Essay On Shadowing Experience

My first comprehensive exposure to the health care field was six years ago as a senior, during which time I participated in hospital-based schooling. This program allowed me to observe a multitude of different medical disciplines, with rotations in surgery, orthopedics, nutrition, dermatology, gastroenterology, neurology, administrative services, and many more. Three out of the five school days were dedicated solely to shadowing, and the other two were spent in the classroom learning various medical-centric studies.
Once in college, I continued to shadow physicians whenever my class scheduled permitted. I participated in the 4-U Mentorship program, which paired me with a fourth-year medical student who was preparing to do his residency in general

Since graduating, however, I have been fortunate enough to establish a multi-year shadowing opportunity with an ER physician. This experience has easily been one of my most meaningful exposures to the medical field. Unlike other specialists I've observed, whose practices focus on a narrow branch of medicine, shadowing in the ER has allowed me to familiarize myself with pathologies affecting all body systems. Furthermore, having frequent shifts in the ER, I've been able to transition from a passive observer to an active contributor; I now recognize how certain ailments present, and can intelligently discuss possible diagnoses with my mentoring physician. This experience has enabled me to learn about the human body instead of just the specialty itself. Given that this is not a trauma center, I’ve also been able to have considerable interaction with what I regard as an “average patient”. Rather than someone being rushed in with a gunshot wound, I’ve seen the devastating effects of poor primary care and chronic illness