Shadowing Tips

Getting medical exposure prior to applying to medical school is so important. How else are you gonna know if being a physician is really something you want to do if you don’t get some exposure/experience?! There are several ways to get clinical exposure, one really good way is by shadowing physicians. Doing so allows you to get a first-hand look at the patient-physician interaction, see the daily life of a physician in practice, and have the opportunity to talk with the physician about their decision to practice medicine. It’s also really good (read: necessary) for your application. I know it may be hard to find clinical experiences during COVID but when (not if, WHEN) you do, here are some tips for shadowing that you need to keep in mind…

Remind them that you’re coming…

There are several ways to set up shadowing experiences. If it’s through an established program, like at your college, then there may not be a need to check in before you go (but you still need to make sure you have all the necessary information—address, hours, attire, physician name, office contact, etc). If it’s set up through an office manager or through the physician directly, it’s courteous to send an email a day or two in advance to remind them that you’re coming and ask any last minute questions you may have before showing up. Especially if it was scheduled well in advance, it’s helpful to have a reminder, as they may have forgotten. You don’t want to show up and the doctor is out on vacation or had no idea that you were coming so they ask you to reschedule for another time.

What to (and not to) wear…

Don’t wear anything you would even consider wearing to the club or anything you’d wear to play kickball. No open-toed shoes/sandals. Going with business casual (slacks and a polo or button-down shirt for guys, slacks or appropriate length skirt and blouse or cardigan for women) is always a safe bet. Scrubs aren’t necessary and, if you’re not in the hospital, probably are not appropriate. To be on the safe side, when you’re setting up the shadowing experience, ASK what you should wear, business casual or scrubs. IF they say scrubs, please don’t go out buy the most expensive pair you can find- people are getting really outrageous with what they’re charging for scrubs these days. The most expensive pair is not necessary.

Be on time!

Make sure you arrive on time. You don’t need to get there 30 minutes early (most physicians spend the first bit of their day finishing notes, reviewing charts, and preparing for the clinic– you don’t have to be there during that time) but do arrive 5-10 minutes early. Be sure to give yourself enough time so you’re not late. You may need to find the location in advance if you don’t already know where it is. If you are there all day and separate from lunch, make sure you know what time you should return and get back there on time!

Remember you are shadowing…

I love having students in clinic with me. I introduce them to the patient when we go in the room, offer them a seat beside me if there is an extra one in the room, walk through the exam with them, and include them in the conversation with patients (asking very basic medical questions, not putting them on the spot). When asked a question or given a chance to speak in the patient room, go for it! But remember, this is not your show. Whether you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before or not, you are not yet qualified to be giving unsolicited medical advice or diagnoses to patients. And doing so, without being asked by the physician will probably get you in hot water with them. I had a student once who literally cut me off and started giving the patient advice. Like medical advice. That was wrong. A student who hadn’t been to anybody’s medical school anywhere! I was in shock for about 2 seconds before I politely stopped them and continued the discussion with my patient. Don’t be that student. That student gets told they can leave an hour before lunch and never gets invited back.

Appear interested!

If you don’t want to be there, it’s obvious. Whether you’re shadowing a specialty that you have any interest in or not, act like you’re interested! (And it shouldn’t be an “act” right- there’s something to learn from every patient-physician encounter that you see). Ways that you can appear interested are taking notes, either about interesting cases (not including patient names in your notes, of course) or about the interaction you observe between the patient and physician. If the setting is not appropriate for you to be taking notes, like if you don’t have time between patients, then obviously don’t do it. The doctor doesn’t need to be waiting on you to finish with your pen and pad before going into the next room.  You can also ask appropriate questions about cases you see. You should also, when you have a break, ask the physician a little about themselves, like why they chose medicine, that specialty, etc. Don’t get too much in their business, but make a point to learn something from them about this future career you desire.

Let the doctor work!

