Physician Shadowing
One of the best sources for gathering information about what's happening in an
occupation is to talk to and spend time with people working in the field. Shadowing also
demonstrates that you have taken the time to investigate your career choice and to learn
about professionals in your career field. It is a good idea to shadow several physicians in
a variety of healthcare settings.
- Prepare: Read all you can about the field prior to the interview. Decide what
information you would like to obtain about the occupation. Prepare a list of
questions that you would like to have answered during the shadowing experience.
(see back for example questions)
- Identify Health Professionals to Shadow: Start with lists of people you already
know - friends, relatives, present or former co-workers, supervisors, neighbors,
etc... Professional organizations, organizational directories, and hospital websites
also good resources.
- Arrange the Shadowing Experience: Shadowing experiences vary in length; they
may range from 1-2 hours to an entire day. You may call or email the
professional with whom you’d like to shadow or you may have someone who
knows the physician arrange the meeting.
- The Day Of: Dress professionally, arrive early, be polite and professional.
Demonstrate enthusiasm for the profession, confidence in your abilities and your
commitment to medicine. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but don't bombard the
professional with so many questions that he or she can't get any work done.
Before leaving, ask your contact to suggest names of others who might be helpful
to you and ask permission to use your contact's name when contacting these new
contacts.
- Respect Patient Confidentiality and Privacy: Everything you hear and see should
be kept confidential. It is ok to discuss what you learned about the career but it is
never ok to discuss specifics about patients that you may have encountered.
- Follow Up: Be sure to send a thank-you note to your contact within one week of
the shadowing experience.
- Record Your Experience: Record the experience in a journal or on your resume.
Include the following information: Date, Clinic/Hospital, Department, Physician’s
Contact Information, and Hours Shadowed.
- Reflection: It’s important to evaluate what you learned, consider the following
questions:
- How did this experience impact your decision to pursue this career?
- What did you like most about this shadowing experience?
- What turned you off?
- What are you unsure about?
- What areas would you like to explore next?
Sample Questions
Following are sample questions you may wish to ask during your shadowing experiences:
- On a typical day in this position, what do you do? How many patients do you see
each day?
- How many hours do you work in a typical day/week?
- What kinds of problems do you deal with?
- What percentage of your time is spent doing what?
- How does the time use vary? Are there busy and slow times or is the work activity
fairly constant?
- What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?
- What part of this job do you find most satisfying? most challenging?
- How did you make the decision to pursue this field?
- What entry level jobs are best for learning as much as possible?
- How do you see jobs in this field changing in the future?
- Is there a demand for people in this specialty? Why or why not?
- What special advice would you give a person entering this field?
- What types of continued education or training is available or required?
- What do you look for in a colleague?
- How much patient interaction do you have?
- How much of your time do you spending doing paperwork?
- What type of patients do you work with or does this hospital serve?
- Which professional journals and organizations would help me learn more about
this field?
- What do you think of the experience I've had so far in terms of entering this field?
- From your perspective, what are the problems you see working in this field?
- If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for
yourself? Why? What would you change?
- What surprised you most about working in this field?
- What advances do you think will be made in this field and how will that impact
your career or the way that you do your job?
- How do you balance work and family responsibilities?
- What can you tell me about the hospital/clinic that you work in?
- Who do you know that I should talk to next? When I call him/her, may I use your
name?
- How does technology play a role in this field or in your job?
- What courses do you wish you would have taken as an undergraduate student?
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