volunteering/shadowing

Hi Everybody,

I'm just about to start volunteering at a local hospital, and I have a couple of questions.

What does shadowing a physician usually entail? I know that every doc will have their own ideas and limits, but do some docs allow med hopefuls like me into the examination room? Would it be too far to discuss cases? I hope it's more than walking around and fetching coffee
Thanks!

whiteboyfunk :rollin

Hey, when I've done shadowing it's all about being in the room during complete physical examination, you discuss cases, if you get a really good doctor they may let you try your hand and some parts of the physical like listening to breathing, etc. depending on the case.

What hospital? Just curious..

Shadowing a physician is a great idea for someone who wants to get into any area of medicine. I am a big fan of it myself. Like OT6 mentioned, a lot really depends on the physician you choose (or that chooses you). It's definitely not fetching coffee, at least it shouldn't be anyway. It should give you first hand experience about what a typical day is like for a physician. Obviously there will be some limitations, for example, you probably wont be alowed into an OR, however, even just following a physician around can be a worthwhile experience. An added bonus comes when you apply for meds and you can turn to the person you shadowed for either career help, or in most cases, a reference, if they liked you. The best, and earliest, professional relationships you can work on developing are the ones that begin as a shadow-physician realtionship. Try it out, see for yourself.

That sounds like what I really need! Excellent.
You've probably never heard of the hospital. Quinte Healthcare/Trenton Memorial, a small but excellent facility.
Thanks for the reply!

whiteboyfunk :rollin

That's cool, what part of the hospital are you volunteering in?

From my experience, which isn't TOO extensive, ER shadowing's the coolest just cause there's such a variety of cases you might see on a given day.

Yo!
Shadowing sounds really interesting and rewarding, but aside from a doctor shadowing program how would a guy get involved?

I've had my opportunities through my high school co-op placement, volunteering, and summer research with an MD/PhD

If you wanted to shadow a doctor at a hospital facility, all you really need is essentially the doctor and patients permission right?

EMHC

Yep, but most hospitals also require you to sign a confidentiality agreement, but if you're volunteering that's usually done with all the initial paperwork

I got interested into shadowing program when I read this thread, so I decided to give it a try. I asked the head nure in the General Hospital in Ottawa where I have been volunteering for about a year, but she told me that because of doctor-patient confidentiality I could not do it. Is this true of all hospitals? Could I just sign an agreement or what should I do?