Questions to Ask While Shadowing

It's a great idea to ask questions while you're shadowing. Not only will you learn more that way, you’ll show the doctor you value his or her time. You’ll show you appreciate the doctor’s willingness to bear the burden of repeatedly explaining to patients who you are, explaining to you what you’re seeing, and doing his or her best work with an extra body (yours) and a clueless kid (you) looking over the doc’s shoulder.  If you can show you came to learn, the doctor may even enjoy having you there, and in many cases, be willing to explain more to you than to all the dozens of other pre-meds who showed up and shadowed just to log hours.

Here are some thoughts to get some ideas churning. Keep in mind that although it won’t hurt to have questions prepared, paying close attention and asking questions as often as you have them will make your shadowing experience more memorable and the conversations you have with the physician more natural, rather than scripted.

Icebreakers/Preliminaries:

When and/or why did you decide on specialty X?

How long have you been working in this office?

Why’d you choose to work here, specifically? 

What do you like about it?

Is it pretty common for it to be this busy/slow?

How many patients do you see a day?  

What medical school did you go to?

Others:

What sorts of patients/cases do you see most of? 

Has that changed since you started working here?

If you could go back, do you think you’d choose the same specialty?

How much do you have to worry about malpractice suits?

What did you like/hate about medical school?

What do you do when scenario X happens?

How often do you see cases like this one?

How has your specialty changed since you got into it? 

How do you feel about those changes?

Do you find that you’re able to make enoughtime for hobbies/family/vacations?

Were there other specialties you considered before specialty X? 

Why did you decide against them?

Do you have as much autonomy as you would like?

Why did you choose to open your own practice? 

Are you happy with that decision?

Why do you think so many cases of specialty X come in? 

What's your favorite thing to treat? Least favorite? 

 Overall, be observant. Say things like, “I noticed that X happens quite a bit here, does that mean Y?” or “I never realized that’s how X worked, is that because Y?”

Really, this list is just a primer to get you started. The point is that you should be asking lots and lots of questions. Don’t ask questions and pretend like you knew the answer already when the doctor answers. Don’t try to look smart. It’ll go a long way, instead, if you’re humble and inquisitive, and do your best to absorb what you’re experiencing.

Bear in mind, you shouldn’t be asking many questions (if any) while the doctor is seeing patients. Wait until there’s downtime or between rooms. The doctor’s priority is the patient, not you, especially when there are complex care decisions to be made.