Shadowing
How to Ask to Shadow a Doctor: One Pre-Med’s Successful Strategy
About Marissa
Marissa is a recent graduate of Clemson University where she received her B.S. in Health Sciences. During the summer of 2019, Marissa participated in the Atlantis shadowing program in Trento, Italy, and now works as an Alumni Representative with the company. She is currently applying to medical school where she hopes to become a primary care physician.
If you are interested in shadowing a doctor, but don’t know where to start, then this is the right place for you! Listed below are some quick tips and examples that you can use to help score that big opportunity.
Research First and Find Out What You Want
Before you contact your local doctors, it is important that you take the time to figure out what you want. Are you interested in a specific specialty? Do you want to shadow in a clinical or private practice? Do you want to shadow domestically or through a study abroad program like Atlantis? These are all questions you can ask yourself to help narrow down the search. Once you have decided what you want to shadow, you can now find who you want to shadow.
Get Contact Information
There are many ways that you can obtain your desired physician’s email address. You can either find them online through their workplaces, or you can get them from personal contacts. Make a list of people you would like to contact and include any other information that might be relevant. For instance, you could include clinical or research interests that will help your shadowing request stand out.
Jane Doe MD, obstetrics and gynecology
janndoe@universityofmedicine.org
Clinical interests: reproductive endocrinology, hormonal imbalances
Research interests: endometriosis
Reach Out Through Email
Each email that you write should be personal. If you have created a list of physicians to contact, I recommend waiting for a response from one doctor before emailing the next. It is important to be short and succinct in your email. Listed below is a potential formula that you can use:
Subject: Clinical shadowing inquiry from a premedical student
Body: Include your name, major, and school; how you heard about he/she and received the email address; and what you are interested in. Lastly, ask if they are willing and what days/times would be most convenient for them.
Dear Dr. Jane Doe,
My name is Marissa Jansen and I am currently a freshman health science student at Clemson University. I was told by my good friend, Jessica Smith, that you allow undergraduate students to shadow your clinical rounds and she greatly enjoyed the experience. I am interested in primary care and would love an opportunity to observe you so that I may get a better understanding on what being a primary care physician is like firsthand. If you are willing and able, please let me know what days and times are most convenient for you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Marissa Jansen
Follow-up Promptly
Healthcare professionals are very busy people and have to read many emails every day. If you have not received a response within a week, do not freak out. Instead, send a follow-up email. This email should be very similar to the email you sent previously. You may continue to email them once a week, if necessary. Be patient, but do not give up. Oftentimes, physicians will appreciate that you have taken the initiative to continue to reach out.
Write a Thank You Letter
Being able to shadow a physician is a valuable experience. Once you have shadowed, write a thank you note to give to the doctor on your last day. This note should thank them for the time and thoughtfulness they put into the experience for you. Additionally, if you think that the shadowing went well, you can ask for a letter of recommendation right away. Maintaining a great relationship with the physician you shadowed is always beneficial to you as an applicant.
What if I Can’t Find a Shadowing Opportunity?
If it is becoming difficult to find shadowing opportunities, it may be helpful to check out the AAMC shadowing guide for more tips and tricks to excel in shadowing. Fortunately, there are programs that exist that are designed to help students find ways to shadow physicians. For instance, Atlantis is an organization that aims to provide students with the skills necessary to excel in medicine. Additionally, students who participate in Atlantis programs have the opportunity to shadow physicians all around the world, expanding their understanding in global health. When I shadowed abroad in Italy in 2019, not only was I able to witness amazing surgeries firsthand, but I was also able to develop my perspectives on healthcare and how we should treat patients.
If you are not able to find a shadowing opportunity because of COVID-19, there are also a variety of virtual shadowing opportunities for students to continue to gain valuable clinical experience.
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future
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