Pre-med students all need shadowing experience to get into medical school. In this article, I’ll talk about what shadowing is, how to find a doctor to shadow, and how to get the most out of the experience.
Shadowing means accompanying a doctor to experience what a day in the life of a practicing physician is like. It helps pre-med students understand what medicine is like and is a basic requirement of a strong medical school application.
Note: Shadowing is only considered “clinical experience” if it involves getting hands-on with patients and caring for them directly. It is not clinical experience if you are simply an observer, but non-clinical shadowing can still bolster your med school application.
Dr. Harvey Katzen is an oncologist, MedSchoolCoach advisor, professor at George Washington University Medical School, and experienced admissions officer. We sat down with him to ask him what pre-medical students should know about shadowing a physician. Keep reading to hear his tips and secrets!
Approaching a doctor and requesting to shadow them can be intimidating and nerve-wracking, but it doesn’t have to be.
Below are some tips on finding a doctor to ask and asking them:
Learn More: Who And How to Ask to Shadow a Doctor: A Comprehensive Guide
I personally don’t think all your shadowing should be done in the last year of college. Instead, demonstrate a long-term commitment… You like to see somebody who has long-term experience over a number of semesters.
Dr. Harvey Katzen
Why shadow? Here are some common benefits of shadowing as a pre-med:
If you’re a non-traditional medical school applicant, learn more about the process here.
Dr. Katzen describes the sorts of things you can learn while shadowing a doctor:
An observant student watches how the physician enters the room, how they conduct themselves in the room. Do they walk in the room and formally address the patient or formally introduce themselves? When they ask questions, how do they actively listen? Do they allow the patient to talk? What is their method of questioning? What is their method of obtaining information? That is very important.
Dr. Harvey Katzen
You should aim for at least 40 hours to make your application competitive though there’s no strict minimum amount of time required for shadowing.
It’s also beneficial to spread your shadowing hours across multiple specialties. Admissions committees would prefer you shadow four different specialties for 10 hours each rather than one specialty for 40 hours.
Well over 90% of matriculating medical students have completed at least some shadowing (according to a 2023 AAMC survey).
As with other extracurricular activities, aim for quality over quantity.
Once you’re over 100 hours, more shadowing probably won’t make you a more competitive applicant. By the 100-hour mark, you’ve shown admissions committees that you’re committed to medicine and that you know what you’re getting yourself into. At that point, consider investing more time in actual clinical or research experience to strengthen your application.
I talked with Dr. Katzen about some tips concerning physician shadowing. With our combined experiences, the guide below should help you get the most out of shadowing a doctor.
When you’re researching shadowing opportunities, think about which specialties interest you most. Let your interests guide your search while keeping an open mind.
Common medical specialties include:
Common surgical specialties include:
It’s great to have ideas about what specialties interest you, but you won’t make the final decision until your third year of medical school. Shadowing before that third year can help you learn about each specialty, but you won’t choose your specialty until you complete rotations as a medical student.
Dr. Katzen recommends that pre-meds remain versatile before entering med school.
I don’t think it’s appropriate when we hear a fourth-year college student say, ‘I am going to be an orthopedic surgeon.’ I think that shows a very narrow-minded approach. That is not the type of student we want to be admitted into our medical school.
We want someone who has an open mind to learn and see something that piques their interest once they see it in more depth. To me, anyone entering medical school should be entering it with an open mind and not with a preconceived notion as to what their final destination will be.Dr. Harvey Katzen
Now it’s time to find shadowing opportunities in the specialties you’ve decided you’re interested in. Here are your options for finding the right opportunity:
Is it okay to shadow your own doctor? If you remain professional, yes, it is okay to shadow your own doctor. You can also ask your doctor for recommendations on doctors to shadow.
Contact physicians directly — unless your school is handling this step. Their contact information should be readily available. Below are mine and Dr. Katzen’s tips on reaching out in the most effective way:
A lot of physicians welcome the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with future medical professionals.
If they agree to let you shadow them, confirm important details like the location of the clinic, hospital, or medical center, as well as the duration of this shadowing opportunity. There may be paperwork involved.
Now you’ve secured a shadowing opportunity. It’s time to make the most of the experience. In order to get the most out of in-person shadowing, here are some pointers:
Read More: Questions to Ask a Doctor When Shadowing
Dr. Harvey Katzen has this specific advice to offer:
First of all, you should look at how the patients are brought into the room, whether it is or is not by the physician. You should spend some time with either the medical assistant or the nurse and get a better understanding of the preparation before the physician goes into the room. It could be something as simple as weighing and taking vital signs.
When shadowing a doctor examining a patient, observe how they do a proper physical exam. In particular, observe the basic courtesies and manners that one should have as a physician. Observe how the doctor respects whether it’s a male-to-male, male-to-female, female-to-female, or female-to-male examination. They have appropriate chaperones, and they make proper allowances to respect the patients’ modesty and so forth.Dr. Harvey Katzen
You may get away with one shadowing experience, but medical school admissions committees are looking for dedicated students who demonstrate holistic learning.
Try to do a few shadowing sessions a year as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. If you can get ~20 hours per year, that will be enough to make you competitive for med school. If you wait too long to get enough shadowing hours, you can get more shadowing done during gap years before med school.
Dr. Katzen has some simple advice
Show a long-term commitment.
It is rarely effective to all of a sudden wake up and feel like you want to pursue the medical field. I personally get more confidence in demonstrations of commitment. When I see that somebody has multiple experiences, I think it exhibits commitment but also exposure to different aspects.Dr. Harvey Katzen
First of all, always send a thank-you card or email to the doctor you shadowed.
Also, you might want to write down any formative or memorable experiences that you can mention in your AMCAS Personal Statement or Work & Activities Section.
In terms of letters of recommendation, asking doctors you’ve shadowed probably isn’t your best bet (unless you worked with them in some other capacity – on research, say, or as a clinical volunteer). Shadowing is helpful, but it is still probably the least important aspect of your medical school application. Instead, AdComs will be looking for letters from people you’ve worked with, whether in a clinical, volunteering, or research setting.
Shadowing is a necessary part of your pre-medical career path. High-quality shadowing opportunities make you a competitive med school applicant. Fortunately, MedSchoolCoach makes it easier than ever to find great shadowing opportunities, all from the convenience of your couch.