globy321 Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 Hi. How do you guys get to shadow a doctor? I called and asked a couple of clinics and they told due to privacy I cannot shadow the doctor. How do you manage to get the doctor to let you shadow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanG8 Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 Hi. How do you guys get to shadow a doctor? I called and asked a couple of clinics and they told due to privacy I cannot shadow the doctor. How do you manage to get the doctor to let you shadow? Are you a medical student? If so, then most docs will be more than glad to have you in to shadow/work with them (just tell them you are a medical student). As of your first day of med school you are expected to behave with the same standards of professionalism and confidentiality as a fully certified physician. If you're not a medical student... then you are not bound by those same rules. The doc that takes you on is taking not only a liability risk, but also a risk of breaking his/her patient's privacy. However, some docs may let you shadow. I find those docs are usually friends of friends or family (it's all about who you know). They will have to ask all patients for permission and let them know EXACTLY what your role is in the examination room. Most patients will be okay with it, but for more sensitive exams you'd be asked to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globy321 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 Hi DanG8. I am not a medical student. I called a couple of clinics but they said they cannot accommodate me. I'm not sure what I should do to shadow a doctor? I really would like to shadow one before I apply to med school? Any suggestions? Are you a medical student? If so, then most docs will be more than glad to have you in to shadow/work with them (just tell them you are a medical student). As of your first day of med school you are expected to behave with the same standards of professionalism and confidentiality as a fully certified physician. If you're not a medical student... then you are not bound by those same rules. The doc that takes you on is taking not only a liability risk, but also a risk of breaking his/her patient's privacy. However, some docs may let you shadow. I find those docs are usually friends of friends or family (it's all about who you know). They will have to ask all patients for permission and let them know EXACTLY what your role is in the examination room. Most patients will be okay with it, but for more sensitive exams you'd be asked to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronjw Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 Hi DanG8. I am not a medical student. I called a couple of clinics but they said they cannot accommodate me. I'm not sure what I should do to shadow a doctor? I really would like to shadow one before I apply to med school? Any suggestions? Talk to your family Dr and see if you can shadow him or has any connections that can hook you up with that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bopo Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 If you are finding it hard to cold-call people willing to let you shadow, maybe try the volunteer approach. Offer to help do simple paper-work tasks and let the clinic know you. That or go through channels that have a little more clout (your family doctor who you have a relationship with, a friends parent, etc.). Sometimes you can find doctors who are more than willing to let a pre-med student shadow, but in general you are approaching as a completely unknown quantity. Medical students, while still not obligated to the full extent of the code of ethics, are covered under malpractice, are granted certain abilities in the clinic, and without trying to be offensive to pre-medical students, and the shadowing is considered a part of their training. Just to be safe though, you in now way NEED to have shadowing experience to get into medical school. It's a good personal tool to get a small snippet of a day/afternoon in the life of a doctor, but don't stress if you can't find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuremedgirl Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Hey globy321, are you doing clinical research/plan on doing so? That's another easier way to shadow a doctor without going through the hassle of first doing admin work in a hospital or clinic. Just ask your PI if you can shadow them whenever they're seeing patients. I asked the psychiatrist i'm doing voluntary research with on my first say, and she said yes instantly! Would be shadowing in a month or so:) Try that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennethToronto Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Hi. How do you guys get to shadow a doctor? I called and asked a couple of clinics and they told due to privacy I cannot shadow the doctor. How do you manage to get the doctor to let you shadow? There's not much to be gained anyways. Don't waste your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeliciousMelon Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 I started mine with volunteering in the hospital. And after a year or so, I mentioned to my supervisor that I was interested in shadowing, and she just introduced me to a doc on the unit =). Although it is not common for undergrad to shadow doctors, it is definitely possible. I think it also depend on the type of unit and procedures. I’m on the neonatal unit and most family seems to be okay with it, but it might be different with different procedures. It all depends, but from my personal experience, I gained A LOT from shadowing. I learned what it means to be a doctor, and probably more than what I learned from reading books and sites about a career in medicine. That being said, there are other ways to learn about medicine and roles of a doctor without shadowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeliciousMelon Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 To the OP: Just calling the clinic most likely isn't going to work because they don't know much about you. If you have a clinic you are interested in, it’s best to call and ask them if you can volunteer. And after several months of time, once they see that you are professional, dedicated and responsible, it might be easier to approach the doctor for shadowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.o Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 Certain positions at the hospital will give you a greater exposure to physicians than others. For instance, in the Emergency Room I volunteer at, volunteers are given the option of moving to the back rooms and working more closely with the doctors and nurses after the completion of six months of volunteering. Thus, getting your foot in the door with volunteering and moving from there may be more successful than cold-calling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiritedaway Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 There are also certain clinical research opportunities that will allow you to work actively in the hospital environment. A friend of mine recently finished a research project in the ICU and got to follow the doctor around during rounds to collect patient data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FT4 Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 As another option, you could try to get a doctor to sit down for a one-on-one discussion at some point to talk about medicine. This personal interaction is a great way to learn more about the life of a doctor without having to worry about liability. I learned a lot just chatting over a coffee with a doctor - maybe even more in that one sitting than in months of volunteering in the ER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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