How to shadow a doctor part 1

I am student doctor Thompson. I'm just getting ready to start my second year of medical school and I had some thoughts about shadowing a physician that I want to share with you. This is part 1 of a 3 part series on shadowing. In part 1 I talk about what is shadowing, why is shadowing important, and how to find shadowing experiences.

Shadowing is following a doctor around wherever she goes. The experience may take place in a clinic (doctors office), hospital, operating room, or house call.
Shadowing is important to gain clinical exposure, it is required by most medical schools, it is an important way to get a letter of recommendation from a doctor, and it is a way to gain insight into a potential career choice.
Finding shadowing experiences can be difficult. I suggest 5 ways to find good experiences for shadowing a doctor. 1 contact friends and family, 2 contact a personal physician, 3 use the resources of your school or pre-med office, 4 find shadowing experiences through places that you volunteer, and 5 cold call which is calling a doctor that you have never met and request an opportunity to shadow.
Thanks for watching.