Observerships before 1st year

[Guest bad hombre]

Whoa, I'm finally posting in the med discussions.

I just received an acceptance and will be off to med school next fall. Needless to say I'm extremely excited about the future.

 

I'm definitely going to enjoy my summer before starting 1st year, gonna be traveling for a couple months . However, between finishing my summer course and my trip, I have a couple of weeks with nothing to do. I've thought about just watching TV, playing outside, reading, and drinking with friends, but for some reason I feel like I'd benefit from some medically related endeavours as well... at least during the day... just for a couple of weeks .

 

I was wondering how feasible it would be for me to set up an observership at one of the local hospitals (affiliated with a med school). Do you think I'd significantly benefit from such an experience or will I get to do all that stuff in due time? Do they take random med students just like that?

 

Any advice on how I should go about setting up an observership would be really appreciated. I'm interested in Internal or Family Medicine as a career but would like to check out some births, surgeries, and emerg. Thanks in advance

 

malo man

 

(edited to correct spelling)

[Guest Ian Wong]

You'll have ample time during med school to check out observerships! I'd use this last bit of truly free time to travel, or do something that you've been procrastinating about. Medicine will consume the next decade of your life, whether that is med school, residency, or setting up after residency, and that is to say nothing of your career afterwards!

 

If you are really interested, however, the best thing to do would be to contact the med school, and ask them for their list of preceptors who have agreed to allow med students to shadow them (most if not all med schools should have something like this).

 

Ian

[Guest bad hombre]

thanks Ian!

 

Like I said, I'm planning on only doing a maximum of two weeks before I embark on my tour of the caribbean and south america.

[Guest Natalie]

i'm in the same boat as you bad hombre - i'll be starting at dal in september. i'm doing a clinical research project for the summer at a cancer centre and i get to observe lots of clinical consultations, treatment planning, case discussions and procedures. i say go for it! i couldn't believe how much i learned in just my first two days - not only medical things but the inner workings of the clinics and hospital. i'd only done volunteering before so i hadn't been exposed to the 'behind the scenes' action.

 

besides the fact that it's fun and you get to see cool stuff, i think just a few days of observation will give you a better understanding/appreciation of the collaboration (with colleagues, patients, staff) and also the logistics and practical considerations involved in medicine. (all things we will become very aware of in med school, but it's great to get a taste of that before we begin). case presentations/rounds especially are a great way to see first-hand that there's never black & white, only shades of gray..

 

good luck!

[Guest hmsdread]

It might be hard to get something that is official and through your future med school, simply because I don't think you are considered a student yet and thus would not be covered under their insurance plan. Also, for me to do summer electives I need to provide hospital administration with a letter of good standing, saying that I'm in med school and I'll be progressing on to 2nd year in September.

 

You might have some luck if you call the school, but I don't know...the easier thing might be to hook up with a doc you know personally and see if she/he will let you tag along for a couple days or something.

 

Don't stress too much about it, because once you are officially "in" you will be able to do observerships without any problems.

 

Congrats on your acceptance!

 

hmsdread

[Guest DrSahsi]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. You'll have plenty of opportunities for clinical exposure throughout medical school, provided you're willing to take advantage of them. Keep an open mind throughout your medical education, but also realize that the time to start making decisions about your ultimate career path can sneak up on you pretty quickly.

 

You don't need to worry about that over this summer. Pat yourself on the back for getting in. Spend lots of time chilling out, getting exercise, and having an all around good time.

 

- Rupinder

[Guest phantom8]

I might add a different point to what has been said already and suggest that if you don't currently have any medical skills (e.g. have an idea about how to take a history, or know some physical examination manoeuvres), shadowing a physician may not be all too fruitful. I know that for myself, what I got out of shadowing from the beginning of the school year and what I get out of shadowing now that I have a year of school under my belt is dramatically different. Without some basic knowledge, you're probably going to have to tell the physician you're shadowing with, "I don't know how to examine this," or "I don't know how to do this," an awful lot and it can be a little disappointing if you find you can't answer any of their questions. :|

 

I do know people who have shadowed doctors prior to med school, but usually it's with a physician they know personally and so I think the expectations are a little different. Approaching a physician affiliated with the medical school or teaching hospital will be a little different... these people take on a lot of students and while they're great teachers, they usually make pretty clear to you which areas you need to work on. Which, for a person who hasn't even started medical school yet, will be quite a bit!

 

Anyway, to sum up this post, I think shadowing will be more useful as you work along your courses during the school year, rather than before. This way, you get to use your clinical time to practice the skills you learn in class. Enjoy your summer while you can... cause there definitely will be times during school when you will wish you could have a vacation!

[Guest Ian Wong]

Floating back to the top.

 

Ian