interest in ob/gyn but cannot find doctor to shadow

[itstwelve]

I'm a premed and I am interested in ob/gyn but I've had a hard time finding a doctor in ob/gyn to shadow. I've tried calling clinics and emailing doctors but they only allow medical students interested. I was wondering if there was a way to find a doctor to shadow or if there was any advice on finding doctors to shadow in general.

Thanks for your help!

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[smq123]

I'm a premed and I am interested in ob/gyn but I've had a hard time finding a doctor in ob/gyn to shadow. I've tried calling clinics and emailing doctors but they only allow medical students interested. I was wondering if there was a way to find a doctor to shadow or if there was any advice on finding doctors to shadow in general.

Thanks for your help!

If you're pro-choice (or quite neutral on the topic), Planned Parenthood will sometimes let college students volunteer/help out. It's a very limited part of OB/Gyn, but it's a start (if you're politically and morally okay with it). You might be able to talk to some of the doctors who work there.

Otherwise - why not wait until med school? It can be hard for Ob/Gyn doctors to let medical students shadow them, because some patients are so sensitive about it. I even had a patient a few days ago who refused to let the 4th year resident touch her. (Seriously - she told him that he could "talk, but not touch." This is a guy who I would trust to deliver MY children.)

 

[drivesmecraazee]

That's exactly one of the reasons I wouldn't pick Ob/Gyn...patients are sensitive about having contact with students, I think one of the good things about medicine as a profesion it's that will let you be a working profesional and a teacher at the same time, because the learning process is sooo related with work experience, well...Ob/Gyn doesn't let you do that completly...and Im NOT one of those anti-ob wackos...it's just an obervation, my personal opoinion and I truly respect people who choose it as a career, Im pretty sure they have strong reasons to love it.

 

[nykka3]

That's exactly one of the reasons I wouldn't pick Ob/Gyn...patients are sensitive about having contact with students, I think one of the good things about medicine as a profesion it's that will let you be a working profesional and a teacher at the same time, because the learning process is sooo related with work experience, well...Ob/Gyn doesn't let you do that completly...and Im NOT one of those anti-ob wackos...it's just an obervation, my personal opoinion and I truly respect people who choose it as a career, Im pretty sure they have strong reasons to love it.

If I was a laboring patient or even a surgical patient, I don't think I would be full of joy to have a high school or college student involved in my care. To the OP, you will have a lot more opportunities with ob/gyn patients in med school, so don't worry about that now. Work on getting into med school first, and always keep in mind that many change their minds multiple times concerning specialties of interest.

 

[drivesmecraazee]

Yeah...I know, Im not complaining about patients, Im just saying they don't like being touched by students, that's something I don't like about the fields, that your future students (I would like to te teach too) won't have the chance to learn by doing

 

[nykka3]

Yeah...I know, Im not complaining about patients, Im just saying they don't like being touched by students, that's something I don't like about the fields, that your future students (I would like to te teach too) won't have the chance to learn by doing

true but if you are a high school or college student, your best bet is to shadow a FM or IM doc. Anything surgical or critical care might be harder.

 

[itstwelve]

Thanks for all the tips! I never really thought about the patient sensitivities involved in that specialty for students to observe, which are obviously very important. The only physicians I've been able to shadow were in occupational health, and I'm not soo interested in it based on what I've seen, but I am still interested in other subspecialties of preventative medicine, based on what I've read. I'll try Planned Parenthood and see if they are willing for me to shadow them.

The reason why I was interested in shadowing an ob/gyn is because I wanted to know more about the field and also so that I could answer that question "what would you like to specialize in?" during a med school interview, which I got last year. Also it seems every person I talk to (family and friends), when I tell them I'm premed, asks what I want to specialize in and telling everyone the real answer, I'm not sure because I haven't seen many physician specialists work, evidently is a very boring answer that seems like I haven't looked very much into the field of medicine, which led me to look more into a specialty I think I will like based on what I've read (ob/gyn). I like the fact that they help female patients and I'm interested in the subspecialty, Maternal & Fetal Medicine. I wish there were somewhere (websites, books?) I could find out more about ob/gyn and maybe also about other specialties.

 

[drivesmecraazee]

true but if you are a high school or college student, your best bet is to shadow a FM or IM doc. Anything surgical or critical care might be harder.

Sure.

 

[mules05]

Thanks for all the tips! I never really thought about the patient sensitivities involved in that specialty for students to observe, which are obviously very important. The only physicians I've been able to shadow were in occupational health, and I'm not soo interested in it based on what I've seen, but I am still interested in other subspecialties of preventative medicine, based on what I’ve read. I’ll try Planned Parenthood and see if they are willing for me to shadow them.

