stellar student. I'm worried that if I take time out to shadow during school, my grades will dip. I already planned to do a preceptorship during the summer, but I think shadowing during a semester will improve my resume. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What should I do? In case it helps, I'm really leaning towards pathology so I'll shadow in that area.

Thanks!

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[treva]

Considering that in the grand scope of your education that the first two classroom years are to prepare for the last two clinical years, and that as a professional you'll be in the clinic and not in the classroom. Seeing how the clinical experience trumps the classroom experience in your education, it seems silly to me that you'd rather put classroom infront of clinical.

But if it's not mandatory by your school its up to you I suppose.

 

[ViergeEnnuyeuse]

Doesn't your school pair you up with some doctors to shadow as part of a first year "intro to doctoring" class or the like?

The course director for our "intro to doctoring" class gave us a list of contacts for various specialties, and that was it. It's not mandated that we shadow.

 

[Blade28]

There's optional shadowing in med school?

Seems like it'd be something that's worth doing.

 

[Law2Doc]

There's optional shadowing in med school?

Seems like it'd be something that's worth doing.

Of course there is optional shadowing. How do you think folks ever get to see some of the less "core" specialties. Spare time in second year, and vacations during 3rd tend to be a popular time for this.

 

[pseudoknot]

I think shadowing is a great thing to do for fun, to see specialties you won't see in 3rd year or just can't wait for, or maybe even to get motivated (all of these are basically the same thing, of course). I don't think it will improve your resume in any way, as it would look a little strange even to put it on a resume. Do it only if you want to.

 

[smq123]

I'm an MS1 and I purposely didn't want to get involved with ECs or shadowing during my first semester because I wanted to get an idea of how I would handle the demands of medical school. However, a lot of my friends are already shadowing or plan on doing so next semester. I'm not sure if I should jump on the bandwagon or not. If you averaged out all of my grades for the first semester, it would fall in the low 80s so I'm not really a stellar student. I'm worried that if I take time out to shadow during school, my grades will dip. I already planned to do a preceptorship during the summer, but I think shadowing during a semester will improve my resume. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What should I do? In case it helps, I'm really leaning towards pathology so I'll shadow in that area.

Shadowing as a med student doesn't help your resume. (It's not like undergrad.) It just helps you figure out what interests you and what doesn't.

 

[Law2Doc]

Shadowing as a med student doesn't help your resume. (It's not like undergrad.) It just helps you figure out what interests you and what doesn't.

Exactly. If you are thinking of doing it for resume purposes forget it - valueless. If you are thinking of doing it to see some field that won't be offered in your 3rd year core rotations (eg rad onc, urology) and you are concerned about making an uninformed residency decision come 4th year, that's different.

 

[wanabdoc]

Although I personally don't think it is very beneficial, our school requires several weeks of 40hrs/week shadowing as part of its MS1 curriculum. They make time for this by shortening the weeks per year we are in class, so our schedule is somewhat condensed.

 

[Disinence2]

wannabdoc... isn't that annoying! I feel like my first 2 years are my chance to ace step 1, and spending too much time standing in the corner having to idea whats going on during a surgery isn't helping me much.

I use optional shadowing as a chance to gain some motivation that medicine is more than just memorizing stuipid facts about about a 7q11 deletion.

 

[Blade28]

Of course there is optional shadowing. How do you think folks ever get to see some of the less "core" specialties. Spare time in second year, and vacations during 3rd tend to be a popular time for this.

I always thought the MS-IV year was for these non-core rotations.

But some of my classmates may have done this - unofficially, though, as they weren't offered during the pre-clinical years.

 

[Law2Doc]

I always thought the MS-IV year was for these non-core rotations.

Sure, but the way quite a few med school schedules work, you only really have time for one to two 4th year rotations before you have to get residency applications in. If you haven't narrowed things down by then, you are sort of SOL. So if you need to see more than 1-2 things beyond the cores, or if you plan to do away rotations, you sort of need to have seen more things first.

 

[45408]

Sure, but the way quite a few med school schedules work, you only really have time for one to two 4th year rotations before you have to get residency applications in. If you haven't narrowed things down by then, you are sort of SOL. So if you need to see more than 1-2 things beyond the cores, or if you plan to do away rotations, you sort of need to have seen more things first.

