Things I did - Shadowing

Whenever a PrePA gets through the prelimanary questions, the conversation turns to shadowing and usually grinds to a halt.  It's required or advised by many program and difficult to obtain. The sad news is that there is no easy answer. HIPAA and its increasingly restrictive interpretations have made shadowing at large entities (hospitals) almost impossible.

I was fortunate enough to work with several PAs and use some of our time together as shadowing. If I had a spare minute or a lunch break I would sit with a Pa and talk about current patients, the profession, how inpatient practice worked, etc. In CASPA, I listed that time as shadowing. One of those PAs worked in an Urgent Care/Family practice and I was able to also shadow there. The only reason I have shadowing hours on my application is because I was around enough PAs for it to happen.

Here's a few thoughts on shadowing:

- Do your homework. If you meet a PA and talk to them about shadowing, be sure to have learned some things about the profession first. Shadowing is at best a first hand look at what you already know about PAs.

- Look everywhere and ask everyone. Go in person (dressed professionally) to ask about shadowing. Bring a resume. Even better, don't ask about shadowing, just ask to talk to or email the PA. Have some questions ready. Offer to meet them on their schedule. At the end of a conversation, ask about shadowing. If its not an option, you've still been able to learn from a PA and network. Ask who they know that would allow shadowing.

- Join state organization and AAPA. Go to the conferences. Attend a meeting. There are tons of people to connect with through these organizations. After attending TAPA a conference, I had 4 shadowing offers.

- Don't expect everyone to be available for you. I was a little surprised at how often I encountered this perception. Remember that a PA is at work when you are shadowing, and the decision to allow shadowing isn't always just up to them. There could be an office manager, group policy, supervising physicians, and the patients who don;t allow shadowing. You are asking them a big favor, so be grateful for their time.

- Be careful not to get discouraged when people tell you no. You'll have a LOT of people tell you know if you're looking for shadowing. One of the key things PA admissions committees look for is persistence. Keep track of who you talked to while shadowing. Make notes of the conversation and share them with your PrePA group at school or on a blog.

- Hopefully more schools will have programs like this. Let your advisers know about this program and push to see it happen more and more. Internships are extremely valuable, and one that lets you shadow a PA would be ideal.