The reason why I was interested in shadowing an ob/gyn is because I wanted to know more about the field and also so that I could answer that question "what would you like to specialize in?" during a med school interview, which I got last year. Also it seems every person I talk to (family and friends), when I tell them I'm premed, asks what I want to specialize in and telling everyone the real answer, I'm not sure because I haven’t seen many physician specialists work, evidently is a very boring answer that seems like I haven’t looked very much into the field of medicine, which led me to look more into a specialty I think I will like based on what I've read (ob/gyn). I like the fact that they help female patients and I'm interested in the subspecialty, Maternal & Fetal Medicine. I wish there were somewhere (websites, books?) I could find out more about ob/gyn and maybe also about other specialties.

I was able to shadow an OB/Gyn as a college student- what I did was talk to a doctor in another specialty that I knew (ok, yes, it was my daddy) who was able to set me up with an OB that he was friends with. Most doctors have friends in other specialties, so if you have a friend's parent, relative, neighbor, etc in another medical specialty, let them know about your interest and they may be able to set you up.

Just to throw this out there, don't worry if you don't know what you want to go into when you apply. I actually was sure that I was NOT going to go into OB after my one day of shadowing. 5 years later, guess what I'll be applying to?

 

[itstwelve]

I was able to shadow an OB/Gyn as a college student- what I did was talk to a doctor in another specialty that I knew (ok, yes, it was my daddy) who was able to set me up with an OB that he was friends with. Most doctors have friends in other specialties, so if you have a friend's parent, relative, neighbor, etc in another medical specialty, let them know about your interest and they may be able to set you up.

Just to throw this out there, don't worry if you don't know what you want to go into when you apply. I actually was sure that I was NOT going to go into OB after my one day of shadowing. 5 years later, guess what I'll be applying to?

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Options]

I was able to shadow an OB/Gyn as a college student- what I did was talk to a doctor in another specialty that I knew (ok, yes, it was my daddy) who was able to set me up with an OB that he was friends with. Most doctors have friends in other specialties, so if you have a friend's parent, relative, neighbor, etc in another medical specialty, let them know about your interest and they may be able to set you up.

Just to throw this out there, don't worry if you don't know what you want to go into when you apply. I actually was sure that I was NOT going to go into OB after my one day of shadowing. 5 years later, guess what I'll be applying to?

Hehe, so true.. ob/gyn would be my last pick if you asked me before medical school..

 

[Pinki]

Also it seems every person I talk to (family and friends), when I tell them I'm premed, asks what I want to specialize in and telling everyone the real answer, I'm not sure because I haven’t seen many physician specialists work, evidently is a very boring answer that seems like I haven’t looked very much into the field of medicine, which led me to look more into a specialty I think I will like based on what I've read (ob/gyn).

IMHO, your "real answer" is a much more mature and thoughtful response at this point in your quest to be a doctor. Your friends and family might not get it, but I think most med school interviewers will respect that you are still investigating your options and that you've chosen to keep an open mind during your vast training experiences ahead. So while it's good you're interested in checking out various specialties, don't stress if you don't have an answer just yet.

 

[smq123]

That's exactly one of the reasons I wouldn't pick Ob/Gyn...patients are sensitive about having contact with students, I think one of the good things about medicine as a profesion it's that will let you be a working profesional and a teacher at the same time, because the learning process is sooo related with work experience, well...Ob/Gyn doesn't let you do that completly...and Im NOT one of those anti-ob wackos...it's just an obervation, my personal opoinion and I truly respect people who choose it as a career, Im pretty sure they have strong reasons to love it.

Well, to be honest, some patients in other areas of medicine are super sensitive about having students in the room, too. One of the patients that I had while on psych kept prefacing her remarks with "Well, I know you're JUST a student, but...." Then she'd finish up with something really trivial, like "...but do you know how to adjust the volume on the TV?" She wasn't even psychotic or anything - just mildly depressed.

One of the things that I've admired most about the OB residents that I've seen so far is that they're very protective of their patients. Yes, it's true - that means that you might have less opportunities to learn as a student. But I think it's good (and educational) to see how sensitive they are to their patients' needs.

 

[drivesmecraazee]

Well, to be honest, some patients in other areas of medicine are super sensitive about having students in the room, too. One of the patients that I had while on psych kept prefacing her remarks with "Well, I know you're JUST a student, but...." Then she'd finish up with something really trivial, like "...but do you know how to adjust the volume on the TV?" She wasn't even psychotic or anything - just mildly depressed.

One of the things that I've admired most about the OB residents that I've seen so far is that they're very protective of their patients. Yes, it's true - that means that you might have less opportunities to learn as a student. But I think it's good (and educational) to see how sensitive they are to their patients' needs.

It seems like the psych patient you're talking about wasn't so sensitive, it's not like she said "don't look at me, you're just a student", she even let you do some very important stuff for her......besides, she was a psych patients, it's obvious that they don't have a 100% normal behavior.