Precisely my situation. I'm going to start trying to get some shadowing in, because I don't have many M3 electives, and there are a few specialties I'd like to see before I apply for residency.

 

[wanabdoc]

wannabdoc... isn't that annoying! I feel like my first 2 years are my chance to ace step 1, and spending too much time standing in the corner having to idea whats going on during a surgery isn't helping me much.

It is kinda annoying, I was scheduled to shadow in neurology, and I sat in meetings for most of the day listening to older docs quiz the 3rd and 4th years about things I didn't know anything about yet.

Also, some of the administration didn't like it when I said neurology was boring, anyone else agree with this (most of my friends do)?

 

[Blade28]

Sure, but the way quite a few med school schedules work, you only really have time for one to two 4th year rotations before you have to get residency applications in. If you haven't narrowed things down by then, you are sort of SOL. So if you need to see more than 1-2 things beyond the cores, or if you plan to do away rotations, you sort of need to have seen more things first.

Very true.

I was lucky in that I went into one of the "cores" (General Surgery), but I had classmates interested in non-cores - e.g. ENT, Ophtho, Neurology, etc. - who had to arrange preceptorships on their own during the MS-I and MS-II years.

 

[pseudoknot]

I was lucky in that I went into one of the "cores" (General Surgery)

That is, in fact, the first time I've heard anyone ever say that.

 

[Blade28]

That is, in fact, the first time I've heard anyone ever say that.

A means to an end, my friend.

 

[LegacyDoctress]

I had 5 clinical shadowing assignments for my first semester class, but I continue to shadow on my OWN TIME...it keeps me centered and focused. It keeps school in perspective, and besides, I get to chill with the attendings I will be working with in my 3rd year!

 

[Doctor J]

Wow. I haven't shadowed at all since getting in. Seems I'm in the minority here.

I figure rotations will give me a better picture of what the specialty is really like.

 

[mjl1717]

Shadowing as a med student doesn't help your resume. (It's not like undergrad.) It just helps you figure out what interests you and what doesn't.

smq123 is usually on point..

 

[Jonesie]

I had 5 clinical shadowing assignments for my first semester class, but I continue to shadow on my OWN TIME...it keeps me centered and focused. It keeps school in perspective, and besides, I get to chill with the attendings I will be working with in my 3rd year!

I completely agree. Whenever I get bogged down with studying, that's my cue to get into the hospital and shadow. Seeing all the cool stuff that goes on there helps to remind me why I wanted to be a doctor in the first place. As an added bonus, I feel more motivated to study after I shadow because I know that the material (well, most of it) is relevant.

Thus far, my shadowing experiences have been with a neonatologist, an anesthesiologist, and a cardiologist. If you're interested in seeing the OR, I'd highly recommend shadowing an anesthesiologist -- they usually have time to chat with you about what's happening as the procedure is going on. It made for a very laid-back experience.

 

[MSKalltheway]

If you want to shadow someone, I would say now during your MS1 year is the time to do it. I did most of my shadowing during the second semester in specialties that weren't "core" ones I'd see 3rd year (we actually have no 3rd year electives). I think thats a good time to shadow because you are settled enough into school to know how much time you can devote, and MS2 is generally too busy for too much shadowing. Sure you can fit it second year, but in general this is the stuff you want to do well on for Step 1, so few of my classmates do much of any shadowing anymore. IMHO I'd do it either now, or during the summer in anything you may want to see right now. And by no means do you have to (or should you if youre concerned about grades) shadow every week, just every once in a while to get a taste for the specialty.

 

[ZagDoc]

We have a required preceptorship for 4 hours every week. You can basically choose whatever field you want as long as you find a physician willing to do the necessary evals and type up a quick blurb at the end of the term. While sometimes its a bit of a pain making the time for it, its really a baptism in fire sort of thing. My preceptor makes me go see patients on my own, pratice PE skills, start thinking in the context of a differential diagnosis, make mundane phone calls to different departments. Things that will be invaluable in the beginning of 3rd year.

I also scrub in on surgeries every once and a while in my free time. The surgeons are pretty cool with students who show the initiative, and I've gotten to throw some sutures/use the bovie a couple times, which is definitely worth it for the "cool" factor.