How many doctors should I shadow for medical school?

If you want to put a number on it, around 100-120 hours is a good ideal range. Shadowing one doctor for one day will be approximately 10 hours, so if you can shadow multiple doctors for a total of 10 days spread over time, (even over a year or so if you start early), then you can easily hit your target.

How much shadowing do you need for medical school?

While clinical experiences, including shadowing, are a crucial part of an application, the number of hours each school expects can vary significantly. According to the most recent 2023 survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the average shadowing expectation is around 80 hours.

How many days should I shadow a doctor?

You may only want to spend one day with them, or you may want to shadow a few hours a week for several weeks or months. If you have the time in the summer or over a break, you may want to shadow full time for an entire week. Find out what the doctor is comfortable with or what has worked well in the past.

Which doctors should I shadow?

There is no specific type of doctor you should shadow. You want to find one who specializes in the area of medicine you are interested in. If you're unsure, reach out to a few doctors in different specialties to get a better idea of which field you wish to pursue.

Is 300 hours of shadowing good?

When considering med school, you should aim to complete around this amount or more. Others recommend even more clinical hours, with the career center at UCSD saying that “150-300 hours of meaningful patient interactions” is helpful in becoming a competitive applicant.

How to SHADOW a Doctor: EVERYTHING You Need to Know

Is 200 clinical hours enough for med school?

Generally speaking, having at least 100-150 hours of clinical experience, ideally completed in a consistent schedule over a few months, is considered competitive. It's not enough to simply tick off these hours as an item on your medical school checklist.

Is 70 shadowing hours enough?

For shadowing experience alone, aim to have at least 100 or more hours. 100 to 200 hours will show you've taken the time to learn in a medical setting, especially if you also have a variety of other clinical experiences to discuss in the activities section of your application.

Should you shadow multiple doctors?

Responsibilities vary between different doctors and specialties, and so shadowing with a decent variety will help you gain understanding of different kinds of workdays. For instance, a day for a family medicine specialist differs wildly from a day in emergency medicine, cardiology differs from neurosurgery, and so on.

How many doctors can you shadow at once?

For shadowing you should definitely shadow a PCP and 1 or 2 other doctors to be safe but realistically you can shadow as much as you'd like if you can find doctors and you enjoy it.”

How many hours should I shadow each doctor?

Many medical schools have a minimum requirement for shadowing hours. This may vary; some schools require 12–24 hours, while others require more than 75 hours. Generally, the range is between 40 and 100 hours. Shadowing can be arranged in half or full-day stints (typically from four to eight hours).

Does online shadowing count?

In general though, most schools have adjusted their admissions requirements to accept online shadowing hours. Remember that the goal isn't a certain number of hours to check off on your CV, but the experience you gain through shadowing.

How should I dress for shadowing a doctor?

Dress professionally.

Also, the way you dress will shape others' impressions of you. Business casual attire is typically what is expected. You may be asked to wear scrubs, particularly if shadowing a surgeon in the OR. If this is the case, the scrubs will likely be provided to you.

Should I be nervous to shadow a doctor?

You might feel a little nervous before starting your first day, but there's really no need to worry. No one is going to expect anything from you. “The objective of this experience is for you to gain exposure to that specialty so you can learn more about the practice of medicine,” Dr. Freedman points out.

Do med schools care about shadowing?

Shadowing experience is often critical for getting into medical school—and for deciding whether that's the right path for you in the first place.

Does shadowing look good on med school application?

One way to show schools that you have explored (and gained an understanding of) the profession is by shadowing physicians. Since you'll be including it on your medical school application, it's important to track all of your different shadowing experiences as well as the hours spent with each experience.

Is 120 hours of shadowing good?

However, the school recommends shadowing multiple physicians in multiple medical settings. Generally, a good range of shadowing hours is around 100 to 120. While the lowest shadowing hours considered is 50 hours below.

When should I start shadowing pre med?

While shadowing hours can be completed any time before applying to medical school, including during a gap year, consider beginning them as early as possible in case you discover you'd like to explore a different specialization or that medicine is not the path for you.

Does shadowing count as clinical hours for med school?

Just because you aren't directly providing care doesn't mean that shadowing is a lesser pursuit. Provided you'll get enough time, exposure, and mentorship, physician shadowing does count as clinical experience.

What is a good amount of volunteer hours for medical school?

There is no magic number of hours that will guarantee you admission to medical school. However, it is generally recommended that you aim to volunteer for at least 100-150 hours per year. This shows a sustained commitment to volunteerism over a long period of time.

How do you keep track of shadowing hours?

Be sure to record the name of the professional you are shadowing, their preferred contact information, the date you started and completed the experience, how many hours you shadowed. Also write down what you observed, what you learned about the profession, patients and yourself.

Can you shadow a family member doctor?

Shadowing family members is not a problem. The problem is in getting a letter of recommendation from the physician you're shadowing. A strong letter of recommendation comes from the physician you're shadowing whom you've built a relationship with over a prolonged period of time.

How do I get the most out of shadowing?

How many days a week should I shadow?

Try shadowing about 3-4 hours a week over several months. I think it is important to shadow over an extended period of time so you get to see what an office goes through over a period of several months. You get a better picture like this rather than trying to concentrate your hours over a short period of time.

Is 500 clinical hours enough for med school?

There is no set amount of time required to obtain clinical experience. All you need is a good quality experience done over a long enough time to demonstrate commitment. It's not very unusual for med students to have over 500 hours under their belt.

Is 2000 clinical hours good?

Applicants must have no less than one (1) year – equivalent to 2,000 hours – of paid, recent experience. We strongly recommend applying with 4,000 hours (2 years) clinical experience to be more competitive.