To finish up this trilogy, I am writing about shadowing! Shadowing is important because it gets you direct exposure to physicians (not just patients), and it may get you a letter of recommendation. The process is very similar to finding a research position, but I wanted to make sure it also got covered.
Who to Shadow and How to Find Them
You must begin your search for physicians with what physicians you are interested in shadowing. If you already know what type of physician you wish to be, it is best to find individuals of that specific specialty and try to observe each for longer. However, suppose you are unsure of your future specialty or are new to medicine. In that case, I suggest first finding individuals from many different specialties and shadowing each in smaller time increments until you determine what you are most interested in.
How to find these doctors and emails is the next task. The easiest way to find emails is to look at your local hospital's (Shands for UF students) directory of physicians. It is easiest to look through your school because the emails are not always provided, but if you look up their name in your school (ufl) email, you should find their email. A link to Shands directory is here: https://ufhealth.org/search/providers
What to Email
As with research, there are millions of email templates on the internet of how to ask someone if you can shadow them. Ultimately you want it to be concise, informative about your interest, and express your expectations. Below I have included a general structure of what to say, but ultimately there is no "correct" way to email.
Paragraph 1
Include name, year, school, and major.
Explain your future aspirations, such as medical school and field of medicine.
Express your interest in their specialty and them specifically
Paragraph 2
Give a brief summary of when you would like to shadow (i.e., a certain date or span of weeks). Also, explain the amount of time you would like to shadow for (i.e., if you want it to be a one-time thing or reoccurring).
If you do not have a preference for how long, state that you are interested in shadowing within a specific time frame for as much time as they are willing to give you.
Close with again stating that you are interested in shadowing them and would like to set up a meeting with them to talk about their specialty and possible opportunities.
Keep Emailing!
Unfortunately, many professors are not going to respond to your initial emails. For this reason, I suggest emailing 6-7 people to start with. After about two weeks, if you have not received responses, I would select another 6-7 people to email until someone responds!
After You Shadow
If you are interested in receiving a letter of recommendation from a physician, it is essential to let them know soon after or during the period of shadowing. Even if you do not plan on applying for several months/years, you must let them know so that they can remember you in the future and start thinking of things they can write about you, so it is more personal. This does not need to be you blatantly asking them to write you one but can be as simple as saying, "Thank you for this opportunity to learn from you. Although I do not apply to medical school until _____, I may ask you for a letter of recommendation in the future and wanted to let you know now!"
Conclusion
In conclusion, finding shadowing can take a few emails, but it is possible. All you have to do is start finding physicians! Also, remember to be on the lookout for people you may know or meet that may let you shadow them!
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