About OB residents being protective with patients...you don't really learn much about that, it's just a regular fact, a normal situation that you're seeing, sure it will make you understand that you must be like that if you're in OB, but you don't learn any technical stuff by just seeing this.

 

[smq123]

It seems like the psych patient you're talking about wasn't so sensitive, it's not like she said "don't look at me, you're just a student", she even let you do some very important stuff for her......besides, she was a psych patients, it's obvious that they don't have a 100% normal behavior.

Actually, we wondered why she was there - saying that she was "depressed" was kind of an exaggeration. It was really hard to tell how much of it was "depression" and how much of it was her baseline behavior.

Sorry, I should have been clearer - the first time the attending talked to her, she pointed to the med student and said, "Does he have to be here too?" After that, she never talked to us unless it was for something really small (like changing the volume on the TV). Even then, she doubted our competence in small tasks like that.

About OB residents being protective with patients...you don't really learn much about that, it's just a regular fact, a normal situation that you're seeing, sure it will make you understand that you must be like that if you're in OB, but you don't learn any technical stuff by just seeing this.

I've seen residents and attendings in other specialties do very invasive exams, and never even introduce me. A family med attending did a breast exam, and then, halfway through, said casually, "Oh, you don't mind if the med student watches me, right?" So, sadly, it is NOT a "normal situation that you're seeing."

 

[Meatwad]

I shadowed a urologist for some time, and every patient said "that's fine," when the doctor introduced me as a student and asked if it'd be OK for me to observe. 95% of patients were males, and I'm a male, so that probably had something to do with it. Those of you who have mentioned OB/GYN patients refusing to have students around them, is this only male students, or males/females alike?

 

[mules05]

I've seen residents and attendings in other specialties do very invasive exams, and never even introduce me. A family med attending did a breast exam, and then, halfway through, said casually, "Oh, you don't mind if the med student watches me, right?" So, sadly, it is NOT a "normal situation that you're seeing."

If this bothers you, speak up. Before the exam begins, introduce yourself to the patient and let her know you'll be observing Dr. ______ if that's ok with her. Chances are, if you act in a confident and professional manner, she'll be ok with it. Also, a breast exam in the family med office may be no big deal to the patient- it may be that the attending has been seeing this patient for a while and knows that she's comfortable with this exam, and therefore doesn't think to ask. As a patient, I'd almost be more uncomfortable if a doctor asked about a student observing a breast exam in a non-casual way...that would seem to me to imply that the exam was in some way embarrassing and that I should be less comfortable in that situation.

 

[smq123]

I shadowed a urologist for some time, and every patient said "that's fine," when the doctor introduced me as a student and asked if it'd be OK for me to observe. 95% of patients were males, and I'm a male, so that probably had something to do with it. Those of you who have mentioned OB/GYN patients refusing to have students around them, is this only male students, or males/females alike?

I'm a girl, and I had a patient kick me out of the room once. (Well, technically, she didn't let me set foot inside the room.)

 

[nykka3]

I'm a girl, and I had a patient kick me out of the room once. (Well, technically, she didn't let me set foot inside the room.)

You know it might suck for us as students to be excluded from patient care in these instances, but it is the patient's right (even if at a teaching hospital) to decide who has access to their personal business.

 

[smq123]

You know it might suck for us as students to be excluded from patient care in these instances, but it is the patient's right (even if at a teaching hospital) to decide who has access to their personal business.

Oh, sorry - I didn't mean for it to come across as necessarily a negative thing. It was actually kind of funny, because she came in after a drug binge. (MFM was seeing her.) She looked really out of it...but was alert enough to correctly identify me as a med student and tell me to leave. I must give off some distinct "med student" vibes, because I was wearing scrubs just like everyone else.

 

[nykka3]

Oh, sorry - I didn't mean for it to come across as necessarily a negative thing. It was actually kind of funny, because she came in after a drug binge. (MFM was seeing her.) She looked really out of it...but was alert enough to correctly identify me as a med student and tell me to leave. I must give off some distinct "med student" vibes, because I was wearing scrubs just like everyone else.

yeah that is weird.

 

[drivesmecraazee]

wow...

 

[drivesmecraazee]

Junkies are funny people......once I saw two english women in their lates 30's or early 40's wasted on coke, they were at the hospital cuz one of them had a dog and it bit the other, the owner of the dog was completly paranoid talking out of control even with the guards, they couldn't undestand her!! she was asking for some Valium to people who obviously couldn't give any medicines (cashier and guards)

 

[fabu1ous]

To the OP, I'm also premed and didn't know any physicians who I could personally ask. I did, however, ask my personal doctor during a well-woman visit. I mentioned to her that I'm applying to med school and after a great conversation, I asked if I could meet her to discuss possible shadowing opportunities. She was completely receptive and instead advised me to speak with her assistant about getting me into one of her surgeries. I ended up scheduling 2 hysterectomies and 1 c-section-- pretty awesome experiences... and by the way I met her the morning of each procedure at the hospital and we walked in together, changed, scrubbed in, the works!

