The path to becoming an excellent doctor is very difficult. Years of burning the midnight oil and extensive hours of internship aren’t enough to equip one with all the proper knowledge and skills to be ready to face the real world of caring for and treating patients.
Aside from countless exams, training, certifications and hours of residency, med students also need shadowing. It’s a crucial and very beneficial program required for would-be medical practitioners.
What Is Shadowing?
Shadowing is an essential part of medical training wherein a med student is allowed to observe the practice of a certified medical doctor. During the shadowing hours, the student can observe the doctor’s work, take notes, and ask questions.
Shadowing can also occur before students decide to pursue medicine to see if this is the correct career choice for them. During this time, they can allow themselves to be immersed in the setting to feel if this is something they can do.
Most medical schools in the United States require an average of 40 to 100 shadowing hours. Many students go for 50 or even more because this is their opportunity to learn from the experts and clarify some questions.
You can also have your shadowing experience abroad. If you want to learn more profoundly how medicine is practised in different parts of the world, you can have your shadowing program in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. To know more about this, view this website.
Shadowing is essential to your medical career because it can provide the following:
1. Clinical Exposure For Your Admission Interview
Your admission interview can be one of the most nerve-racking experiences you’ll ever encounter. If you’ve shadowed a doctor, you’ll have real-life situations to cite for answers. Here are some of the questions that might be asked during the admission interview:
- Why do you want to be a doctor?
- What makes a good doctor?
- What are the good and bad points of being a doctor?
- Thinking of examples from your recent past, how would you assess your empathy and compassion?
- What excites you about medicine in general?
- What is success, in your opinion?
The questions may sound very basic, but interviewers look for honest answers. If you’ve acquired experience from shadowing, you can share your observations with your interviewer. This could be an excellent time to impress them as you took the extra step to get to know the field.
2. See What A Physician’s Life Is Like
When you shadow doctors, you can witness real-life work scenarios and determine if this is really for you. Not all who pursue medicine are fully convinced that this is for them. Some were just forced by other people, rushed into deciding, and maybe confused during that time. When you shadow, you can cement your decision because you’ll eventually see the things you’ll be exposed to.
3. Ignite Your Passion For Medicine
If you pass a stage wherein you stray far from medicine and maybe get lost in the process, you can ignite the passion you once had through shadowing. This is especially important if you’ve already invested several years into studying.
Seeing doctors in action and watching them save lives or improve patients’ quality of life can impact how you view the practice and what you can contribute to the field once you become one. This can fuel your passion again and make you go back to studying with more energy and enthusiasm.
4. Learn Bedside Manners From Experts
You’ll often hear patients complaining about rude and unprofessional doctors. The world of medicine isn’t perfect. Not all who studied to become doctors are born with excellent bedside manners. Bedside manners, or the way a doctor handles a patient in a doctor-patient relationship, are not innate; for many, they need to be learned.
Bedside manner is an essential part of a doctor’s career because it’s the way to show compassion, empathy, and sincerity to patients. Every doctor has a distinct style.
In shadowing several doctors, you can compare and assess which would suit your personality. You can even craft your own bedside manner, which would be excellent because a unique communication style with patients can make you popular in your specialty.
5. Help You Choose Your Specialty
Choosing a specialty is one of the most crucial bridges you must cross in your medical education. Your initial choice when you were still a kid can change once you experience the rigors of studying medicine. From wanting to be a pediatrician, you may realize that you want neurology instead. Shadowing can help you finalize your choice before you proceed with residency.
Conclusion
Becoming a doctor is the dream of many kids, but it’s challenging to be one. Shadowing can help you assess if medicine is really for you and help you choose the best specialty you can take.
