Medical students shadowing doctors: what it means and how it works

Shadowing a doctor: shadowing a physician means that you are following the doctor as he or she engages with his or her daily duties. You observe how the doctor interacts with patients, performs procedures, converses with his/her coworkers, and even how he/she spends lunchtime. (Bing)

I remember having this experience a number of times when I was hospitalized for the TURP operation I had back in 2011 and on a few other occasions.

I was there in my hospital bed when my doctor came in, along with a bright-looking, white-coated, cheerful smiling young person, whom the doctor introduced as accompanying him on his rounds.

He would then ask me if I would be okay with having the person present as an observer as he went over my situation with me.

I always said yes, and was invariably impressed with the young person’s rapt attention and eagerness to learn from my conversation with the doctor.

When the doctor had finished, the young person would always express his or her gratitude with kind words and a big smile, and my doctor and the person would then move on.

As they left, I would then have a feeling of satisfaction, that maybe I had contributed something to the young person's medical experience.

Facts about doctor-shadowing, from a website:

" ... one of the most effective options to get acquainted with medicine is to shadow physicians."

"You want to aim for 100-150 shadowing hours."

"There is an incredible amount of variability in shadowing ... it is best to keep your expectations low. Do not be surprised if you are not asked to help with any procedures or conduct medical interviews with patients. As a shadower, you are there primarily as an observer."

"The whole idea of shadowing is to give you an idea of what doctors do daily, so you have a better understanding of their career and help you make the decision if this is something you want to do."

"There are three parties involved when you shadow: the physician, the patient, and you."

"The first benefit of shadowing is that it provides you with a great way to build a relationship with a physician, he or she can serve as your mentor. You can ask for a letter of recommendation and/or a referral to another physician to shadow."

"Second, shadowing allows you to engage with patients, giving you the opportunity to learn more about them and their ailments. Hearing patient stories was one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed shadowing."

"Lastly, shadowing a physician should challenge you and help grow a greater hunger to learn more about medicine."

From:

https://www.prospectivedoctor.com/physician-shadowing-what-to-expect-and-gain/#:~:text=what%20does%20it%20mean%20to%20shadow%20a%20physician%3f,his%2Fher%20coworkers%2c%20and%20even%20how%20he%2Fshe%20spends%20lunchtime.

And from the AMA website:

“Because of the media, people have this image of what doctors do ... but not until you shadow a physician, and you see their activities, witness them delivering bad news, dealing with insurance companies, seeing all the paperwork, do you understand what it means to be a doctor at all times.”

"Professionalism is a significant part of medical training. Residents tend to follow the example set by attending physicians and students follow the one set by residents. As a premed, watching a physician work can, hopefully, help you begin developing good habits in a clinical setting."

And the effect a record of shadowing experience can have on a student's application to med school:

“What the admissions committee likes to see is applicants who have a history working with vulnerable patient populations, experiences that let applicants exemplify their passion and professionalism ... a lot of people, when they apply to medical school, they write about why they want to become a doctor. But we focus on actions that back up those words.”

What I consistently found was that virtually all med schools consider shadowing experience a pretty big deal, and strongly recommend it for their students, both pre- and post-admission.

For example, from the website of the University of Florida Medical School here in Gainesville:

https://emergency.med.ufl.edu/education/undergraduate-medical-education/shadowing/#:~:text=uf%20medical%20students%20are%20allowed%20to%20shadow%20at,day%20over%20the%20course%20of%20a%2030-day%20period.

An overview of why doctor-shadowing is an important experience:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=shadowing+doctor+blog&&view=detail&mid=4f0194339953eed3786a4f0194339953eed3786a&&form=vire

And some rules to keep in mind for people who are shadowing:

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=medical+student+shadowing+physicians+site%3awww.youtube.com&mid=d5867d7c99f46c78f616d5867d7c99f46c78f616&form=vire

A short video of shadowing a nurse for her full shift:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q5qjw8q7qc

I even found a number of websites out there that offer what they call an "online doctor shadowing experience." It's arranging, so they claim, a “virtual” doctor-shadowing. (Apparently a person with a videorecorder follows around a doctor performing his daily duties, which is then processed into a clickable link to be watched, for a fee of course, on their website).

Personally I would have some real concerns about that approach to shadowing.

I mean, isn’t the whole point of doctor-shadowing to experience the “real-life” shift of a doctor practicing? The hustle of real patients and staff moving about? The smell of alcohol disinfectant in an exam room? The contagious feeling of concern when hearing a patient describe his symptoms?

Things lost when watching a so-called doctor-shadowing “video” online.

But it seems that the "shadowing" experience is very much encouraged at all levels, from individuals just considering a medical career, all the way through students well into med school.

The process reminds me of the master-and-apprentice relationship from long ago, where the apprentice was daily at the side of the master, learning the trade, whatever it was, from day-to-day, until the apprentice became a journeyman, and moved on.

Or much like like today's practice of learning the trade from a mentor, who like the master of old helps the, usually, younger, developing person in learning the ropes of the trade.

But however one chooses to refer to it, it amounts to passing the baton to the next generation, as has been done for centuries, in so many trades.

And "shadowing" is perhaps a colorful way to describe it, as if a person almost becomes the shadow of another, with him at all times during the process, perhaps even literally mimicking his moves, as a real shadow would.

But it would also seem that the profess is as valued now as it has been in times past, and arguably succeeds in imparting some kinds of knowledge, the person-to-person sort, in ways difficult or impossible to do through studying the craft in books or computers.

So a "good for you" to all the med students who "shadow" a doctor on his rounds, with the hope that they profit well from this traditional and valuable experience.

Most of my experiences have been with med students (U of MN) who are looking to pick a “major” so they shadow specialists to see what it is all about. Orthopedics seems to be popular and has happened a few times. Dermatologist had one also as I recall. I assume those in towns where medical schools are located see most of this.

On the other hand, an urology nurse was training a tech on how to remove catheters and chose me to be the example. After all the checks, the nurse pulled the catheter out like starting a lawn mower and told her you have to do it quickly. I did not say anything about the massive burning sensation I was experiencing and figured that was up to the next guy…

Years ago I went in for a sigmoidoscopy. My first one.This was back when I still had a prostate.The technician asked me whether it would be okay if a young female medical student could be in the room to observe. I politely declined, as I felt some procedures should be done in the privacy of seasoned professionals and their patient. The sigmoid was one of those. As I sat in the lobby, the young female student walked out of the procedure room and she gave me the dirtiest look as she headed toward the exit. I guess she felt entitled. Oh well. Maybe I was the only sigmoid patient scheduled that day and she needed the observation credits. 20 years later if I had the chance to do it over again, would I do it differently? No.