Just be bold, bring up the conversation about how you're excited about applying and interested in woman's health-- and ask for the opportunity.

Best of luck to you!

 

[itstwelve]

To the OP, I'm also premed and didn't know any physicians who I could personally ask. I did, however, ask my personal doctor during a well-woman visit. I mentioned to her that I'm applying to med school and after a great conversation, I asked if I could meet her to discuss possible shadowing opportunities. She was completely receptive and instead advised me to speak with her assistant about getting me into one of her surgeries. I ended up scheduling 2 hysterectomies and 1 c-section-- pretty awesome experiences... and by the way I met her the morning of each procedure at the hospital and we walked in together, changed, scrubbed in, the works!

Just be bold, bring up the conversation about how you're excited about applying and interested in woman's health-- and ask for the opportunity.

Best of luck to you!

mmm that sounded like you had some great experiences! I'll have to talk to someone I meet when I start volunteering at a free clinic soon b/c I currently don't have insurance and haven't seen a doctor for a while.

 

[itstwelve]

IMHO, your "real answer" is a much more mature and thoughtful response at this point in your quest to be a doctor. Your friends and family might not get it, but I think most med school interviewers will respect that you are still investigating your options and that you've chosen to keep an open mind during your vast training experiences ahead. So while it's good you're interested in checking out various specialties, don't stress if you don't have an answer just yet.

Last year, I had an interviewer who kept on asking what I would want to specialize in, even though I was telling him I had not decided yet. In the end, he asked me, if you had to pick today, what would you specialize in? And then I had to have an answer for it...what would you have done in this situation? What was his purpose for doing this? Was his trying to see if I'd stick to what I had said originally?

Also in relation to this question, why do interviewers ask, "if you could Never be a physician, what would you be?" Are they trying to see if you will stick with being a doctor no matter what or to see if you have a plan B and you are prepared? My plan was to answer with "I will be a physician, NO MATTER WHAT. I am determined to be a physician as I believe it is the best professional fit for me."

 

[nykka3]

Last year, I had an interviewer who kept on asking what I would want to specialize in, even though I was telling him I had not decided yet. In the end, he asked me, if you had to pick today, what would you specialize in? And then I had to have an answer for it...what would you have done in this situation? What was his purpose for doing this? Was his trying to see if I'd stick to what I had said originally?

Also in relation to this question, why do interviewers ask, "if you could Never be a physician, what would you be?" Are they trying to see if you will stick with being a doctor no matter what or to see if you have a plan B and you are prepared? My plan was to answer with "I will be a physician, NO MATTER WHAT. I am determined to be a physician as I believe it is the best professional fit for me."

I think answering either of these questions with "yeah i would pick primary care or a surgical field (basically keeping it vague)" and also answering" i would probably be a journalist" is ok. there is nothing set in stone, but i think they just want to see a) if you have considered even on a superficial level the many specialties in medicine (b) that you are well rounded with other interests. If you answer those questions with (1) i am not sure which specialty i am interested in and i am pretty open minded about it all (2) i am only interested in becoming a physician b/c of x,y,z i don't see a problem with that also. It's all part of the interviewing game, but it also helps you to address your motives and desires despite making you feel uncomfortable. Good luck!

 

[itstwelve]

I think answering either of these questions with "yeah i would pick primary care or a surgical field (basically keeping it vague)" and also answering" i would probably be a journalist" is ok. there is nothing set in stone, but i think they just want to see a) if you have considered even on a superficial level the many specialties in medicine (b) that you are well rounded with other interests. If you answer those questions with (1) i am not sure which specialty i am interested in and i am pretty open minded about it all (2) i am only interested in becoming a physician b/c of x,y,z i don't see a problem with that also. It's all part of the interviewing game, but it also helps you to address your motives and desires despite making you feel uncomfortable. Good luck!

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it!!

 

[Snuffleupagus]

as a fourth year student, i have forgotten everything about ob, but i do remember something about being premed and trying to get clinical experience.

think a little outside the box...if you are interested in women's health, there are SO MANY ways to gain some experience.

have you thought about becoming a rape crisis counselor with Planned Parenthood? this is a great service in which you could really get involved, not just shadowing.

joining a clinical research project with faculty at your institution that work in women's health? (could be anything...cardiology, endocrine, etc).

shadowing other doctors who may primarily deal with women? some cardiology groups work almost exclusively with female patients s their focus is women's heart health. A female urologist may see a large volume of female patients. There are many others to think about...adolescent medicine (branch of pediatrics) deals with a LOT of reproductive/sexual health issues, child and adolescent psychiatry, endocrinology.....

good luck