<p>I understand how important it is to shadow a physician as a premed student, but can several other extracurriculars replace that? I've been having trouble finding someone to shadow. However, I'm an EMT, I've volunteered in a nursing home, I do research, and I'll be working as a certified nursing assistant this summer at the same nursing home. Should I be worried if I never get the opportunity to shadow someone?</p>
<p>You don't have to do it. It helps but as long as you're a strong applicant you'll be all right without it.</p>
<p>Given your EMT experience, it's probably not any big deal. If you didn't have that, I'd press you a little bit more, as most schools are looking for enough time spent with patients and doctors.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm an EMT
[/quote]
</p>
<p>does that mean you actually participated in an ambulance corps and responded to calls or did you just take the class?</p>
<p>I volunteer once a week when I'm home. I'm not one of those resume-builder people who only take the class and don't even care enough to volunteer their time afterwards</p>
<p>good good...well then i think if you have an interest in shadowing do it but otherwise i think you probably get plenty of exposure to doctors and patients already...though volunteering once a week over the summer doesnt exactly give you tons to talk/write about in med school interviews/essays</p>
<p>Well, in my defense I do 9 hour shifts (which could mean anywhere from 1 call to 10 calls) and have been known to do more than one shift per week although I usually don't do that. I was just worried that volunteering for a first aid squad is prehospital care and technically not in a health care setting, unless you count the 5 minutes I'm in the ER when we transport a patient.</p>
<p>I'm going to echo BRM and Shraf. EMT is a partial replacement for shadowing -- so don't panic if you can't get it. But by all means, you should still try. EMT's have a specific, assigned role; physician shadowing gives you a perspective into a different angle.</p>
<p>Again -- EMT does make it less necessary. But it's still highly useful.</p>
<p>I would say it's very necessary. I spoke to a state medical school admissions officer a few weeks ago and he stressed that shadowing is very important because they want to see that you have gotten acquainted with the "dirty side" of medicine.</p>
<p>So how much shadowing? I will be attending a 6 week medical program where I will shadow for approx. 50 hours, will that be enough?</p>
<p>As with most things, there are no guidelines as to what qualifies as "enough". I believe (again as with most things related to admissions) that being able talk about your experiences and articulate what you've gotten out of them is far more important than attaining a set number of hours or number of doctors.</p>
<p>50 hours in six weeks??</p>
<p>yes, 48 actually (8 hours/week)</p>
<p>I think that you should keep on doing it consistently. i mean just doing it for 8 weeks and then not doing it again in ur pre-med career shows that you kinda just did it just to do it lol. I plan to do it during my year off from pre -med school consistently and then during my summers during the school years.</p>