general shadowing tips
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General Shadowing Tips:
Taken from a much more formally written article on shadowing.
Leverage your goddamn connections – If you are on a college campus with a medical school, use your contacts through your premed office or via research opportunities. If you are not on a college campus with a medical school, you could offer to shadow your doctor in your hometown or contact local hospitals through their volunteer or community affairs office to see if they have a shadowing program.
Be flexible with when you can come – It may be the best time for you to observe is either early in the morning or during off hours, like weekends or evenings. In the hospital, weekend rounds are sometimes easier to observe since many people are off so there are not as many learners on each team. In addition, things are usually not so rushed since attendings don’t have to rush to clinic usually. They may want to keep rounds short so they can get back to their weekend but they will probably appreciate that you are volunteering your time to do this on a weekend.
Bring a notebook to take notes on what you don’t understand – On rounds, doctors also use a lot of abbreviations so you may not be able to follow everything but you can jot these down and ask about them later. If we are all what the fuck, you will likely be all what the fuck.
Wait to ask questions until rounds are over– The focus of clinical encounters is the patient, not the student. This usually is not a problem but please shut the fuck up when we are working. This is unlike routine classroom interactions and can be difficult to get used to but it is the reality of patient care. Complex decisions are often being made and you don’t want to interrupt the doctor-patient conversation. We love to answer questions but just not while in front of a patient or while rounding.
Wear comfortable closed-toe shoes and appropriate dress– This is very important since you may be on your feet for a while and its important to project a professional image as a visitor. It’s also important that your shoes are not open-toed (sorry ladies) since your feet are at risk of coming into contact with equipment, body fluids, or sharps. Iron your damn shirt.
Reflect on your experience afterwards– During your medical school interview, you may want to recall your experience, the types of cases you saw or just generally how you felt. Writing a short reflection on your thoughts is a good way to keep those memories fresh (but remember not to include any identifying information).
Don’t forget to follow up– Don’t forget that you were a guest on rounds so its good to follow up with a thank you for the doctor. They may send more opportunities (shadowing or otherwise) your way if things went well.
Respect patient privacy– There may be a patient who doesn’t want you in the room. And remember, everything you see in the hospital is private and not to be repeated or written about in a manner that could lead to the identification of the patients involved. Don't be offended. Some patients are understandably very anxious and when they hear "college student" from what they get in the media, that may not make them comfortable, so that's where they're coming from.
Original article:
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/06/tips-students-shadow-doctors.html
General Shadowing Tips:
Taken from a much more formally written article on shadowing.
Leverage your goddamn connections – If you are on a college campus with a medical school, use your contacts through your premed office or via research opportunities. If you are not on a college campus with a medical school, you could offer to shadow your doctor in your hometown or contact local hospitals through their volunteer or community affairs office to see if they have a shadowing program.
Be flexible with when you can come – It may be the best time for you to observe is either early in the morning or during off hours, like weekends or evenings. In the hospital, weekend rounds are sometimes easier to observe since many people are off so there are not as many learners on each team. In addition, things are usually not so rushed since attendings don’t have to rush to clinic usually. They may want to keep rounds short so they can get back to their weekend but they will probably appreciate that you are volunteering your time to do this on a weekend.
Bring a notebook to take notes on what you don’t understand – On rounds, doctors also use a lot of abbreviations so you may not be able to follow everything but you can jot these down and ask about them later. If we are all what the fuck, you will likely be all what the fuck.
Wait to ask questions until rounds are over– The focus of clinical encounters is the patient, not the student. This usually is not a problem but please shut the fuck up when we are working. This is unlike routine classroom interactions and can be difficult to get used to but it is the reality of patient care. Complex decisions are often being made and you don’t want to interrupt the doctor-patient conversation. We love to answer questions but just not while in front of a patient or while rounding.
Wear comfortable closed-toe shoes and appropriate dress– This is very important since you may be on your feet for a while and its important to project a professional image as a visitor. It’s also important that your shoes are not open-toed (sorry ladies) since your feet are at risk of coming into contact with equipment, body fluids, or sharps. Iron your damn shirt.
Reflect on your experience afterwards– During your medical school interview, you may want to recall your experience, the types of cases you saw or just generally how you felt. Writing a short reflection on your thoughts is a good way to keep those memories fresh (but remember not to include any identifying information).
Don’t forget to follow up– Don’t forget that you were a guest on rounds so its good to follow up with a thank you for the doctor. They may send more opportunities (shadowing or otherwise) your way if things went well.
Respect patient privacy– There may be a patient who doesn’t want you in the room. And remember, everything you see in the hospital is private and not to be repeated or written about in a manner that could lead to the identification of the patients involved. Don't be offended. Some patients are understandably very anxious and when they hear "college student" from what they get in the media, that may not make them comfortable, so that's where they're coming from.
Original article:
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/06/tips-students-shadow-doctors.html