How to Shadow a Doctor as a Pre-Med: Tips for Clinical Experience & Global Internships

Shadowing a physician is a crucial early step in your journey to medical school. It gives you real-world insight into the healthcare environment, strengthens your medical school application, and helps you determine whether a career in medicine is right for you.

This guide explains how to find shadowing opportunities, how to prepare, what to expect, and how to integrate your experiences—both local and international—into your path toward becoming a compassionate and competent physician.

Why Shadowing a Doctor Matters for Pre-Meds

Shadowing helps you:

Understand the clinical decision-making process
Observe doctor-patient interactions
Explore different medical specialties
Gain insight into healthcare systems
Strengthen your motivation to pursue medicine

This experience sets apart competitive applicants. According to the AAMC, only about 36–40% of MD applicants are accepted annually. Shadowing demonstrates your initiative, commitment, and firsthand exposure to the medical profession—traits that admissions committees highly value.

How Many Shadowing Hours Do You Need?

There’s no official requirement, but top applicants often have:

40–100 hours of clinical shadowing
Exposure to multiple specialties
Diverse environments (inpatient, outpatient, rural, urban)

While quantity helps, the quality of your experiences and how well you reflect on them matters more.

Preparing for Your Shadowing Experience

Before reaching out to doctors, follow these steps:

Identify specialties you’re interested in (e.g., pediatrics, emergency medicine, ENT)
Learn basic medical terms and procedures to follow conversations more easily
Update your resume with academic, volunteer, and healthcare-related experience
Draft a professional email explaining your interest and goals
Complete required documents, such as proof of immunizations or HIPAA compliance

Set specific goals: Do you want to better understand bedside manner? Observe surgeries? Learn more about clinical ethics? Clarifying your intentions will make your experience more meaningful.

How to Find Shadowing Opportunities

Use a combination of approaches:

Start with personal connections (your family doctor or pediatrician)
Reach out to your school’s pre-health advising office
Leverage alumni networks and LinkedIn
Contact local hospitals or clinics—ask about observership programs
Use professional introductions—a brief, respectful email can go a long way

Persistence is key. You may hear “no” before you hear “yes.” Keep your outreach professional and polite.

What to Expect While Shadowing

Expect to:

Follow physicians during patient rounds, consultations, or procedures
Observe administrative work like charting, test reviews, or interdisciplinary meetings
Witness high-stakes decisions and emotional interactions with patients and families

While you’re primarily there to observe, you may be invited to ask questions between cases or debrief at the end of the day. Always remain professional, courteous, and respectful of patient privacy.

Exploring Medical Specialties Through Shadowing

Shadowing helps you compare specialties by experiencing:

Pace: Fast-moving ERs vs. slower outpatient clinics
Patient demographics: Pediatrics, geriatrics, adults
Procedures and responsibilities: Surgery vs. diagnostics vs. counseling

These observations will guide your future career choices and enrich your personal statement when applying to medical school.

Overcoming Challenges in Shadowing

You may encounter:

HIPAA restrictions
Scheduling issues
Limited access to certain departments

Approach these challenges with flexibility and professionalism. Each shadowing opportunity, even short-term, can provide valuable insight.

Prepare emotionally too. Medicine involves both triumph and tragedy. Reflecting on difficult patient interactions can help you develop emotional resilience and empathy—qualities essential for any future doctor.

Document and Reflect on Your Experience

Keep a shadowing journal. After each session, write down:

Memorable patient interactions
What surprised you
How the doctor communicated and made decisions
Your personal reactions and thoughts

These reflections will help shape your personal statement, interview responses, and medical school essays.

Take Your Shadowing Global: Internships Abroad with Go Elective

For students looking to expand their clinical exposure, Go Elective offers medical internships in Kenya and Tanzania—providing unparalleled opportunities to shadow doctors in diverse, high-volume hospital settings.

Our programs offer:

Hands-on shadowing across specialties like internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, and ENT
Community outreach and public health immersion
Mentorship and daily clinical debriefs
Ethical and structured learning environments

These global experiences go far beyond traditional shadowing—they enhance cultural competence, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of healthcare disparities.

> Learn more about our global internships

How Shadowing Supports Your Medical School Application

Your shadowing experiences help you:

Demonstrate your understanding of the medical profession
Build a narrative about why you want to be a doctor
Strengthen your letters of recommendation
Improve your interview responses

Global shadowing experiences, in particular, show initiative, maturity, and cross-cultural communication—traits that make you stand out in a competitive applicant pool.

> Apply today to secure your spot

Final Thoughts: Use Shadowing to Shape Your Journey

Shadowing a physician isn’t just a checkbox—it’s a transformative experience that confirms your calling and prepares you for the challenges of medical training. Whether you complete 50 hours locally or 150 hours through global internships, each experience offers insight, inspiration, and valuable mentorship.

As you move forward, reflect deeply, seek diverse perspectives, and let every patient interaction reaffirm why you chose medicine.

Build your future through immersive clinical shadowing with Go Elective. Shadow real doctors. Experience real medicine. Gain real perspective. Start your journey here