Clinical experience is typically more important than shadowing. But a lot of students think that since they have a lot of clinical experience, they no longer need shadowing. There is a huge difference between interacting with patients yourself versus watching what the physician is doing. Both are important experiences for a premed student. So you need to shadow, and you need clinical experience. How much? Ryan recommends shooting for around 40 or 50 hours of shadowing, and then more clinical experience.
Some schools actually state a requirement on their website. Of those, some say hours, while others are around hours. So it varies.
Arrange a schedule that fits both of your needs and responsibilities. Not all medical school extracurricular activities translate so well to an online format! For many students, especially those with extremely busy schedules, virtual shadowing is a boon that helps them avoid long commutes, public transport fees, gas money, and other logistical financial costs.
Virtual shadowing is especially useful for students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds or with specific health conditions, who often find it difficult to meet the typical list of medical school requirements.
Consider a student who has very little time to spare for shadowing, because they have to work multiple jobs due to their economic circumstances; or a disabled student who is unable to find a wheelchair accessible medical centre near them, to shadow a doctor in-person. Virtual shadowing allows them to gain viable experience that suits their needs.
Remember, no matter what kind of experience you have, how you talk about it in your medical school application makes a difference. You should be able to discuss your shadowing experiences in your medical school personal statement and essays to build a compelling narrative of why do you want to be a doctor and what makes you suitable for it.
You also need to describe your shadowing hours in your AMCAS Work and Activities section, succinctly explaining what you did and what value you derived from it. There are many different types of shadowing opportunities. Some are very basic, involving a physician simply lecturing about their profession, their specialty, and their duties, without any specific patient examples. Their goal is to help pre-med students improve their knowledge of what their future profession involves. Some physicians or clinical centres put up pre-recorded videos of actual patient interactions.
However, make sure you find out how interactive the sessions are and if you will get the opportunity to actually ask questions. The most useful virtual shadowing experiences are interactive sessions where a physician actually discusses case studies from their own practice. Ideally, they should explain, with specific examples, how they complete their physician duties, and also answer questions from students.
Our program includes interactive sessions of 1 to 1. In each session, they systematically present a patient case study that could be related to a variety of medical school specialties — psychiatry, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and so on. At the end, there is a minute period dedicated to an interactive question and answer session. You also have to complete a homework assignment and quiz to assess your observation and understanding of the case study. This kind of virtual shadowing experience allows you to understand what a physician does, how they diagnose and treat patients, and how they interact with a student, all from the comfort of your home.
At the end of the program, you receive a certificate of completion that includes critical details such as your name, date, and the number of shadowing hours. This is a great addition to your application to help present your virtual shadowing experience in the right context.
In a changing world with rapidly evolving technologies and new challenges, the medical profession is constantly evolving, and this impacts medical school admissions requirements as well. Most medical schools accept it and consider it no different to in-person shadowing. Some schools even specify this on their admissions website. As we mentioned earlier, how you discuss your experiences in your application is as important as the experiences themselves. The depth of your insights and reflections about the shadowing hours is a critical factor for admissions committees.
Provide all the required details including the name and credentials of the physician you shadowed. Focus on the specifics of what you observed, what you learned, and how it contributed to your understanding of and passion about the medical profession. Include information about the number of hours you completed, the technology used to access the experience, and your own role in the process even if it was a passive one. Another aspect to consider is that with the greater push towards diversity and inclusion in medical education , many programs are expanding their medical school requirements to allow virtual shadowing.
If you had specific circumstances that directly influenced your decision to seek out virtual experiences over in-person experiences, make sure you include this information in your application.
The ideal place to discuss this topic in detail would be your medical school diversity secondary essay , but you can also refer to it in other written components, such as your personal statement, other medical school secondary essays , activity descriptions, accommodation essays, etc. If, try as you might, you simply cannot arrange any shadowing experiences during your busy premed years, don't panic! In addition to purely academic activities like research or teaching assistantships, these include:.
There are few experiences more difficult and transformative in the early career of a medical student than the death of a patient. Volunteering at a hospice provides not only the ability to navigate the extremely heavy experience of end-of-life care, but it provides this in a safe and supportive environment that includes experienced staff and councilors to help you process and understand your experiences. While you should be careful to avoid insensitive discussions of your experience in your medical school applications, the experiences gained in hospice work can be moving material for your personal statements or essays.
EMTs deal with some of the most time-sensitive and traumatic situations in medicine, and taking on this role can help you forge a great deal of strength and determination, as well as hone your ability to remain calm under pressure.
For more information on volunteering and its role in medical school admissions, check out our guide to how many volunteer hours are required for medical school. Sometimes referred to as orderlies or patient care technicians, CNAs assist patients directly with a range of less medically sophisticated tasks, such as dietary and hygienic activities. Because of the comparatively down-to-earth and even gritty nature of this work, experiences as a CNA are great for showing your commitment and discipline as a novice medical practitioner.
Like EMTs, CNAs require certification, so be sure you can dedicate at least some time to study and prepare for the required training before committing to this route. Additionally, CNAs often form close bonds with the patients they assist due to the intimacy of the relationship and extensive time spent together. In essence, CNA experience can be a great way to show how your emotional and psychological development is coming along in relation to your chosen field, and provides opportunities to form evocative personal narratives based on your interpersonal experiences with patients.
Scribes record notes during patient interviews, describe and summarize the encounter, and generally assist with patient flow and organization. Scribing is in many ways a kind of semi-active type of shadowing, a form of experience somewhere between classical clinical rotations and passive shadowing. US: UK: If you want to become a doctor, you are probably wondering: how many shadowing hours do I need for medical school?
When it comes to your shadowing requirements, most medical schools will list their expectations on their website. However, students often have up to hours of clinical shadowing , in addition to other types of experience. There are a host of requirements for most medical programs , which makes for a lot of preparation for pre-med and pre-health students.
You want to fulfill all prerequisites as best you can so that you can be a competitive applicant. Shadowing is a chance for you to figure out if medicine is right for you. Rather than worrying too much about how many shadowing hours you need for medical school, focus on finding a variety of experiences that allow you to explore your options. At Global Pre-Meds, we specialize in doctor shadowing and global health programs.
All you have to do is apply and you will get 40 hours of shadowing on the front lines of an international hospital or an in-depth look into global health and African culture. Medical doctors who have been specifically chosen will serve as your mentors and answer any questions that you have.
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