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How do you know if you want to become a doctor? Shadowing is such a crucial part of the premed journey!
Getting shadowing experience is a great way to determine if a career in medicine is right for you.
So, what is shadowing? Why is it important? And how do I get shadowing experience? I lay it all out for you in this blog post!
What is Shadowing
Shadowing is when you follow a doctor around in a clinic, hospital, or private practice setting for the duration of their shift.
Observing various physicians carry out their usual work activities will give you a unique perspective into a day in the life of a doctor and help you decide if you want to pursue medical school.
You aren’t expected to do much while shadowing, and the physician may not involve you much.
However, if you shadow a physician who’s accommodating and enjoys teaching, then there’s a possibility they might ask you to help with some basic tasks.
Your shadowing experience can be an exciting and engaging time, or it can be a time when you’re a fly on a wall.
This depends on multiple factors such as medical specialty, schedule for that particular day, doctor’s personality, and overall environment. Still, most importantly, it depends on you and what you make of it.
Related posts:
- 10 Premed Jobs That Will Get You Valuable Clinical Experience
- How to Effectively Shadow a Surgeon: The Do’s and Dont’s of the OR
- 20 Budget Friendly Premed Essentials to Make Your Life Easier
- Unique Volunteer Opportunities for Premed Students
Questions to Ask Yourself
Be proactive and enthusiastic when shadowing a physician. Go into shadowing with an open mind and ask yourself some questions:
- What are the pros and cons of this specialty?
- Can I see myself doing these tasks every day?
- How much paperwork/charting is involved?
- Do I enjoy this patient population?
- Does this specialty provide an excellent work-life balance?
- Will this specialty help me achieve my future goals as a doctor?
- Did this experience make me more motivated to become a doctor?
Many medical school applicants receive recommendation letters from physicians they’ve shadowed.
Shadowing is an excellent opportunity to build relationships with physicians and discover your passion for medicine.
Shadowing is Important
Shadowing a physician can be a defining experience of why you want to pursue medicine. It will show the medical school admissions committee that you have a solid grasp of what it’s like to be a doctor.
Additionally, developing relationships and networking with physicians and health care professionals could lead you to your next opportunity (i.e., mentorship, job position, shadowing in another specialty, referral, recommendation letter, or personal statement review).
Many medical schools require a certain number of shadowing hours, ranging from 15 hours to more than 75 hours.
If you have a specific medical school in mind, it would be good to look over the requirements and determine a clear goal of how short or long you want to shadow for.
But that’s not all… gaining exclusive insight into the perks and challenges of being a physician may help you decide your college major, which medical schools to apply to, and what medical specialty interests you.
The challenge? A LOT of premed students find it challenging to get shadowing experience. But don’t worry, I’m going to explain how you can!
How to Get Shadowing Experience
1. Create a list
Create a list of medical specialties that interest you and want to know more about them.
Suppose you’re unsure of where to start. You can begin with specialties that offer an array of medical conditions and patient care, such as family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, or pediatrics.
2. Think of doctors you know
Do you have a primary care physician or a family doctor? Is one of your relatives a doctor? Do you know of any friends whose parents are doctors?
The physicians you already have a relationship with are going to be your best bet in securing a shadowing opportunity. Reach out to them by phone or email and express your interest in shadowing.
3. Talk to your advisor
Many universities offer premed guidance and have a pre-health organization you can reach out to.
Please make an appointment with your academic/premed advisor and tell them you’re looking for an opportunity to shadow a physician.
If your university has a medical school, there may be an observation program available to you where you can shadow the physicians at the medical school.
Your advisor may be able to point you in the direction of a few opportunities.
4. Contact a hospital or private practice
Step out of your comfort zone, and cold call your local hospital or private practice. When you call a hospital, get connected to the Human Resources Department.
When you call a private practice, ask the receptionist if they know if “Dr. Smith” is taking students at the moment. If the receptionist is unsure, ask for the physician’s email address so you can reach out to them personally.
You can also search online and find physicians’ phone numbers and email addresses in your area. The hospital faculty webpage would be a great place to start.
Please write down the names of the doctors and their medical specialties.
Look up the physician’s name and see if you can locate their email address or LinkedIn account if they have one.
Please find a way to contact them and make a connection.
5. Stop by the office or clinic
This might be the quickest and most effective way to land a shadowing opportunity; however, I only recommend this if you can’t find a physician to shadow in the first month.
Want to shadow a specific physician? Please stop by their office!
You probably won’t be able to speak with them, but you can let the receptionist know why you’re there and leave your cover letter a resume.
Make sure your contact info is on your cover letter/resume, and dress professionally!
6. Ask your peers
Don’t hesitate to ask your peers who they’ve shadowed and how they got their shadowing opportunities.
Everyone knows something that you don’t know, and you could get great advice just by chatting up a conversation.
Your peers are not your competition – the person you were yesterday is your competition.
Use each other as a resource because collaboration is vital to your success.
7. Utilize social media
Some of you are aware of the massive medical community on Instagram. There are so many medical professionals with a presence on social media willing to guide you.
DM a doctor or physician assistant you admire and politely ask for their email so you can formally request to shadow them.
Another fantastic tool to connect with others is LinkedIn. Make a professional LinkedIn account and search for physicians in your area.
You can reach out to them via LinkedIn or email if available.
How to Ask a Doctor to Shadow Them
Your email should follow a specific format when requesting to shadow a physician.
Doctors are very busy people, so keep your email short and to the point.
You can follow this email layout as a guide:
Email Layout
Subject: Shadowing Opportunity
Email Body:
- An introduction (your name, school, how far you are in your education, and any certifications you may have like CPR/BLS/CAN/EMT)
- How did you find out about that particular doctor/PA
- A direct request to shadow the physician
- Why you’re interested in that specialty/what you hope to gain from the shadowing experience
- A brief description of your career goals and your contact information
- Closing sentence thanking them for their time.
I want to make it super easy for you, and most importantly, I want YOU to succeed.
This sample email allowed me to shadow a neurosurgeon.
You can download my free shadowing email template by filling out the form below!
Don’t stop reading now… here’s what to do after you email a physician.
How to Follow Up
If you haven’t heard back in a week you MUST follow up. Doctors receive many emails a day and might have missed yours.
Send the same email again, emailing them once a week and waiting another seven days to send another.
You can always call or stop by the physician’s office if four weeks go by with no response (although, not during covid).
Finding a doctor to shadow and then getting authorized by the facility can sometimes be a lengthy process.
Be patient, flexible, and persistent. Plan accordingly and expect there to be some paperwork once you’ve been approved to shadow.
Shadowing is not only applicable to premed students but anyone interested in a career in healthcare.
If you’re considering becoming a Physician Assistant, you’ll want to shadow a P.A. before applying to a Physician Assistant Program.
Similarly, a prospective Nurse Anesthetist will be expected to shadow an Anesthesiologist.
Check the requirements for the program you wish to apply to and gauge the amount of shadowing hours you’ll need. Best of luck 🙂
Interested in shadowing a surgeon in the OR? Check out this blog post.