My friend works as a scrub tech at OHSU hospital and she has arranged for me to come in and do some shadowing. It will take place tommorow and I can;t wait I am so excited.
She works on Labor and Delivery so I hope someone is having a baby. If I am lucky there will be a c-section which she said I would be able to watch.
Yikes I hope I don’t faint. I have a “strong stomach” and have never ben bothered by blood or anything before so I should be ok.
Cathy
Wow! Have a wonderful time and let us know how it goes!
YAY!!! I finally got to shadow my friend. It was awsome!! It makes me want to go into medicine even more.
It was unfortunate that there were not too many people in labor. But I did get to see the labor rooms and the birthing rooms and the OR’s where they do the c-sections.
Overall it was so fun.
There was one lady in labor and my friend had to set up the tray with the scissors and umbillical clamps, drapes etc. I walked in and stood by the door i wasn’t sure if I should go in but my friend called me over and I got to help a little. (very little). We didn’t stay though she wasn’t crowning so I think she still had a ways to go.
Plus it was a nurse mid wife and they don’t like people gawking. I don’t think the mother wanted someone watching either.
I am returning in 2 weeks to shadow again and I hope by then there is more going on.
Here is a picture of me in scrubs 
Attached files
Sounds like a great experience! Glad you had a good time! (oh, and yes - CNMs tend to be very protective of their birthing moms - with good reason of course!).
-Christy
That is so cool! I’m glad you had a good time… and please let us know how the next shadowing goes…
Andrea
this sounds like a good first experience. Can I suggest a couple of things to make future experiences even better?
Your friend’s willingness to bring you into her workplace is generous and admirable. But “shadowing” her isn’t going to give you the doctor’s perspective, but the perspective she has in her job. What’s the difference right now? I admit, probably not a lot - except that a good shadowing experience isn’t JUST observing the patient care, but also talking to the doc, finding out his/her perspective on work, thought processes in arriving at diagnosis and management plans, etc. etc. etc. What you’re able to do by accompanying your friend would more properly be termed "observing."
So - she’s a good contact point. Next time, you want her to start the shift by looking around for the docs who are hanging out in L&D and introducing you to them. THEN you want to hang out with the docs. Ideally she’d talk to someone, say the day before - maybe she could look on the calendar to see scheduled c-sections or scheduled inductions so she’d know who to nab. If she looks at the schedule a few days out, she might even tell a doc, for example, “I’ve got this friend, is it okay if she calls you to arrange a shadowing experience for this upcoming c-section?” and then you call them. It’s just considerate - gives the doc a chance to think about it instead of putting her/him on the spot.
With any luck you’d be able to strike up conversations with some of the docs, maybe arrange for more shadowing say in the office setting. Or they may know other docs in other specialties they could recommend for additional experiences. You’d like your shadowing experience to be as active as possible.
One other thing: you and your friend (or in the future, preferably, the doc you’re working with) need to get clear on how to approach laboring moms. The practitioner who’s “managing” (nurse-midwife or OB) should be approached first - “I’m very interested in observing, do you think this patient would be agreeable to my accompanying you when you do the exam/delivery/etc.” The practitioner should then ask her/his patient (WITHOUT you there) and convey the response.
Lots of people are actually OK with various people being involved but it is important to ask, and your chances of success will be much greater if you’ve got the practitioner on your side to begin with.
hope that helps, good luck with future experiences!