When you are pre-med, everything is hard. All the science classes are hard. The application process is hard. And finding shadowing is so hard! This week, I am shadowing a doctor for the first time, after spending almost a year trying to find somebody, anybody that would let me shadow. The question I always had was "How am I going to find someone to let me shadow?"
First of all, hit up all the family members you know. It can be a cousin you barely remember or an aunt that judges everything you do. If they are in the medical field, most likely they know a doctor. The best way to find shadowing is to start with the people your family knows and trust because they will probably be willing to teach you the most. Still, not everyone has family members they can harass for shadow.
Thus, we move on to plan B, email every doctor that is associated with your school. I know all the university's of different, but if you are going to the University of South Florida, you have access to so many doctor. Morsani, a huge medical facility on campus that houses a whole range of different doctors, is right on campus. Think about what specialty you want to go into, and call or email very doctor you can find in that field. If they work at USF, they tend to be more willing to teach the future doctors of USF.
Now, if that doesn't work do not feel defeated, there is a lot of student at USF, and a lot of us are pre-med. The doctors don't have room for everyone to shadow. This is when we move on to private practice. That list of specialties you're interested in, you can google every one of those specialties and found doctors in that field in your area. I know it feels strange calling every doctor office in your city, but the best way to find shadowing is by asking. This was how I found two doctors to shadow this summer, and I am so excited to start learning. Keep in mind that this is a long process. It took me close to a year to find a doctor to shadow. If you remember your goals and stay persistent, I have no doubt that you will also find a few good doctors to shadow.
