<p>how did you guys approach the physician for shadowing? how did you find them in the first place? I'm at UCLA and I'm planning to do this over the summer.
Thanks</p>
<p>hey, i go to UCLA too, Bruins 4 life yo!</p>
<p>The whole concept of shadowing seems like a near-waste of time to me. But I would go to your family doctor first and ask, most of the time they will say yes.</p>
<p>It is not a waste of time. I actually enjoyed it more than all other clinical experiences I had. Shadowing is generally informal, so you should try to use any connections you may have first.</p>
<p>I agree, shadowing can be a great experience and it's more helpful in determining if you want to be a doctor than normal hospital volunteering. Contact your family physician(s), family friends, parents of friends, etc. I'm sure your premed office has some contacts in the area as well.</p>
<p>shadowing a family physician would be insanely boring. if you are going to shadow a physician chose a more exciting specialty so you can hopefully have more stories to tell...my suggestions would be ER or surgery. try to see if your school has connections that you can take advantage of.</p>
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shadowing a family physician would be insanely boring. if you are going to shadow a physician chose a more exciting specialty so you can hopefully have more stories to tell...my suggestions would be ER or surgery.
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Med school interviewers are not interested in whether you have more or better stories to tell, they are interested in activities that demonstrate your personal commitment and, to some extent, your insight into the practice of medicine. The opportunity to shadow a physician is a courtesy extended by physicians to potential physicians -- any student belittling family practitioners does not deserve such courtesy.</p>
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Med school interviewers are not interested in whether you have more or better stories to tell
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<p>really? isn't that pretty much what the personal statement is about? and what about the interview? its all about telling a story and being able to relate interesting and insightful experiences...i'm just saying that you might be much more hard pressed to find such experiences to talk about or that would stick out when shadowing a family practitioner.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The opportunity to shadow a physician is a courtesy extended by physicians to potential physicians -- any student belittling family practitioners does not deserve such courtesy.
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</p>
<p>don't try to turn this into something its not....i never said anything about the importance of primary care physicians in the healthcare system....thats not what we're talking about and i'm probably more qualified to put the topic in its broader context. But my point, which you haven't talked about at all is that it might not be very interesting for a premed to shadow a family practitioner and they might not have as many memorable moments that they can relate in a PS or interview.</p>
<p>the most exciting thing to happen while shadowing a family practitioner (depending on how you look at it):</p>
<p>"(While holding patient's testicles) Can you cough for me?"</p>
<p>I think Shraf is right in premise (storytelling is very important) but wrong in application. Patients in surgery or the ED may* have more interesting disease processes, but that's not the question. The question is how well do you relate to patients? What can you learn from the human interactions? It's hard to get that in the chaotic atmosphere of an ED, and it's impossible to get that with an unconscious patient.</p>
<p>(*ED's, of course, now serve as the primary care units for a large segment of the population.)</p>
<p>Family practitioners perform important and sometimes challenging tasks. I take care of patients who came to the OR because of FP's who make both routine and difficult pickups in the office.</p>
<p>I also sometimes have students in my OR -- those who are polite, humble and helpful get extra teaching; those who are arrogant and self-important get sent away.</p>
<p>Do med school admissions look for students who have shadowed physicians? I mean it certainly doesnt hurt but does it necessarily set applicants apart from those who dont? It seems like something aspiring med school applicants should do since shows the school that you have an idea of what your getting yourself into.</p>
<p>Yes. Yes. Correct.</p>
<p>BDmike, i assume you are either a duke fan, go to duke, or are a duke alum?</p>
<p>also, im guessing that most sensible, aware, and qualified med school applicants do shadow whether its for their own personal experience or for their resume? i mean its not like a secret that many med school applicants arent aware of right? i just want to know how much of an advantage one would have since if everyone shadowed then its kinda like everyones still on an equal playing field.</p>
<p>You'd be surprised swim4china. Some people at my schools are still disallusioned even though the premed advising is incredible.</p>
<p>One kid thinks he can get into med school with no ECs but just solid grades.</p>
<p>Another thinks picking a rare major will guarantee him admission to a med school.</p>
<p>i dont think the quality of the premed advising has anything to do with it, no matter what there will always be people who will think they are good candidates for med school without any ECs. But thats besides the point...if you want to be a serious contender for a spot you have to show a real interest in medicine and spending hundreds of hours in a lab isn't showing that...its showing that you have an interest in basic science ...clinical exposure is what you'll need.</p>
<p>How do interviewers have proof of shadowing? I mean, maybe you can shadow a doctor for a while, but since there are so many other people doing the same thing, they might forget who you were, right? Do you have to sign up to do this, or do you just ask a doctor if you can shadow them? Do you ask the doctor directly, or call a general non-emergency line at the hospital?</p>
<p>Shadowing isn't one of the marquee EC's that's going to make the interviewers go "Wow." It's one of those things most people have but interviewers aren't going to care enough about this for them to actually verify your shadowing hours. At most, they'll ask you what you saw and learned during your shadowing experiences.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you put you were a Fullbright or Rhodes Scholar, I'm sure they'll do a quick cross check to verify that honor.</p>
<p>Re #13: Yes and yes to both. It's something that comes up often enough that it's a problem if you don't have it.</p>
<p>gotcha thanks, and the reason I asked is because I go to UNC..so that means i can't and shouldnt be asking you for advice anymore ;)</p>