Would you list PA shadowing (in addition to MD/DO)?

[somedudehere]

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I probably have around 40-50 hours shadowing a PA. This is in addition to shadowing various docs in other specialties. Should I include this on the application or leave it out? I did a search but only could find threads where they shadowed a PA but no physician. Thanks.

 

[Catalystik]

I probably have around 40-50 hours shadowing a PA. This is in addition to shadowing various docs in other specialties. Should I include this on the application or leave it out? I did a search but only could find threads where they shadowed a PA but no physician. Thanks.

Shadowing other medical professionals make it easier to answer, "Why medicine," as you have a basis for comparison, and to demonstrate that you've considered other roles on a medical team. Feel free to include those hours on a medical application.

 

[somedudehere]

Shadowing other medical professionals make it easier to answer, "Why medicine," as you have a basis for comparison, and to demonstrate that you've considered other roles on a medical team. Feel free to include those hours on a medical application.

Yes, this is actually one of the big reasons I chose medicine. While shadowing, she would constantly have to phone the attending to get the final say etc. Thanks.

 

[DokterMom]

Shadowing other medical professionals make it easier to answer, "Why medicine," as you have a basis for comparison, and to demonstrate that you've considered other roles on a medical team. Feel free to include those hours on a medical application.

Exactly. Most applicants are asked what other professions they considered. Explain that you also considered PA and decided MD and why -- Adds depth.

 

[Avicenna]

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[DRsmartypants]

I mean you certainly want the majority of your experiences to be MD or DO related, but shadowing PAs, NPs, Nurses whatever is a great experience to have. It shows you have shadowed, understood, and compared the professions. One of the things I liked about medicine besides being the boss(I'm a smartass by nature), is being a know-it-all. Quite literally, it was the fact that a) you had to answer to somebody, and b) you didn't know enough. I didn't like the idea of following protocol a lot, I liked to think, I liked to evaluate, while I am not going to lie, some of medicine is algorithmic, a good portion is not. The advent of NPs and PAs into medicine, while it may be bad for PCPs, improves care as it allows physicians to get to the fun cool cases which I'd like to think is a big reason we all went in, to see cool stuff(jk). The PA kept going to the MD to make sure he was right, he could barely answer more then a few basic science questions I pretty much already knew the answer to. Include it certainly.