Hello everybody! I wanted to start a new forum/blog regarding the topic of shadowing. Many Pre-Medicine students have been struggling to find opportunities to shadow and I would like everybody who have had success with finding shadowing opportunities to comment on this forum/blog to share their methods and ways to finding shadowing. Let’s collaborate and help each other out!

Here is my personal experience and tips for shadowing. Hopefully this helps students who need help finding shadowing. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific question also!

Shadowing experience 1: Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR) Hospital OR Physicians (Stopped), Loveland, CO

Shadowed different OR surgeons, mostly did night shifts after 4pm as I had a summer internship at the time

How I obtained the shadowing opportunity: I started out by volunteering at the MCR in the ER for about 3 years. Then, I switched over to volunteering in the OR Surgery Front Desk. Instantly, I met all the scrub nurses and had valuable connections with them, since I was in charge of bringing the patients back to the surgical preparation room. There, I asked them if I could shadow the OR surgeons. The next day, I was in the OR. I remember the first surgery I observed was a 5-hour long surgery (Lumbar Laminectomy for Spinal Stenosis) that lasted from 5 – 10pm.

A few weeks later I met Dr. Warren Schutte.

Shadowing experience 2: Dr. Warren Schutte MD, Plastic Surgeon, Front Range Plastic Surgery (Continuing), Loveland, CO

Shadowed a private practice under Dr. Schutte. I was absolutely amazed at his technical abilities to use his hands in complex ways to turn something that looked horrendous to an end product that looked beautiful. For example, I observed him surgically remove a tumor from a patient’s breast and then suture it back together so it looked like a regular breast again. It only took him 1.5 hours! I also got a ton of observation on what it is like to have good bedside manners by following him around to patients.

If you are interested about his practice, this is his website: https://www.frontrangeplasticsurgery.com/

How I obtained the shadowing opportunity: I met him in the MCR OR during a day I was shadowing. He had to stop by MCR for a quick consult. It was probably the luckiest day of my life. Meeting him was a godsend as I suddenly had a mentor. I’ve learned so much from him.

Shadowing experience 3: Denver Health Teaching Hospital Cardiology Residents and Attending Physicians (Continuing), Denver, CO

Shadowed residents and attendings at Denver Health. I wanted a shadowing place closer to my college (Golden, CO) had a blast coming into the hospital at 7am to listen into pre-rounds. I realized even residents make mistakes when diagnosing patients during the pre-rounds!

Then, rounds would begin and I would follow a group of 3 residents with an attending to 7-10 patients. I got to listen to a patient’s irregular heartbeat through a stethoscope and even got to practice one of their techniques by pushing on the abdomen to see if the carotid artery would dilate. It was a great experience overall and I got to talk to many residents!

How I obtained the shadowing opportunity: It took me about 3 months to get everything ready to go for shadowing here. I was actually the first person to shadow at this teaching hospital that was a Pre-Med student. Everybody thought I was a medical student the first day I joined them. A lot of talking on the phone and just taking the initiative to follow up and continue expressing my interest in shadowing cardiology! I learned that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. So don’t be afraid or embarrassed!

Shadowing experience 4: Colorado Children’s Hospital (University of Colorado Medical School Afflicted Hospital) – Orthopedic Pediatric Surgery (Continuing)

I am planning to shadow Dr. Mark Erickson MD (Orthopedic Pediatric Surgeon) during Spring Break of 2018 to learn about Orthopedic Pediatric Surgery. Paperwork has been turned in, just waiting on the confirmation! It will be exciting to see what it is like to be a surgeon for children.

Interesting fact: Dr. Mark Erickson operated on me when I was young and he was the one who planted a seed in my head about becoming a physician. How cool would it be to finally come full circle and shadow him?

How I obtained the shadowing opportunity: Again, just calling. This shadowing program required an application and a personal statement. I was happy to spend the time to do this as I knew this opportunity would be amazing for me.

That’s it for now! As a side note, I have had no initial connections with medicine prior to these shadowing experiences. My parents are not doctors and I didn’t know anyone that were physicians prior. In this way, if you are a Pre-Medicine student reading this post wanting to get started on shadowing, be confident in yourself and trust the process! Be curious and don’t be afraid to open your mouth!

Let me know if I can be of assistance in helping you find your shadowing opportunities!

My question for you all is the following: For those who have had experience with shadowing, what are some tips and strategies to obtain shadowing, so that others can learn? For those who want help finding shadowing, what challenges do you think are hindering your success in finding shadowing opportunities?

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