Hi gang!
I shadowed a cardiologist a few months ago for only 2 days and I absolutely loved it. The experience was great, and the physician seemed to enjoy having a student there for the weekend. At the end of the 2nd day he told me to let him know if there is anything else he can do for me and that I know how to reach him if needed. I sent him a thank you note in the mail and a few months went by.
I have been eager to shadow him again, but my schedule is a bit nuts right now and I can only shadow on weekends. However, I am quitting my full time job at the end of the year and obtaining a part time job in a hospital while I continue my post-bacc studies.
I emailed the Dr a week and a half ago stating how much I enjoyed the last round of shadowing and asked if he had any availability in the coming months to have me back. Sadly, he did not respond. I understand how busy he must be so I don’t know if I should email him again asking, or just let it go for now and when I have more open availability to shadow contact him then. What do you think?
I would wait another week or so and follow up. If you haven’t already, include the update of your change in jobs and availability staring the first of the year. After that, give it a little rest, but don’t give up.
There is my free 2 cents worth.
Good luck on all your post-bac studies and you will find the hospital experience priceless.
Maria
Contact his secretary or office manager. It’s entirely possible that he’s having an extremely busy week, and the more potentially life-threatening the conditions you treat, the more stressful a stressful week is. Remind them who you are, say that you e-mailed Dr. X recently and didn’t hear back, could s/he please pass on a message to the doctor for you?
One week isn’t long. He could be busy. He could also be at a conference or on vacation. And if he’s on vacation, considering the amount of time he probably spends on call through the year, he may be strict about leaving anything resembling work at work until he returns.
^I agree…give the office a call in a few days, and mention that you are just following up on an email you sent, and ask that the doctor to give you a call at their convenience. Or if they are too busy for shadowing, maybe ask for a few references of other doctors in the field. That isn’t being pushy, it is just showing dedication and interest.
Good luck!
Thank you all! This is helpful. I need to keep reminding myself that it’s alright to be persistent, in fact it shows dedication like you said. I am sure that looks much better than someone who shows zero interest.
I think I am going to give it another week and then try emailing again. I’ve dealt with his secretary in the past and she unfortunately is not the most competent person to work with. I am sure her priorities are not helping out the student, so I understand. The dr did give me his cell and has said to call or email with any questions. So I can always call if the second email doesn’t get through.
I am probably over thinking this whole thing! He obviously doesn’t view me as a nuisance if he gave me his cell phone # and has told me numerous times that he is happy to help in anyway that he can.
Is anyone else going through these intense feelings of insecurity through this process??
Just a quick update. I held off on e-mailing again and lo and behold he emailed me late last night telling me when to come back to shadow him. He even supplied me with more than one date for me to shadow.
I am so excited!!
Now to continue working on my patience and confidence 