Physicians who don’t have shadow students every day, are usually in a groove of how they go about their day. That groove probably makes them the most efficient they can be. While I’m sure they’ll entertain you by going over what you’re about to see in the next room or what you just saw in the last room, know that they can’t stop and have a 10-minute conversation with you after every patient…and you shouldn’t expect them to! Be happy with what they give you and ask questions when/if appropriate. I’ve had students who have mastered the right amount of conversation and ones who don’t seem to realize that I need to get at least a few notes done between patients so I’m not doing them all night on my sofa! It’s a fine line, but you should be able to feel the physician out to know how much (or how little) they want to chat!

Take a snack!

You may not (probably won’t) have a seat in every patient room, so you’ll be “holding up the wall” sometimes as the shadow student. Nobody wants you passing out in the room because you haven’t eaten and are having to stand more than you may be used to. And nobody wants to hear your belly rumbling during a serious, quiet conversation!! Eat before you go but also put a snack bar in your pocket, something you can eat during a restroom break or if the physician takes a break for a snack. While saying this, if you need a break…ask for one! Let’s be honest, your presence isn’t going to make or break the patient encounter. If you need to eat (or to pee), do it!

Don’t be offended if you’re asked to sit one out…

If you’re shadowing in the office (or even in the hospital), you may be asked to hang back while the physician sees a patient without you. Most physicians, especially in the clinic setting, know their patients well and know which patients and cases are not appropriate for a pre-med student to be in on. So if you’re asked not to go in the room, don’t take it personally! It could be that they have to do a sensitive exam or have a sensitive discussion that wouldn’t go over well with a student in the room. Or maybe it’s a patient who has stated before that they don’t want students involved in their care (some do say that). It doesn’t matter the reason, if the doc tells you you’re not going in, you’re not going in. Eat a snack or check your emails during that time and you’ll likely get to catch the next one.

Stay off your phone!

Unless you’re sitting out a patient visit or taking a break by yourself, put your phone away. You don’t want to appear uninterested…and being on your phone is usually a good way to appear uninterested. There are exceptions to this, of course, I had a student recently who very kindly told me when he got there that he was waiting for an email about his next semester schedule that he’d need to answer as soon as possible and asked if I minded if he checked his phone every now and then. Of course I said I didn’t mind at all (and then I found myself reminding him every time we came out of a room to check his phone!) I’ve also had students check their watch and say, “Oh my mom is calling,” and I tell them that they’d better answer it! So it depends on the physician and on the situation—but checking Facebook and Instagram after every patient is not a good look.

Follow up afterwards…

I always love getting a nice and sincere thank you at the end of a student’s shadowing day. Or even a follow up email or thank you card. Not only is this good manners, but it’s also a chance to slip in a request to shadow them again if they have availability in the future. You want as many shadowing hours as possible; you’re not going to get them if you don’t ask for them! If you ask verbally at the end of the day and get a generic, Sure let me know when you want to come back, then you need to LET THEM KNOW WHEN YOU WANT TO COME BACK! Don’t leave it hanging, send an email within a week with some days you’re available to return. If you ask and they say they can’t accommodate you again, you can also consider asking if they know of any colleagues who may be willing to let you shadow and if they can help you set that up.

Keep track of your hours…

You can use this document or create your own, but you want credit for every hour of shadowing you do! Keep up with the hours in real time so you don’t have to try to remember them later and run the risk of forgetting any hours.

Jot down some notes…

After each shadowing/clinical experience you should take some time to reflect on it. Especially if you don’t have time to take notes during the day. Remember that on medical school applications you may be asked to describe a patient encounter or patient-physician interaction that you experienced. Trust me, it’s hard to remember these 2 or 3 years later when you’re completing your application, but much easier if you have some notes to reference.

These are just some thoughts on how to have the most successful shadowing experience. But before you can follow these tips, you need to find places to shadow! Get to it! Ask upperclass pre-meds, your pre-med advisor, your personal physician, etc. Make it happen!

As always, I’d love to have your feedback on this post. Feel free to leave questions or comments below or send me a private email.