Shadowing Health Professionals
Students seeking experience in a clinical setting should look into volunteering at hospitals, nursing homes, free clinics, pharmacies, etc for enough time to show dedication to the health profession. This requirement means a minimum commitment of
§ Three hours each week during the academic year when classes are in session, OR
§ 100 hours of contact shadowing a clinical mentor during winter or summer breaks if the student is not taking coursework (part-time 20 hours for 5 weeks).
While some students may have done some volunteering in a hospital during their high school years, those students are encouraged to continue volunteering, perhaps in a different ward or clinic so they are not accustomed to only one health care work setting. If you volunteered in the emergency room, consider volunteering elsewhere (for example, an inpatient clinic or an outpatient clinic). At any rate, high school experience should be supplemented with experiences during college years.
Students will likely undergo a criminal background check (which is standard for all hospital workers) and some orientation courses on patients' privacy rights to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. HIPAA dictates a patient's rights regarding the confidentiality of electronically stored medical and insurance information; a health care setting should be willing to train volunteers to comply with HIPAA regulations.
While students are not required to hand in a report to the Office of Pre-Health Advising to document their volunteering experience, you are strongly encouraged to keep a personal journal of your interactions in the clinic as a volunteer or observer. The student should write down descriptions of interactions with patients (without disclosing personal information-HIPPA) and what insights you gained about yourself, the workplace, or the profession. If it is recorded, you will be able to look back and rely on these descriptions for writing the personal statement, a portion of the application process.
How do I find a health professional for shadowing opportunities?
· The Virginia Board of Medicine has a search engine that lists practicing allopathic, osteopathic, or podiatric physicians.
· All other prehealth students can use the general search engine for current licensees in dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, and other health professions.
· The Medical Society of Northern Virginia also keeps a referral list for patients.
· The Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association also has a directory of osteopathic physicians with whom you can shadow.