Pre-Med Tips for Shadowing a Physician

We know, it’s crazy early to be deciding the rest of your medical career with hardly any knowledge. However, most of us have some inkling of what parts of medicine intrigue us and where we’d like to end up—so start there. Make a list of medical specialties that you’d like to know more about. If you’re really at a loss, start with the basics: internal medicine, family medicine, or pediatrics.
Know that it can behoove you to learn about multiple medical fields by shadowing doctors with different specializations. Admissions committees like to know that you’ve seen a wide range of medical specialties by the time you apply to their program.

If you don’t have any good connections in the world of medicine, think close to home: Who do you see when you’re sick? Chances are you have a relationship with that physician or provider, and they’d more than likely be thrilled to know that you’re considering a career in their field.
Doctors know other doctors, so voice your interests and see what potential connections can be made. The vast majority of physicians are more than welcoming to pre-med students and would be excited to share their ideas and experience with you. Physicians are teachers at heart, and if they’re just too busy to have you shadow them, they’ll certainly tell you.

The only way you’ll be able to shadow a doctor is if you ask. So, don’t rely on your referral to do all the work for you. Make the effort to call, email, or stop by the office of the physician you’d like to shadow and represent yourself and your interest in the field.
If you’re writing, make sure to be extremely polite and use a formal letter writing style. Attach your resume, so they can see your accomplishments. If you don’t hear back from an email, call or stop by in person.

Most likely, you’re not going to be an integral part of the medical practice while shadowing as an undergrad pre-med student. You’ll mostly be a silent observer in the office, learning from an attending physician and watching as she conducts her practice.
Politely—and only when the time is right—ask good questions. Read up on the cases that you see during your time shadowing and bring questions from your readings. Express interest in the field even if you have none (it’ll be good practice for rotations during your third and fourth year as a medical student). Offer to be helpful in any way you can. Many shadowing and clinical experiences turn into opportunities to gain a letter of recommendation.

This may be the most important part. After the shadowing experience is over, send a personal, handwritten thank you note. Demonstrate that you’re an appreciative adult and that you have manners worthy of a profession centered on taking care of others’ health. You have no idea what impact this can leave on people.