I’m 16 right now and soon will volunteer at a hospital, but unfortunately they don’t allow shadowing physicians. I was thinking of getting to know a surgeon and getting help to find someone that will let me shadow. Has anyone had an experience with shadowing as a high school student and has anyone actually sat in surgery? I know that there are privacy issues, so i’m sure it makes the process even more difficult.
It’s rare for minors to allowed to observe surgical procedures. It’s not just the privacy issue, but there are insurance & liability issues for both the doctors and the hospital. Many hospitals have policies that prohibit minors from being in the surgical suite. Having extraneous and non-medically trained observers at a surgical procedure increases the patient’s risk of infection.
You’ll have better luck finding shadowing opportunities if you ask doctors who have a private practice since a private practice can be more flexible about the rules.