<p>Not sure if this is in the right section. Sorry if it's not!</p>
<p>Are doctors open to the idea of high school students shadowing them? Or do you have to pick and choose to find the right doctors? I'm not really sure how to go about shadowing a specialist (pediatric oncologist) at a hospital.</p>
<p>Maybe if you know someone and it’s time limited. It can add to a very demanding schedule, especially if you take it seriouly, and take patient confidentiallity seriously. In my experience, it can be hard for even 3rd and 4th year med students to get a doctors time. They are behind the residents. </p>
<p>BTW; I don’t recall doing that, but I did work as an lvn in a nursing home in high school, and as a unit clerk in a hospital in undergrad. </p>
<p>@Shrinkrap Thanks a lot! I am volunteering at a hospital, but I never really get to interact or observe doctors.</p>
<p>It depends. As a volunteer, you’ve probably already been given the lectures on HIPAA and so on and so forth; it usually makes doctors much more willing to let you shadow them. I never had a problem shadowing anywhere, during high school or college. Just ask politely, and I think most of them are fairly willing, assuming you’re not trying to shadow the head of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins or something.</p>
<p>It generally depends on the type of doctor and your relationship with them. Someone in a stressful and busy position probably would not enjoy someone such as yourself following them around. On another note you may not get as much out of someone who cannot give you his time to talk about what he is doing. Id suggest trying to shadow a variety of specialists at medical facilities that are perhaps more laid back or have slower schedules as opposed to say, an ER.</p>
<p>My daughter has shadowed an ER doc, but he won’t let her shadow during his triage rotations - too gruesome and/or intense to deal with a student during that time. She even goes at night where you get much different cases than during the day, although technically they don’t allow shadowing during certain hours, but if the doctors like you, they have no problem letting you come in. </p>
<p>Just ask and politely accept either a yes or no - some doctors have good reasons for not wanting shadowing, others are more willing, but you won’t know without asking.</p>
<p>As a High School student, I think you should concentrate on getting the EC for College instead of doing some thing a third or fourth year College Student with medical track will do. Shadowing Doctor in HS will not impress anyone in college admin, you are jumping the gun.</p>
<p>@artloversplus I’m looking at BS/MD programs, so I’m basically applying to college and med school at the same time from HS. So I think I’m justified in shadowing a doctor in HS.</p>
<p>Just email, if no response or reject, email another one.<br>
On the other note: “I’m looking at BS/MD programs, so I’m basically applying to college and med school at the same time from HS. So I think I’m justified in shadowing a doctor in HS.” - Nope, you are NOT applying to a Medical School, not even close. You are applying to bs/md programs. First, I wish you the best of luck with the whole process and I wish you many interviews.<br>
Yes, you are correct that you need to shadow a doc. or few. But shadowing specifically certain specialty is not required. So, I would start with your family doc., some specialty docs that you possibly go, your friends physician parents. That is what my D. did. You also will need much more than that, but you are probably aware of everything that is required. You should pursue Medical Research internship (or job - D. had a job for 2 summers), several volunteering positions and definitely shadowing. How do I know that? My D. was in bs/md. However, I am also aware about Regular Route. D. was the only one who applied out of her program and obtained additional spots at 3 Med. Schools while retaining her bs/md spot. That is why I said, that applying to bs/md is not by far the same as applying to Medical Schools, not even close.</p>
<p>My pediatrician has had HS students shadowing him more than once when I’ve had the annual visits for my kids. </p>
<p>@MiamiDAP Thanks for the info! I just said it was like applying to med school, bc that’s what a Rutgers University admissions officer told me.</p>
<p>DS had a bit of trouble shadowing this year. He had set u a few months of shadowing, yet a few docs had to cancel/reschedule. It turns out that the hospital where they work is upgrading their computer systems and a few docs felt they couldn’t handle the additional work time delay that occurs with shadowing. He will work with some of them later in the year when he comes home for breaks.
It is best to start asking you local doctor and then see if hh/she can recommend colleagues. </p>
<p>My S had a hard time as well. I actually had a friend whose husband just retired as Chief of Staff of the ER dept. It took a few weeks for him to get back to my S and give him the number of who to call. It then took another few weeks for him to get back to my S with a list of things that he needed to do in order to shadow… TB test, etc. It is now the first of August and it looks like it will really be too late for it to happen this summer. He will look for an internship at a hospital next summer through his college, but he was a little disappointed that it drug out so long. He does still have his EMT job, so that was good for some extra $ this summer.</p>
<p>@MizzBee At least he got a hold of them. The doctors I contacted haven’t gotten back to me yet. I understand that they’re very busy, but the waiting is really painful sometimes. Like I wanna experience medicine! :)</p>
<p>@5boys Yeah I’m hoping to shadow next year as well and I’m planning to get it set up as early as possible!</p>