Research & Shadowing

Shadowing

What is shadowing? Shadowing or ‘working a shadow shift’ involves observing a Physician or Resident perform their duties for a few hours or during a typical work day/operating room procedure.

Why is shadowing important? Foremost, shadowing gives one the opportunity to explore different specialities. By observing many different categories of Physicians one is able to gain insight into which types of medical specialties are appealing. Additionally, shadowing provides an opportunity to network within different departments, and thereby find mentors/physicians who can advise you as your medical career progresses.

How do I schedule a shadow shift? Each hospital or outpatient clinic will have different policies, however, typically one just needs to reach out to a Physician or Resident in the specialty you are interested in observing. If you are a pre-medical student, a good place to start will be reaching out to any Veterans organizations at a nearby Medical School. Typically, medical students will have access to contact information for Physicians in different departments and can refer you. If your nearby Medical School doesn’t have a veterans organization, pre-medical advisors typically have points of contact with regard to shadowing at local hospitals. Moreover, every doctor is familiar with shadowing- so don’t be afraid to send an email or contact an individual you are interested in working with.

Do’s and Don’t during a shadowing experience: Dress professionally. You will be interacting with patients, so always err on the side of marginally more formal clothing. Avoid asking questions to your Physician in-front of patients. Additionally, don’t ask medical questions to the patient unless your Physician offers you the chance. Typically the etiquette during a shadow shift is that you are a passive observer, and aren’t providing direct patient care.

Quality versus Quantity: Foremost, shadowing is not a prerequisite for Medical School, but it certainly can strengthen an application. That being said, shadowing a smaller number of Physicians in a more in-depth fashion for a longer amount of time will add to your application much more so than shadowing a large number of Physicians in a superficial fashion.

Research

Why do research? Research experiences can enhance a person’s application to medical school, however, similar to shadowing experiences, quality over quantity matters. Moreover, research experiences will be valued more at research-intensive medical schools versus more primary care focused medical programs. Additionally, research can be very rewarding- as completing a project and being able to articulate the importance of it can be a wonderful talking point during Medical School admissions. As a caveat,though, research experience will not counterbalance poor grades or MCAT performance.

What is research? There are many different kinds of research one can engage in as a pre-medical student. Projects vary greatly, from social science to ‘bench’ research projects involving test tubes, gene sequencing etc. The most important facet of research projects is doing one you are actually interested in and can speak intelligently about. Medical School admissions folks can tell the difference about research for the sake of your application, and a project that the applicant is actually passionate about.

How do I perform research? You will first need to identify your area of interest. Do you want to perform quantitative research in public health? Or do you want to work in a lab? Pre-medical advisors will be able to provide lists of Professors and projects. You should also be able to search for professors at your college or university that have ongoing projects in your area of interest. Also, similar to shadowing, reaching out to Medical Schools about open projects is another good idea. Many times ongoing research projects need volunteers to help with lab work, spreadsheets, or other facets of the project.

Am I expected to publish? As a pre-medical student, no. Medical Schools will not expect you to have published papers in major journals.