What this Post is About
In this post I shall discuss my thoughts on the etiquette of shadowing physicians. What to do and what not to do. Generally, this is common sense stuff. However, I’ll share my thoughts informed by past experiences shadowing as a student and now as a physician.
Introduction to Shadowing Etiquette
Shadowing a physician is a great opportunity to learn more about medicine and what it is like to be a physician. As an aspiring physician it can aid in determining if pursuing medical education is right for you and what sort of medical discipline you want to practice in the future.
Shadowing has associate etiquette. There are things you should and should not do. To understand this better, realize what shadowing a physician is. Shadowing a physician means you become their shadow – you stay by their side and you observe them while they work. You are not the physician or a medical professional at this time. You are an observer there to collect information for your own use to determine if the field may be right for you and what practice within the field of medicine may be right for you.
What You Should Do When Shadowing–Good Etiquette
Professionalism
One, first and foremost, be professional. This includes dressing appropriately, being polite to your physician host and any other individuals, and respecting patients.
To determine how to dress appropriately, simply reach out to the physician or physician office and ask what clothing is required.
Being polite means you acknowledge the other members of the team and thank them for their time.
Respecting the care team and patients means introducing yourself to everyone. Make sure each person you interact with knows who you are and your role in the team – in this instance you are a shadow and your role is to learn. If certain patients do not feel comfortable with you being part of the physician-patient interaction that is fine.
Notetaking and Appreciation
Two, bring a notepad and pen to take notes on your experience. This is not to look studious or to impress anyone—it is simply to gather information and see if it is a good fit for you or not and determining why.
Three, thank everyone for their time. Whether or not it feels like people cared you were there, they took time and space to accommodate you. Whether or not you feel like you learned something from the experience, the people there took time and space to accommodate you.
Questions and Further Experiences
Four, if you have questions or concerns, bring them up when appropriate. Generally, this will be between patients and you have some one-on-one time with the physician.
Five, if you hope to get further shadowing experience at the end of the day, talk with the team to try to set it up. If you want to see if there are other non-shadowing experiences you can be a part, bring it up. If they hosted you it is because they want to help you. So long as you don’t act unprofessionally or are irritating then they will be happy to assist you as able.
What You should Not Do–Bad Etiquette
Unprofessionalism
One, dress unprofessionally or exhibit poor self-hygiene. Patients may get uncomfortable if someone is dressed inappropriately. The provider may not allow you to shadow if you are not dressed professionally. If you exhibit poor self-hygiene then you can irritate patients and staff and are unlikely to be considered in a positive light.
Distractions
Two, try not to be on your phone all the time. If that is how you are taking notes, then explain it to the physician host. Generally, it is better to have a notepad and pen as it is clear you are taking notes and not just distracted. If it appears you don’t care to be there then that can be irritating to the staff and to your host physician.
If you are on your phone during patient encounters then the patient may be worried you are violating patient confidentiality in some way. Basically, don’t let being on your phone be a perception of disrespect—because it easily can be and oftentimes is disrespectful to be on your phone in such situations.
Sins of Omission
Three, forget to thank everyone for their time. Even if it seems small, thanking everyone goes a long way. It shows everyone you appreciate the time and space they are accommodating you. If you don’t thank you host or team it may seem you are aloof or are taking the opportunity for granted.
Four, keep any questions to yourself. If you have some questions you really think could be beneficial to deciding if medicine is right for you then you should ask. If it doesn’t seem like there is any good time to ask the question during the shadow session, then write it down. Either ask it next shadow opportunity or perhaps email the question.
Inappropriate Activity and Interruptions
Five, ask inappropriate questions. You are not a medical professional. Unless the physician host explicitly tells you to gather some information from the patient you should not be asking them medical questions. These are inappropriate in this instance.
Six, don’t interrupt the physician or patient. Happening at all is disrespectful, happening several times is increasingly disrespectful. This is a situation where other than introducing yourself, it may be wrong to speak unless spoken to.
Seven, whine. The hospital is a professional setting. Don’t whine. People are accommodating you and trying to help you. Whining is a quick way to identify you as someone to never invite back again. Whining clearly demonstrates you don’t care to be there or want to be there. It also demonstrates you don’t respect the time of those who are hosting you.
Conclusion—Do and Don’t Do The Above For Good and Bad Etiquette
Hopefully this helps you understand some etiquette of shadowing better. Shadowing can be very beneficial in determining if medicine is right for you and if a certain medical discipline could be right for you. It helps you set up further shadowing opportunities and may help identify other opportunities.
Be professional. Don’t be unprofessional. Do thank everyone. Don’t whine.
See the following links as well for some more information on shadowing:
- Princeton Review: https://www.princetonreview.com/med-school-advice/how-to-shadow-a-doctor-as-a-pre-med-student
- AAMC: https://students-residents.aamc.org/aspiring-docs-fact-sheets-get-experience/shadowing-doctor
- Medical School HQ: https://medicalschoolhq.net/how-to-effectively-shadow-a-physician-as-a-premed-student/.
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