Becoming a doctor isn’t an easy career to get into. To say that it's very challenging to be one is an understatement. But before you officially become a doctor, you must complete many hours of rigorous training and study. Nevertheless, it’ll be all worth it in the end.

If you’ve decided on becoming a doctor but you’re not yet sure about your specialization, you can try shadowing an experienced doctor. This way, you can get a sense of their day-to-day life and decide if that’s the kind of specialization you want to pursue.

Shadowing A Doctor

When you’re shadowing a doctor, it means you’re following a doctor silently to observe how they perform their responsibilities with their patients. Shadowing a doctor means acting as a fly on the wall and not actively participating unless you're being asked.

On the other hand, doctors are extremely busy individuals, and it might not be easy to find one or convince one to shadow. So, if you need one to shadow as a requirement for medical school, check out this article source. Additionally, here are a few tips for you:

Approach Doctors, You Personally Know

Your family doctor wouldn't be able to say ‘no’ to you. They might even feel proud that you're following in their footsteps. Alternatively, you can also ask doctors within your circle of friends and even doctors in your community.

Try Cold Calling

A quick internet search will give you a list of medical practitioners in your area and their contact details. But before dialing that number, make sure you have a prepared and practiced spiel because cold calling could be very nerve-wracking.

Send A Cold Email

A less daunting approach would be to send a cold email to your doctor prospect. However, you have to make sure that your email sounds professional. Nevertheless, your email should contain: why you're writing to the doctor, who you are, your credentials, why you chose him to shadow, and your contact details.

Benefits Of Shadowing A Doctor

From time to time and on rare occasions, the attending physician may ask for your help. This includes doing the physical examination, encouraging you to ask questions to the patient, and asking what your perception is about the patient's symptoms.

On the other hand, you're not meant to share your opinion on the diagnosis or medicine to prescribe; that would be off-limits. In addition, when you shadow, you're a mere spectator, taking notes.

Here are some of the benefits when you shadow a doctor:

• It Will Help You Understand The Profession Better

It’s easy to create an initial understanding of the profession. However, some of them may be incorrect or clouded by bias. Significantly, when you get to be with an actual doctor in action, you can form your own opinion and align it with your initial impression.

This experience will teach you to separate your emotions while at work. Furthermore, this will also help you keep your judgment to yourself so that it won’t interfere with your job.

• It Will Strengthens Your Motivation

At times, you’ll be discouraged because of stress or what you see on the news. But seeing what doctors can accomplish in real life and how they try their best to save lives, you’ll have a different perspective. This will also motivate you to work harder and set your goals straight towards becoming one.

•  It Will Allows You To Learn Proper Bedside Manners

Bedside manners are how a doctor approaches a patient or how his attitude toward a patient is. This is one of the most challenging skills for a doctor to learn because not everyone is born with compassion.

However, it takes a great deal for many doctors to sharpen their bedside manners and learn how to be sympathetic, especially with complex or difficult patients. By shadowing a doctor, you'll see how they adjust from being a technical person to a human being who can offer comfort.

• It Will Help You Understand The Realities Of Medicine

Many patients rely on their doctors for miracles. Still, there are things beyond a doctor's capabilities. And shadowing a doctor will give you a clear view of how they deliver facts to their patients. You'll also learn how the doctor can make their patients understand their diagnoses clearly so that they don’t keep their hopes up.

Conclusion

To become a doctor in these trying times is a feat beyond measure. The world needs great doctors. And if shadowing excellent doctors today will help you achieve that goal, then it's time to begin your search for doctors who can be your role model.

Source: Canva

About Author:

Marie Ransom is a health care specialist. She has been sharing her experience and expertise on medical subjects through guest posts.

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